By Brian Argabright
The 830 Times
Del Rio held off a competitive Eagle Pass to book a spot in this year’s girls regional golf tournament.
The Queens golf team shot a two-day 817 to finish second at the District 30-6A Girls Golf Tournament Wednesday at the San Felipe Springs Golf Course and earn a place at the Class 6A, Region IV tournament to be held April 17-18 at The Golf Club of Texas in San Antonio.
Laredo United South went wire-to-wire to claim the district title by 90 strokes, shooting a 727. Three of South’s golfers shot below 94 on day one including two that shot below 80, staking the Lady Panthers to a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
While day one saw the golfers in the tournament contend with warm temperatures, day two was a different story. Cool temperatures and a steady wind greeted golfers in the course, sending most scores higher on day two than on day one.
South had just two golfers shoot at or below what they shot on day one, but it was good enough to claim the championship. Leading the way for the Lady Panthers was Leslie Rodriguez, who shot back-to-back 78’s for a two day 156 to claim the individual district championship for the third consecutive year.
Joining Rodriguez on the winning team were Anica Cantu, who was this year’s silver medalist (76, 87 – 163); Abigail Salinas (93, 99 – 192), Jessica Leal (111, 105 – 216) and Emily Guerra (124, 124 – 248).
Del Rio ended the first day of play in second place with a 414. They shot 11 strokes better on day two, but it wasn’t enough to catch United South.
Junior Becca Mitchell was the top golfer for the Queens, shooting rounds of 93 and 86. She finished the two-day tournament tied with Eagle Pass’ Valeria De La Cabada for third place at 179, so the two golfers took part in a playoff on hole No. 8. Mitchell birded the par-5 and took third place overall.
Joining Mitchell on the Queens squad was Adali Hernandez (96, 100 – 196), Joelda Alcaraz (98, 101 – 199), Camila Guzman (127, 116 – 243) and Camila Esquivel (131, 131 – 262). Alejandra Verstegui competed as a medalist and finished with a 306 (159, 147).
Two other golfers will also be headed to the regional tournament after qualifying as individuals. Since the top three golfers were already on qualified teams, the fourth and fifth place individuals would be eligible to compete as long as they weren’t also on qualified teams.
Eagle Pass’ De La Cabada, who shot a two-day 179, and Laredo Alexander’s Amber Medina, who shot an 88 and a 93 for a two-day 181, qualified for the regional tournament as well. Laredo United’s Camila Lopez, who shot a 187 (94, 93), will be the first alternate.
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Contact the author at drnhsports@gmail.com
