By CLAIRE CRUZ, Staff Writer
PALM VALLEY — Youth golfers from the Rio Grande Valley and beyond gathered Friday at the Harlingen Country Club to commence the 38th annual South Texas Junior Golf Classic, sponsored by Gillman Auto Group.
The first competitive action of the weekend was the long drive contest Friday afternoon. Though participation was lower than in years past, STJGC director Durrell Lovell said the golfers are excited for the event.
“We’re probably down 25 percent on players for different reasons. (COVID-19) has definitely had an effect on the number of kids we have because they’re not feeling safe with the virus, and that’s understandable,” Lovell said. “Kids that are competing are excited and looking forward to it. These kids all know each other, and are very good friends and supportive of each other.”
Dublin Navarrete, a senior-to-be at The Colony, won the boys 15-18 year old division with a drive of 282 yards. The Harlingen native said he has been playing golf all his life, but he became more active competitively two years ago when he moved to the Dallas area.
This will be Navarrete’s first year participating in the STJGC, and he said winning the long drive title against some old friends was a great way to start the event.
“That was awesome. I came in and I was nervous, but after that first drive all of the nerves went away and it was fun,” Navarrete said. “I didn’t hit as hard as I can, because that can be inconsistent, but I did my best. I’m really excited for the tournament. It’s going to be really fun, and I’m going to enjoy it as much as I can.”
Gabriel Guerrero from Sharyland Pioneer finished second in the boys 15-18 division with a drive of 271 yards, and Rex Halford from Los Fresnos finished third with a drive of 248 yards.
Bryan Sandoval, the champion in the boys 13-14 division, recorded the longest drive of the contest with a 302-yard shot. Kyle Smith (208) and Tyler Huff (194) finished second and third, respectively.
Other boys winners were Jay Sebastian Gomez (163) in the 11-12 group and Farid Aounallah (157) in the 9-10 division.
Allison Miller (152) won the girls 11-12 group, with Karina Rios (145) second and Baylee Huff (128) coming in third after a one-shot playoff.
Leonell Salinas III won the 6-8 co-ed division with a drive of 127 yards.
Lovell’s grandson, 4-year-old Maverick Smith, took the final shots of the contest and drew a loud cheer with his drive of more than 50 yards.
The first round of the STJGC will start 7:30 a.m. today. Golfers between the ages of 9-12 will play the first nine holes today and finish the back nine Sunday. Participants 12 years old and above will play all 18 holes.