BY HENRY MILLER | SPECIAL TO THE MONITOR
McALLEN — McAllen Memorial’s CW Phillips put his driver in his golf bag and walked by a small group that was following the lead foursome during the District 30-6A golf championship at Palm View Golf Course on Friday.
“Stick around,” he said. “This match is getting pretty good.”
He then hit his approach shot on the par-4 ninth hole high and about 25 feet from the pin. When his turn to putt came, he started the ball about 5 feet above the hole and watched as it slowly turned and dropped in.
The senior shot a two-day 153 total to outdistance McAllen High’s Lucas Abbott and lead the Mustangs to their fourth straight District 30-6A golf championship. Phillips entered the day with a seven-stroke lead over Abbott and teammate Raul Gonzalez. But the course wasn’t friendly to anyone on Friday, except McHi’s Justin Ochoa — the only player to shoot sub-80 with a 77.
Phillips earned his second straight district title, notching birdies on three of the day’s final fours holes to end with an exclamation point.
First, he knocked in a 40-foot putt for birdie on No 15. On 16, he drove the ball out of bounds but then drove the green on his second attempt and saved par. His approach on 17 stopped 3 feet from the pin and led him to another birdie. Then, on No. 18, his chip came to rest about 2 feet from the hole, and he tapped it in for another birdie.
“I’ve just been blessed to have kids that love to play golf,” McAllen Memorial coach Celso Gonzalez said. “My job is to just steer them in the right direction. I know what the deal is with these 18-year-olds. They’ve been producing since they were freshmen.”
Memorial’s boys claimed their 12th district title under Gonzalez’s direction. He also won four titles with the Memorial girls team and has led the program since 1989.
Four of the five players on the 2018 boys team are seniors, including Gonzalez’s son Ross, who tied for third overall after forcing a playoff.
“That was fun to watch,” Gonzalez said. “He’s played every sport, pretty much, and I’m just blessed that he stuck with golf.”
Memorial entered the day with a 30-stroke lead and finished with a 21-stroke advantage over McHi.
Besides Memorial and McHi advancing to the regionals, La Joya Palmview’s Andrew Lopez and Derek Zuniga moved on as individual players. The teammates each finished with a two-day 163 total and were also in the playoff for third with Gonzalez.
Misson High’s girls won their third straight district title, holding off a surging La Joya Palmview by 10 strokes, 729-739.
Palmview’s Briana Silerio overcame a two-stroke deficit after the first day and shot a 78 for a two-day 157 total. Mission’s Mia Lerma ended the day with a 159 total to claim second.
Along with the Palmview and Mission girls teams, McAllen Rowe’s Annika Canales and McAllen Memorial’s Jessica Garcia also advanced to the regional tournament at the Republic Golf Club in San Antonio. The boys will compete April 23-24, with the girls following April 25-26.