HARLINGEN — Harlingen native Steven Bazan could have two-putted for the win, but needed only one attempt after placing a shot within 10 feet of the 17th hole at the Harlingen Country Club.
Applause and golf cart horns sounded for the golfer they call ‘Bear’ when the ball slowly rolled in the hole.
First day of match play at LB40
Bazan is the champion of the 71st annual Life Begins at 40 golf tournament by defeating McAllen’s Arnoldo Curiel after 17 holes Saturday with around 100 golf carts surrounding the hole.
“This is big for me,” Bazan said. “This has been something I have thought about ever since working here as a teenager.”
During the late 1980s, Bazan started as a bag boy at the club while attending Harlingen High School. Bazan always wanted to compete in the tournament that he idolized in his youth.
| Competitor Steven Bazan tees off at hole four Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023 during the Life Begins At 40 Annual Golf Tournament at the Harlingen Country Club. (Denise Cathey/The Brownsville Herald) Denise Cathey |
Only four golfers remain at LB40
This year’s tournament had 96 golfers competing. When Bazan was a teenager, the tournament hosted more than 250 golfers, Life Begins at 40 tournament president Jeff Scoggins said. The pair reminisced about the old tournaments while Bazan celebrated with his family.
Bazan was a little emotional on the green. The 50-year-old woke with doubt in the early hours with big match approaching, he said. But Bazan made sure to have the right mindset when he stepped on to the course Saturday.
“I wanted to enjoy myself,” Bazan said. “Whether I win or did not win, I was going to be OK tomorrow. The sun was going to rise, and I was going to wake up. That was the mentality I had coming into today.”
Bazan, Curiel advances to final
| Competitor Arnoldo Curiel tees off from the tee box at hole four Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023 during the Life Begins At 40 Annual Golf Tournament at the Harlingen Country Club. (Denise Cathey/The Brownsville Herald) Denise Cathey |
Even though Bazan had been playing well all tournament, he had not beaten Curiel before.
The Harlingen native has only competed in three LBA40 competitions. Each time previously, he has lost to Curiel, in the first round two years ago and in the second round last year.
Third time’s the charm, he said.
Bazan went up on Curiel by three after eight. Curiel struggled at times to hit the fairway but dug himself out of tough spots to keep the match going as far as it did.
Bazan had golden opportunities at 9, 10 and 11 to put Curiel away but could not convert on the green after beautiful shots with his irons. Curiel birdied 14 to pull within two, but that was as close as it got for the McAllen Country Club member.