McALLEN — Rene Lopez II and Javier Vargas are no strangers to sharing the golf course. The pair of friends spends countless hours together competing on the greens.
Day 1 of the 20th Texas Regional Bank McAllen Amateur Golf Championship was no different, with the duo teeing off together with Group 9 of the Championship Flight.
Playing side by side, Lopez and Vargas climbed to the top of the standings, ranking first and second, respectively, at McAllen’s Champion Lakes Golf Course.
“Rene and I actually played together on Wednesday and Friday,” Vargas said. “We actually play against some guys from Harlingen. We’re partners. We feed off each other and help each other out. Playing with him today, it was like a normal day. He knows my bad shoots and good shots, and same me with him.”
Lopez, who is competing in the event for a fourth time, entered the tournament with no expectations, he said, not spending time preparing as in years past.
Despite not feeling as prepared as in previous years, the McAllen native finished first in the standings after Day 1, at 1-under par with a score of 71. Lopez was the lone competitor to finish under par during Round 1.
“In the years prior, I try to practice and get ready for this tournament,” Lopez said. “This year it was different. I have a lot of stuff going on in my personal life, business-wise and stuff. I came out with no expectations and things just worked out.”
“I honestly feel good. I didn’t hit the ball very well today, but I did putt very well. I was able to salvage the round with a good score. The conditions were very tough. It got a little windy towards the end of the round and I kind of had to hold on. Luckily, I was able to get that 71.”
Fellow McAllen native Vargas started the day with a double bogey. He responded on the next hole, going 1-under. He finished the round 1-over par with a score of 73, ranking second going into the second round.
“The golf I played today is my kind of golf,” Vargas said. “I hit birdies and bogeys, just very up and down. That’s what I love about my game. Some guys play really boring golf and never get into trouble. They get on the green, just boring golf. Not me. I love every challenge. I actually love missing greens because then I can chip it in. Which is what I did today.”
Four-time McAllen Amateur champion Miguel Del Angel (2008, 2010, 2013, 2016) kept pace with the leaders after Day 1, finishing 2-over to rank third on the list.
Meanwhile, reigning back-to-back champion Luke Antonelli struggled during Round 1, shooting 7-over to finish the day tied for 18th with four other competitors.
“Rene is going to play his game (today), and I’m going to play mine,” Vargas said. “I’ve beaten him many times, so I’m not scared for (today). I was scared of other guys like Miguel Del Angel and Luke (Antonelli). They’re mean and deadly. They’re a different level. Me being in front of them, it gives me hope to win it.”
Elsewhere, Ignacio Ibarra finished atop the first flight’s standings after one round of play, shooting 3-over for a score of 75. Luis Cerrillo and Ryan Newman are tied for second with scores of 78.
Results from the remaining flights were not available as of press time Saturday. For full results and Day 2 pairings, visit https://www.palmviewgolf.com/tournaments/mcallen-amateur.
The 20th Texas Regional Bank McAllen Amateur Golf Championship concludes today, with the second and final rounds set to tee off at 7:35 a.m. at McAllen’s Champion Lakes Golf Course.
