By ROY HESS
Staff Writer
BASTROP — The Brownsville Veterans Memorial Lady Chargers encountered some demanding challenges during Monday’s opening round of the Class 5A girls state golf tournament at Wolfdancer Golf Club.
The Lady Chargers are tied for fifth place with a 344 team score after the first 18 holes of the two-day, 12-team competition on the par-72, 5,561-yard course.
“The course played tough and I noticed pretty much all of the other teams struggled, too,” Brownsville Veterans coach Jose Luis Zarate said. “There were a lot of hazards that came into play, a lot of bunkers in the fairway. It was tough out there.
“Our girls battled and we were competitive for the most part,” Zarate added. “We probably shot seven strokes higher than what we normally do. We’ll see if we can do better (during the final round) (today).”
Magnolia held a one-stroke lead after the first day with a 319 team total. Grapevine was second at 320 and 5A defending state champion Humble Kingwood was third at 326 followed by fourth-place Frisco Liberty at 339.
Brownsville Veterans and Frisco Wakeland were tied for fifth at 344. Sharyland High and Colleyville Heritage were tied for seventh at 346.
Julie Lucio led the Lady Chargers with a 78, which put her in a 10th-place tie individually.
Also for the Lady Chargers, Vanessa Campos shot 84, Fahtima Avila shot 88 and Cristina Pullen carded a 94.
Zarate said Cecilia Garza, the fifth member of the Lady Chargers’ squad, was unable to continue play after nine holes due to a medical condition and had to drop out of the tournament.
Each squad plays with five players and the best four scores count toward its team score. The Lady Chargers will play with their four remaining golfers in the final round.
Halle Whitney of Magnolia was the first-day leader for top individual medalist after shooting a 1-under-par 71.
Sharyland High’s Laura Rodriguez was in second with a 73 and Mansfield Lake Ridge’s Caitlyn Lindell was third at 74.
Zarate was positive about his team’s chances for the final round.
“We’re going to try to finish strong as we can and end the season the best way possible,” he said. “I’m telling the girls to play the best they can and have fun out there.”
Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess