DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER
McALLEN — When McAllen Memorial golf coach Celso Gonzalez watches Carlos Reyes hit the ball, one name comes to mind.
“He’s got a Freddy Couples swing,” Gonzalez said, referring to the famous professional golfer. “So fluid.”
The ball rockets off the diminutive junior’s club.
“He gets his body and the torque … He knows all the right moves,” Gonzalez said.
That swing has Reyes competing in next week’s Class 6A regional tournament that starts Monday in San Antonio. And then he’ll turn in his clubs for his racket to play in the regional tennis tournament a week later.
“I’ve always had the upper hand on those two sports,” Reyes said. “I thought about what I wanted for my future. I knew I wasn’t going to get a scholarship to play basketball or baseball. So I headed over to tennis and golf because I actually have a chance in those.”
Reyes got involved with tennis when he was 9 years old. That’s when he stepdad, Tom Mangelschots, came to the States from Belgium to play for UTPA.
Mangelschots was the No. 1 player for the Broncs from 2001-2004.
“I picked it up from there and I learned from him,” Reyes said. “I grew up around the game and would follow him to the courts whenever he played for Pan Am.”
Reyes’ golf career, however, got off to a more impressive start.
Reyes just picked up the game last season, caddying for his grandpa during tournaments and then eventually playing on his own. In no time, he was playing like a veteran. And now, it’s golf he is looking toward playing in college, not tennis.
“It was a lot of practice, but golf just felt right,” Reyes said. “Right off the bat, I always had something for it. I can’t even explain it. It just came so naturally.”
Every day, Reyes is on the golf course. During weekdays, he practices for five hours after school. On weekends, he’s honing his game on his own time.
“Natural talent, only a few have that,” Gonzalez said. “He’s always around the game, whether playing it or studying it. What I’ve seen so far is a perfectionist. His desire and his drive is something else. He’s just someone who wants to get better.”
Reyes has come a long way from the first tournament he played last season at Palmview, when he shot a 114 and 109 for a two-day score of 223. At this week’s District 30-6A tournament, he won the boys individual championship with a total score of 148.
“I knew after that first tournament that I had to work on everything,” Reyes said. “I had to start from scratch. I’ve just kept working at it, practicing literally every single day. And now I’m here.”
Two days after winning his golf title this week, Reyes finished second in the boys singles division to qualify for tennis regionals, despite not playing tennis in six months because of his focus on golf.
Reyes said the most important similarity between the two sports is the mental aspect. Both sports require being positive and staying calm. How a player thinks can mean a win or defeat.
“You don’t have to rely on your team doing good or bad. It always falls on you,” Reyes said. “Whether you play well or bad, you’re the one responsible.”
Reyes qualified for regionals in golf last season, but did not participate in regionals for tennis because the two tournaments fell during the same week. This year, that is no longer the case. He can play both.
“I was definitely thrilled,” Reyes said when he learned the UIL separated the two tournaments by a week. “I just want to get back on the courts and see what I can do. Give myself another chance to have all this hard work pay off.”