The 103rd Texas Amateur Golf Championship, presented by Insperity, begins today at Lakewood Country Club in Dallas.

Competing from Tyler are Cal Clyde, Aaron Hickman, Austin King, Ryan Sirman and Daniel Webb.

East Texans also in the field include Josh Cole of Texarkana, Sam Fidone of Lufkin, Will Griffin of Lufkin, Stuart Smallwood of Paris and Nathan Weant of Hallsville.

Conducted by the Texas Golf Association since 1906, the championship brings together the state’s most accomplished amateur players to compete for the H.L. Edwards Memorial Trophy.

This will be the third Texas Amateur and fifth major TGA championship overall contested at Lakewood, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary. Previously the club was the site of the 1942 and 2000 Texas Amateur; and the 1997 and 2008 Texas Mid-Amateur.

The format for the championship is 72 holes of individual stoke play. All contestants will play 18 holes today and Friday. After 36 holes the field will be cut to the low 54 scores and ties heading into the final two rounds on Saturday and Sunday.

There will be a new champion as Kelly Kraft of Denton, who won last year at Austin Country Club and in 2008 at Houston Country Club, has joined the professional ranks after winning the 2011 U.S. Amateur in Erin Hills, Wis., and competing in the 2012 Masters.

Garrett Driver of Humble has finished second the last two years, while Jordan Russell of College Station is a two-time All-American at Texas A&M and a semifinalist at the 2011 U.S. Amateur.

Six members of the recently crowned NCAA champion Texas Longhorns will play — Griffin, Cody Gribble of Dallas, Alex Moon of Dallas, Steffan Schmieding of Austin, Johnathan Schnitzer of Houston and Brett Spencer of Plano.

Four members of the Big 12 champion Texas A&M is scheduled to play — Drew Evans of Dallas, Ryan Kelly of The Woodlands, Jordan Russell of College Station and Gregory Yates of Mansfield.

Thirteen-year-old Daniel Martinez of UT Golf Club in Austin is the youngest player in the field. Carrying the banner for the old guard is 61-year-old Lloyd Hughes of Sherrill Park GC in Dallas.

NOTES: Nine former Texas Amateur champions have combined for a remarkable 57 wins on the PGA Tour: Ben Crenshaw (1972) – 19; Bruce Lietzke (1971) – 13; Mark Brooks (1979, 1981) – 7; Scott Verplank (1982, 1984-85) – 5; Bob Estes (1988) – 4; Charles Coody (1959) – 3; Earl Stewart Jr. (1947) – 3; Don Massengale (1958) – 2; and Marty Fleckman (1964) – 1. … Lakewood will play approximately 6,713 yards with a par of 36-35 – 71. … Opened in 1912, Lakewood is the second oldest club in Dallas and was designed by Scotland native Thomas Bendelow, who also designed nearby Dallas CC and River Crest CC in Fort Worth. The course has had two major renovations over the years; the first was overseen by Ralph Plummer in 1947 and the second by the architectural team of Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore in 1997.

East Texas Open Tennis Starts Friday

The East Texas Open and Adult Major Zone is set to begin Friday at tennis courts throughout Tyler.

The longtime event concludes Sunday with the championship matches.

Tyler Tennis & Swim Club serves as the event headquarters.

Matches will also be played at UT Tyler, All Saints Episcopal School and Tyler Junior College.