McALLEN – As a sophomore, Esteban Gonzalez advanced to the UIL State Golf Tournament, was named the RGV Golf Coaches Association Golfer of the Year and averaged a 73.94 round on the golf course for the season.
“It was then that I started getting introduced to college and how to get into it,” Gonzalez said. “I was having the scores to attract college coaches.”
His high school golf coach, Celso Gonzales, said “since he was a little linkster, his goal was to make it to the next level. Now he has accomplished that and fulfilled his dreams.”
The two-time Golfer of the Year signed his national letter of intent Tuesday at the McAllen Memorial gym, celebrating the day with friends, coaches, teachers, family and “everyone who has supported me since the very beginning. It’s a special moment to experience this with friends and family.”
Gonzalez won the individual medalist honor at the District 31-5A tournament last season as a junior. He finished with four first places and three top-fives for the year, lowering his average to 73.81.
So far this season, the senior has a pair of first places.
“It was always the goal to be working toward it,” he said of taking his swing to the collegiate level. “I wasn’t looking too far ahead but one day at a time. It’s the best way you could progress your game.”
Taking it to that next level means facing golfers who are also at the next level. Coaches not just recruit for talent but also for a golfer’s mentality,” Gonzales said.
“ Bottom line is that you get to next level and everybody is going to be pretty much at that same level skill wise,” Gonzales said. “What he needs to work on – and I ask college coaches what are you looking for – are things like course management and how they react to adversity. What is their body management, do they get mad. Those are the things he will need to work on.
“As far as his swing and skills, they are up there. I will put him up and compare him to any junior golfer anywhere.”
Gonzalez said those are aspects of the sport that he plans on working on immediately, not only to help him and his defending 31-5A championship team, but to also prep him for his first day as a collegiate golfer.
“I want to work on learning the game and what I need to work on at the right times,” Gonzalez said. “You can put in a lot of hours but not good work and if you don’t progress, those hours go down the drain.
“It’s a different situation. Now, instead of having to see results, I have to work at it for the long run. Of course I’m going to keep putting in the hours but I’m also going to do what I can to be where I want to be when I start.”