PALM VALLEY — The annual South Texas Junior Golf Classic is set to tee off today at Harlingen Country Club and last year’s runners-up are looking to avenge their loses.
Jacob Serna of Lyford, who was a state qualifier this season, battled hard last year but fell short against Aaron Martinez of Mission in a playoff for the boys 15-18-year-old division title.
Serna returns to HCC this weekend, but he’ll have to overcome plenty of company if he wants to walk away with the championship as 25 other golfers are entered in the 15-18-year-old division, including defending champion Martinez, Dylan Martinez and Brandon Garza of Harlingen, Andy Cortez of La Feria and Santiago Garcia of Brownsville.
Serna tees of at 8:35 a.m. on Tee 10 along with Charles Price of McAllen and Luis Chavez of Palmhurst.
Meanwhile, on the girls side of the 15-18-year-old division, Julie Lucio of Brownsville returns and will look to make up for falling to 2016 champion Anika Hovda of Weslaco.
As with Serna, Lucio lost in a playoff against Hovda, who is not returning this year to defend her crown.
Lucio was part of a very successful Brownsville Veterans girls golf team that finished fifth at this year’s UIL Class 5A state tournament.
Unlike the boys division, the girls side of the coin is very small. Only five girls, including Lucio, are entered in this year’s 15-18-year-old division. However, the competition should be fierce as the field includes Micaela Leandro of Harlingen, who qualified for this year’s Region IV-6A golf tournament, and Isabel Prado of La Feria, who was a UIL Class 3A qualifier.
Lucio, Leandro and Prado tee off at 7:30 a.m. on Tee 1. Linsey Garza of Palmhurst and Mia Lerma of Mission are in the other group, which tees off at 7:37 a.m.
The STJGC is a two-day, 36-hole event that was first played in 1982 and was organized by Harlingen resident Lee Wiley.
