BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER
McALLEN — “I was trying to be all athletic,” McAllen Memorial junior C.W. Phillips said of that fateful day in early September.
Phillips lives next to the McAllen Country Club golf course, and on that day he was trying to get to the course to practice.
“I had my clubs in one hand and my balls in the other hand,” Phillips said. “I tried jumping the fence and next thing you know I’m throwing my clubs, trying to catch myself. I fell on my wrist wrong and just fractured all the bones and stuff.”
Phillips injured his right wrist and was forced to miss three months of his season after playing in just one tournament.
The injury didn’t deter Phillips. On the contrary, he attacked his rehab and recovery with the same intensity that he brings to the golf course. He didn’t play enough tournaments this season to qualify for the Valley leaderboard, but his season average of 74.67 would rank third. He carried that momentum into district, where he won the tournament by six strokes, and regionals, where he qualified for the state tournament today at Legacy Hills golf course in Georgetown.
Phillips made his return to high school golf on Feb. 3 at the Sharyland tournament. The rust showed a little bit on Day 1, when he shot a 78. On Day 2, he proved he was back to full form.
“Once I got back at it, Day 2 I came back out there and I had really good putting and my ball striking was good that day,” Phillips said. “I fired out my best round this year.”
Phillips shot a 66, which ties for the third best round by any Valley golfer this year.
Even after the injury, Phillips didn’t have a completely smooth season.
“I had a family issue in the fall and spring, that kind of took me out of town a lot,” Phillips said. “I wasn’t able to play as much as I wanted to.”
Phillips’ family always lived in a house next to a golf course. That helped him develop his passion for golf at a young age.
“My dad has always played golf, so whenever I was a little kid, I would hop on a golf cart with my dad and go play with his buddies,” Phillips said. “Growing up, watching him play with all of his friends, and I guess that kind of led me into the game. My older brother taught me a lot as a younger kid, also. I just developed a love for the game and it’s been like that ever since.”
Phillips plays golf with his father, Wayne, and his brother, Tony, on a regular basis.
C.W. said he often wins their rounds, but Wayne has had to slowly increase his handicap. Now Tony and C.W. give their dad 20 strokes.
“The first time I ever beat my brother, that one took me a while,” Phillips said. “I think I might have been a freshman in high school.
“My dad, I think I was in like eighth grade or seventh grade the first time I beat him. He wasn’t too happy that I beat him, but I beat him and all his friends, and they didn’t let me play with them for a while after that.”
C.W. and Wayne have formed a tight bond around the game of golf. Wayne and Tony were there for the regional tournament last month in San Antonio, and they will be there again today.
“Having my dad there really helps a lot,” C.W. said. “He’s a really levelheaded guy, and I play golf aggressively. He always kind of just keeps me levelheaded and in more of comfort zone. Being up there and trying to compete for a state championship, it’s good to have my dad there. It kind of gives you a little homely feeling.”
At the regional tournament, Phillips had to fight for his spot at state. He shot a 72 on Day 1, which left him tied for sixth and in danger of missing out on a trip to state.
After the front nine on Day 2, Phillips was still in the mix. He stepped up to the par-3 No. 5.
“(After his first shot), he was probably a good 75 feet away from the hole,” McAllen Memorial coach Celso Gonzalez said. “I said ‘CW, you have to par this one. You can not fall behind at this point in your round, because everybody is right there.’”Phillips was looking at a very difficult shot to set up a par putt. He said the shot was “uphill and broke two different ways.” He gathered his composure and took a swing.
“He put it within 6 inches (of the hole), and let me tell you that was probably the turning point,” Gonzalez said. “He got his confidence, and it was beautiful to see.”
Phillips finished Day 2 with a 71, giving him a two-day score of 143, which was good for fourth overall.
Gonzalez has seen Phillips’ skill grow the last two years. He believes this year was a monumental one for Phillips’ development.
“He’s always been good, he had the skills, but this year we really worked on his mental game,” Gonzalez said. “Now he is putting everything together and he is peaking at the right time.”
Phillips has had a great season despite injuries, family issues, lots of travel and missing high school tournaments. Today he will play for a shot at the state title.
“I’m really pumped,” Phillips said. “It’s something that I’ve been working at all year. … After the injury, I couldn’t play for three months. Coming back, I said, ‘I really want to work at it and see if I can maybe win a couple tournaments and go to state.’ And that’s what I did.”