BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER
McAllen Memorial’s C.W. Phillips advanced to state for the second consecutive season, earning the third individual berth with a ninth-place finish at the UIL Region IV-6A golf tournament on Tuesday at the Republic Golf Club in San Antonio.
He was the only Class 6A boys golfer from the Valley to advance to state.
Phillips shot a 70 on Monday and a 72 on Tuesday to post a 142, finishing one stroke ahead of a three-player group that included Brownsville Hanna’s Santiago Garcia and Harlingen High’s Dylan Martinez.
After Martinez and Garcia finished, Phillips was still out on the course. As he was coming to the final few holes, he had a good idea of what he needed to shoot to advance.
“The last four holes really made the difference,” Memorial coach Celso Gonzales said. “He went bogey, bogey, and he was a little frustrated. I calmed him down, and I said, ‘Listen, we just need to par out, and you are going to be fine.’ So, he puts it within 6 feet and makes the birdie putt. That was something else.”
After Phillips finished his round, his teammates — seniors Colton Henderson, Ross Gonzales and Trey Mikulik, plus sophomore Raul Gonzalez — were there to celebrate with him. The scene was electric, with fist bumps, chest bumps and hugs all around.
Austin Westlake’s Matthew Denton won the regional championship on a one-hole playoff after finishing tied with teammate Jackson Davenport with a 134. Westlake comfortably claimed the team title with a 546 — 24 strokes ahead of San Antonio Johnson. Austin Vandegrift shot a 581 to secure the third team state qualifying spot.
Trey Bosco from Austin Lake Travis shot a 139 to finish tied for fifth and advance as an individual, while San Antonio Reagan’s Christian Hansen shot a 141 to earn the other individual state qualifying spot.
Harlingen High had the Valley’s best team finish, coming in sixth with a 615. McAllen Memorial tied for ninth with a 643, McAllen High tied for 12th with a 671, Edinburg North finished 14th with a 673 and PSJA North came in 15th with a 759.
The Class 6A state tournament will take place May 14-15 at Legacy Hills Golf Club in Georgetown.
“He is peaking at the right time,” Gonzales said of Phillips. “After district, the young man decided he was going to get his game back on track. He put in a ton of work, and it showed (Tuesday).”
VALLEY HS GOLF RESULTS
UIL Region IV Tournament
Tuesday, April 24
Final Round
Boys
Team Scores
1, Austin Westlake, 276-270 — 546; 2, San Antonio Johnson, 283-287 — 570; 3, Austin Vandegrift, 292-289 — 581; 4, San Antonio Reagan, 299-300 — 599; 5, Harlingen High, 308-307 — 615; 6, Smithson Valley, 305-312 — 617; 7, New Braunfels, 316-304 — 620; 8, Laredo Alexander, 309-312 — 621; T-9, Laredo United, 318-325 — 643; T-9, McAllen Memorial, 322-321 — 643; 11, San Antonio Taft, 329-317 — 646; T-12, Helotes O’Connor, 330-341 — 671; T-12, McAllen High, 337-334 — 671; 14, Edinburg North, 333-340 — 673; 15, PSJA North, 367-392 — 759; N/S, Brownsville Hanna, 347, W/D.
Individual Scores
1, Matthew Denton, Austin Westlake, 68-66 — 134
2, Jackson Davenport, Austin Westlake, 69-65 — 134
3, Garrett Martin, San Antonio Johnson, 67-68 — 135
4, Reid Davenport, Austin Westlake, 70-67 — 137
T-5, Trey Bosco, Austin Lake Travis, 69-70 — 139
T-5, Johnny Keefer, San Antonio Johnson, 67-72 — 139
T-7, J. Holland Humphries, Austin Westlake, 69-72 — 141
T-7, Christian Hansen, San Antonio Reagan, 71-70 — 141
9, C.W. Phillips, McAllen Memorial, 70-72 — 142
T-10, Santiago Garcia, Brownsville Hanna, 71-72 — 143
T-10, Dylan Martinez, Harlingen High, 74-69 — 143
T-10, Cole Sherwood, Austin Vandegrift, 73-70 — 143
Other Valley Leaders
T-21, Jacob Flores, PSJA Memorial, 73-76 — 149
T-26, Nicholas Galvan, Harlingen High, 76-76 — 152
T-31, Mikey Bullock, Harlingen High, 75-79 — 154
T-37, Ethan Galvan, Edinburg Vela, 74-81 — 155
T-39, Lucas Abbott, McAllen High, 79-77 — 156