By ROY HESS | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD
Mother Nature brought rain and lightning to Central Texas on Wednesday afternoon, interrupting the opening round of the Region IV-6A/5A girls golf tournaments in San Antonio.
Both the Class 6A tournament at Republic Golf Club and the Class 5A tournament at The Golf Club of Texas were postponed due to adverse weather with a number of players still on the courses. Weather permitting at both sites, the first round will resume at 7:30 a.m. today with the final round to be completed later in the day.
In UIL regional competition, the top three teams and the top three individual players not on a state-qualifying team earn berths to play in the next month’s Class 6A and 5A state tournaments at Georgetown.
Three of five girls for Brownsville Veterans Memorial were able to complete their opening rounds Wednesday at The Golf Club of Texas before the rain and lightning halted play.
Playing on a par-72 layout, their scores were Fahtima Avila, 74; Julie Lucio, 78; and Cecilia Garza, 87.
Of the ones who completed the first round Wednesday, Avila’s 74 was the second-best score behind a 72 by Sharyland High’s Raquel Flores.
The District 32-5A champion Lady Chargers are seeking back-to-back team appearances at state in 5A.
“Fahtima was calm and confident all through her round, making some really great golf shots,” Lady Chargers coach Thomas Abete said. “She did what she needed to do on Day 1 and played par golf. Julie is only six strokes behind first place and played very well to stay in the mix of things through the day.
“The girls still have a lot of work to get done, but will take it hole by hole and one shot at a time,” Abete added.
The Lopez girls are also playing in the Region IV-5A event as the 32-5A runner-up, but none of their scores were posted Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the District 32-6A champion Los Fresnos girls were all able to complete their opening rounds at the Region IV-6A Tournament.
The top score Wednesday for the Lady Falcons was turned in by Brianna Munoz, who shot an 81 on a par-71 layout. After Munoz came Jossie Garcia, 84; Kasandra Garcia, 86; Natali Barrera, 87; and Alexandra Montes, 94.
“It’s not easy playing (in a tournament) where almost every girl is committed to some college and (still) expect to complete,” Los Fresnos coach Luis Gonzalez said. “Our girls approached the day very professionally. We were in the first flight with (San Antonio) Reagan, Smithson Valley and (Austin) Westlake. Our girls weren’t rattled or intimidated. They hit their marks, and when a shot missed the zone, they were able to manage and limit any damage.
“I am very pleased for them,” Gonzalez added. “You can’t help but feel happy for them and their parents. When you see underclassmen (like they are) who have less than three years of experience playing this difficult sport competitively at such a high level, the dedication needed can sometimes be overwhelming. Day One was going to be a challenge knowing we do not see that caliber of play regularly (and we held our own).”
Playing as individual competitors from 32-6A, Harlingen High’s Micaela Leandro shot a 78 and Hanna’s Alexis Rodriguez shot an 85.
“Micaela had a good round, I just wish it was a few strokes better,” Harlingen High coach Chris Milligan said. “There were a couple of putts that could have fallen. I think she still has a chance to make it to state. She needs to do what she did at the district tournament (and have a strong showing in the final round).”
Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess