By Brian Argabright
The 830 Times
Like most folks, the Diaz brothers saw their athletic careers take a small hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic that uprooted athletes across a variety of sports over the past two years.
But with safety precautions in place, and plenty of lessons learned, Isaac Diaz, 14, and Isaiah Diaz, 10, are back on the links, and back to racking up the trophies for their ever-growing collection.
If you’ve followed golf in Del Rio for the past several years you’ve grown familiar with the Diaz brothers. The sons of Ascension and Araceli Diaz, they’ve played at golf courses across the country, earning championships and the respect of their peers at every stop along the way.
Recently, Isaac, who is now an eighth grader at Del Rio Middle School, played in his first tournament against high school-aged golfers, finishing fist among 15-18-year-olds. He took first at the STPGA Junior Golf Junior Tour event at the Riverhill Country Club in Kerrville, shooting even par and winning by four strokes. He was one-under on the front nine, and then shot one-over on the back nine, but his lead was large enough that his consistency earned him a title.
At the West Texas Junior Champions Tour New Year Classic at the Quicksand Golf Course, Diaz finished third with a seven-over, three shots behind champion Patrick Babb of Mansfield. He missed out on second place by one stroke to Brooks Vaughan of San Angelo.
Meanwhile, younger brother Isaiah was holding his own as well. A fifth grader at Lamar Elementary, Isaiah was third in his age group at the New Year Classic. He was two shots behind Walt Thompson of Goldthwaite and Maxwell Wymore of Maxwell, who each finished at 13-over to win the tournament.
Their next big tournament will be the Cameron Champ event during spring break in Houston. Come summertime, the two will hit the road to San Diego to compete in the IMG World Championships.
Golf has been a part of the brothers’ lives for nearly a decade. Isaac has been playing since he was roughly 12 years old, and Isaiah has nearly nine years under of play under his belt. Over that time, their father said they’ve learned more about the little parts of the game.
“I’d say their greatest improvement has come in course management. They’re making those tough decisions on the golf course on their own,” Ascension Diaz said. “They were already good players, but at some of these tournaments they aren’t allowed caddies, so I can’t help them. They have to decide how to approach each hole and you can see how much they’ve improved there.”
The elder Diaz also said that though their success on the golf course has grown, all of their effort begins in the classroom.
“They’re A and B honor roll kids. They know that if they can’t make the grade then they can’t play,” Ascension said. “I explain it to them simply that when they get older and compete they may have to miss school, so getting those good grades now insures they’ll be ready should they miss days later so they won’t fall behind.”
Away from the golf course the Diaz brothers are like any other kids. They enjoy fishing and kayaking and playing paintball. As they get older, though, their father said their focus is on the future and their eventual goal of competing on the pro tour, but first will come their time as members of the Del Rio Rams golf team.
“They’re looking forward to competing and representing Del Rio next year. When they get out on that course and start competing for the Rams they won’t be messing around. They’re looking to come into those tournaments hard,” Ascension said. “It’s part of their ultimate goal. It’s not easy to play at the pro level. It’s challenging and hard, but if they really want to do it then they know they have to play on a whole different level. They have to stand out and be unique. Only about one percent of people get to play on the pro tour and that’s our goal. Everyone should have that kind of goal, and that’s something they’re reaching for.”
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Contact the author at drnhsports@gmail.com
