Relaxing day on the golf course
Mesta-Garcia earns comfortable win at NMWT Amateur
SANTA ANA PUEBLO — With the picturesque view of the Sandia Mountains to the east, the beauty of desert flowers and grass surrounding just about everything and the scent of the trees from the Cottonwood Forest, Monday was a great day for a stroll around the Santa Ana Golf Club.
And Emma Mesta-Garcia did just that, turning the New Mexico-West Texas Amateur into a walk in the park.
The native of Torreon, Mexico pretty walked over, around and through the field in the 10th annual tournament, winning by 16 shots after a 3-over 75 on Monday at Santa Ana Golf Club.
“It was a beautiful day, and I was so relaxed and enjoying everything around me,” said Mesta-Garcia, who got as low as 4 under before the wind picked up late in the day. “I wanted to have fun. I wanted to be more aggressive at the end, but the wind got strong during the last five holes. I made a double bogey and a bogey near the end, but I wasn’t disappointed. I was really proud of the way I played this week.”
She finished the 54-hole event at 1-over 217 (70-72-75).
Albuquerque’s Stephanie
Blount was second at 233 and held off 22-year-old Leslie Mirabal, who had the day’s low round at 73. Mirabal, a Sandia High graduate, finished at 236 (81-82-73) over and third in the NMWT.
She said she didn’t know about the City part of the tournament until being asked about her second-place finish by a reporter.
“I feel good that I had a strong round,” Mirabal said. “I wasn’t strong enough mentally the first two days, but I was really prepared (Monday). I want to play professionally, but I’m not ready yet.”
El Paso’s Brenda Dominguez, a golfer at Western New Mexico, was fourth at 21 over and Santa Fe’s Chanet Fiorina was fifth at 25 over.
Blount wasn’t pleased with her game on Monday, but was happy to take the title in the six-player field in 74th annual City tournament.
“I was just trying to keep from blowing up, and I didn’t do a very good job of that,” said Blount, who closed with an 9-over 81. “It was one of those, ‘just get out the duct tape and try to hold it together’ rounds. Obviously, you’d like to win the whole thing. But I tell you what, Emma played so well all tournament. I played with her everyday and watching her just strike it so solidly nearly every swing was impressive.
“But I really appreciate the course here and associations putting this event on, and I am proud of winning part of it. I’m going to greatly miss this when I move to Texas.”
Besides adding a new trophy to her soon-to-be Texas home, Blount also added a new golfing partner — Mesta-Garcia, a rising junior at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.
“Emma told me where she went to college, and she couldn’t believe it when I knew that it was in McAllen, Texas. Blount knew for good reason. “That’s where I’m moving — to McAllen Mission,” said Blount, 56. “In fact, by husband is there already moving furniture. I exchanged contacts with Emma, we’re definitely going to play golf down there.”
NOTES: Sharon Harrington, who won the net title in the second flight, had a holein-one on Monday. She aced No. 5 on the Cheena Nine with a 7-iron from 114 yards out.
… Rio Rancho’s Sierra Campbell, who graduated from Midwestern State (Wichita Falls, Texas) in May, had a shoulder injury that kept her out of this year’s field. Her father, Roger Campbell — the manager of food and beverage of Santa Ana Golf Corporation — said Sierra was recently hired by Dallas Baptist University as an assistant golf coach.
… At least one top junior player says she will be back in the field again. Avery Sky, the youngest of 88 players in the eight flights of the tournament, finished second in the second flight (gross score) to Suzanne Roberts by three shots. The 12 year old will be in seventh grade at Mountain View Middle School this year. She shot rounds of 83-91-86.