The Huntsville Item
HUNTSVILLE —
Huntsville’s Chandler Phillips is gearing up early for his high school golf career.
This week, the 13-year-old Phillips shot rounds of 76 and 82 and finished tied for eighth at the Space City Shootout, a two-day Legend Junior Tour tournament that concluded Tuesday at the Woodforest Golf Club at Fish Creek in Montgomery.
Phillips made three birdies during Monday’s opening round, but only one Tuesday. Still, the phenom who will be a freshman at Huntsville High School next fall, played well in a field that included some of the top golfers in Texas, and one from Jacksonville, Fla.
Phillips has been on a roll lately. Two weeks ago, he won a 15-and-under tournament at Wildcat Golf Club in Houston, then last week he finished second in a tournament at Sugar Creek in Sugar Land.
This week belonged to Matthew Barth of The Woodlands. In the boys 15- to 18-year-old division, Barth took a commanding lead that he would not relinquish after a sizzling front nine 4-under-par 32 and a final round 69 to earn a three-stroke victory.
In the girls division, Montgomery High School standout Marissa Bransburg fended off Cheyenne Knight and Robyn Daniel to earn her first Legends Tour victory. Bransburg shot 78 on Tuesday, three shots clear of Knight, who was also crowned the 14-and-under champion, and four shots clear of Daniel, the runner-up in the girls 15-18 division.
Barth started his final round tied for the lead with Tour veteran Collin Frizzell of Nacogdoches and two shots clear of Frisco’s Michael Upp, who joined the duo in the final pairing. Barth birdied holes two and three, but could not shake Frizell, who made a birdie of his own on No. 3 to stay one stroke back.
While Frizzell made six consecutive pars, Barth extended his lead to three after making birdies on holes six and eight. Frizell cut the lead back to two with a birdie on No. 11. That was as close to the lead as Frizzell would get, as three bogeys on the next five holes effectively ended his hopes at winning.
Barth still had not made a bogey on the day until he reached the 17th hole. With a comfortable lead, Barth three-putted the 17th for the second straight day for the lone bogey on his card.
“I don’t know what it is with that green, it always gets me. But I was really happy with how I played,” Barth said after being awarded the Champions trophy and headcover.
Frizzell finished at even par for the day and took runner-up honors.
“He played a near perfect round of golf today, you just have to tip your cap to that,” Frizzell said of Barth.
Bransburg led the Girls Division by a comfortable four shots over Daniel going into Tuesday’s play. That lead would quickly be extended after Daniel bogeyed the first two holes.
Knight challenged Bransburg’s lead Tuesday, as all of the girls in the field competed against each other, regardless of division. Playing in the final pairing with Bransburg, Knight stayed close until a double bogey on the seventh hole put her five strokes out of the lead.
With Bransburg struggling on the back nine, Knight chipped away at the lead. Bransburg ultimately held strong though to win by three strokes.
