McALLEN — McAllen Memorial’s Esteban Gonzalez and McAllen High’s Samira Salinas walked into the clubhouse Friday at Champion Lakes Golf Course (formerly Palm View) not completely satisfied with their rounds during the second day of the District 31-5A golf tournament.
They were thrilled with the final results, however, each earning individual district championships.
Gonzalez fired a 2-over-par 74 for a two-day 145 total. Salinas penciled in a 78 and ended with a 154.
Gonzalez paced a Memorial team that captured first-place, beating out teammate and defending champion Dylan Villarreal by three strokes. Villarreal, a sophomore, held a one-stroke lead after shooting a 2-under 70 during the first round.
As a team, Memorial put together eight rounds of sub-80 performances from their top four golfers for a 298-305-603 total. Sharyland High was second with a 651 and Sharyland Pioneer was third at 674.
The top two teams, as well as the top two individuals not on those teams, advance to the regional tournament. The boys’ regional tournament is April 18-19 at the Golf Club of Texas in San Antonio. The girls’ regional tournament is April 20-21 at the same golf course.
“My round today was kind of weird,” said Gonzalez, who entered the tournament as the Valley’s lowest-scoring golfer, averaging a 74.00 per round. “I didn’t play that well. Right from the start I missed a lot of easy putts, then I made a double (bogey) on 15 and that shouldn’t have happened. I got rattled a bit and finally made my first birdie at No. 4.
“Then I just kind of stayed there, maintaining my score because I knew I wasn’t playing very well. I just had to make the best out of the situation.”
Sharyland High captured the girls’ team title, shooting a two-day 691, led by Ximena Paz’s 167 and Carolina Tirado’s 168. Sharyland Pioneer scored a 737 and finished second. Joslyn Lopez registered a day’s best 75 during the second round to capture second place individually at 156.
Salinas will be one of the individuals advancing to the regionals along with Memorial’s Sofia Alaniz-Choy. Pioneer’s Ryan Montoya will represent Pioneer as one of the two individuals advancing to regionals, after scoring a 79-75-154. McAllen High’s Ben De La Garza also advanced
“It was a bit of a roller-coaster ride,” said Salinas who, like Gonzalez, is a senior. “I had some good and bad holes, but overall I kept it together and came out with the lead. I didn’t want to think about winning district. I just wanted to play my game today and I was praying everything would work out. Glad it did.”
Salinas said she’s an aggressive player who goes for some shots most players won’t.
Also in her group was Memorial’s Alaniz-Choy, a very long hitter off the tee,
“I wanted to keep it simple today and stay patient and within myself,” Salinas said. “I can’t worry about how others hit the ball and just focus on me against the course. When it comes to winning, it’s all in the putting. If I stay patient with my putting and let the putts fall, I knew I would be all right.”