By Brian Argabright
The 830 Times
Isaiah Diaz is following in his older brother’s footsteps, but if he keeps playing golf like he did this past week there’s a chance Del Rio could have a pair of high school state golf champions from the same family.
Diaz, the younger brother of Del Rio High School golfer and state qualifier Isaac Diaz, recently finished tied for sixth at the IMG Academy Junior World Championship in San Diego, Calif., at Torrey Pines-South. Diaz, who competed in the boys 11-12-year-old division, shot 8-under for the three-round tournament.
Diaz shared the sixth spot with Nattagorn Bennukul of Thailand. Golfers from India, Japan, China and the United States filled the top 10 spots in the division led by Danish Verma of India who won the event with a final score of 14-under.
The three-day tournament took place July 9-11. Diaz carded a 1-under 70 on the first day. He bogeyed the seventh hole but answered with three birdies over the next 10 holes before a bogey in 17 led to his final score of 70.
On day two Diaz was one stroke better, shooting a 2-under 69. He was at even par through five holes before a double bogey in the par-5 sixth hole pushed him back. He was at 36 at the turn, but again opened his next nine holes with a bogey. From there Diaz was on point, draining birdies on 12, 13, 16 and 18 to finish 2-under.
The third day was Diaz’s best. He shot a bogey-free round and was at 34 at the turn after a birdie on five. He then tore up the back nine, sinking back-to-back birdies on 14 and 15 and then closed out his round with back-to-back birdies on 17 and 18 to finish with a 5-under 66.
His stats backed up his strong play. He tied for third for most par breakers with 14 birdies, tied for third in most birdies overall, shot the second-best score on the back nine at 8-under, and tied for second for the best score on the par 4’s at 4-under, trailing only Verma.
Diaz will be a freshman in 2026, meaning he and Isaac would be on the same golf team at Del Rio High for a year. Head coach Oscar Cardenas is very optimistic about the elder Diaz’s chances at not just returning to state but bringing home a medal. He also said he looks forward to the arrival of Isaiah to give the Rams a dangerous 1-2 punch in 2026 and a state contender until at least 2029.
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Contact the author at drnhsports@gmail.com
