Keener Finishes 30th at Texas Amateur Championship

DALLAS, TX --  Schreiner rising sophomore Jimmy Keener accomplished his goal and then some when he finished in 30th place at the 103rd Texas Amateur Championship.  Keener shot rounds of 74-71-71 at The Honors Course in Dallas.  The tournament was reduced to 54 holes and moved from Lakewood Country Club of Dallas when storms producing baseball-sized hail caused extensive damage to the course and surrounding areas.

Keener never got to play a practice round because his father's car was also several damaged in the storm but that didn't deter him.  He came out on the first day and posted a 74, despite going +3 on his first three holes of the day.  From that point on, he shot even par and finished the day in 62nd place out of 144 of the state's best amateur players.  On day 2, Keener continued his strong play.  He combined three birdies with three pars to post an even par total of 71 and moved up to 39th place, making the two round cut and advancing to the final day.  In round three, Keener was cruising around the course at two-under for the day but bogeys on his final two holes moved him into 30th place.  Considering this was his first attempt and appearance in the Texas Amateur and his goal was to make the 36-hole cut, Keener easily accomplished his goal and then some. 

Schreiner Golf teammate and fellow rising sophomore Cheyne Kendall also qualified for finals.  He too shot 74 in his opening round, rebounding from going +3 in his first four holes.  In the second round, a double-bogey on his first hole proved costly as Kendall shot another 74 and missed the cut by two shots, finishing in 75th place. 

The Texas Amateur Championship is the biggest event of the year for amateur golf in the state of Texas and 18 qualifying tournaments were held throughout the state to determine the championship field.  This is the first time that either has qualified for the championship.

Both players had strong freshmen seasons for Schreiner.  Kendall won his first collegiate tournament in September by besting the field at the Al Jones Memorial in Tyler, TX where he shot 70-71.  Not to be outdone, Keener duplicated the feat in his first tournament by winning the Schreiner Fall Classic with scores of 71-71.