SHE REPEATS
The 21-year-old edges locals for NM-West Texas Am title
Emma Mesta-Garcia, representing Ruidoso, wins 2nd straight New MexicoWest Texas Women’s Amateur
SANTA ANA PUEBLO — Emma Mesta-Garcia and her boyfriend Casto Gomez have been in a relationship for two years after meeting as golfers for the women’s and men’s teams at University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.
They know each other well, on the course, too, as they caddy for each other. So when Mesta-Garcia opened the final round of the 11th annual New Mexico-West Texas Women’s Amateur Championship with double bogey, bogey, bogey, bogey, Gomez knew something was wrong with his girlfriend. Another bogey came on No. 6.
Gomez told her to relax and reset, act as if No. 7 would be the first hole.
Mesta-Garcia, the defending champion originally from Torreon, Mexico, battled back and overcame Bernalillo High alumnus Shannelle Tafoya and recent St. Pius graduate Ashlee Garrett.
Mesta-Garcia, representing Ruidoso, calmly sank a 3-foot putt on No. 18 to hold off Tafoya and Garrett for a one-shot victory to repeat as the champion Monday at Santa Ana Golf Club.
“My hands were a little shaky,” Mesta-Garcia said of her final putt. “But that’s OK. I love the pressure.”
During the summer, Mesta-Garcia, 21, works at the Links at Sierra Blanca in Ruidoso. She also represented Ruidoso last year when she won the tournament by 16 shots. Gomez, who turned pro last year, also caddied for her last year.
“This one was more enjoyable than last year,” Gomez said. “This one was tougher. We had to focus.”
Mesta-Garcia finished at 16-over par 232 (78-74-80).
Tafoya (78-76-79) defeated Garrett (81-72-80)
in a one-hole playoff to capture the Albuquerque Women’s City Championship.
It was a meaningful victory for Tafoya, who has played in the tournament for the past six years. She has played and practiced at Santa Ana for the past nine years. During the summers while attending college first at Adams State University in Alamosa, Colo. and then at St. Andrews University in Austin, Texas, she would play in this tournament.
The Albuquerque Women’s City Championship and the New Mexico-West Texas Women’s Amateur Championship created a combined event last year.
After Mesta-Garcia made the putt on No. 18, Tafoya hugged Mesta-Garcia to congratulate her.
Garrett, who will play for Long Island UniversityBrooklyn, held a one-shot lead through 11 holes. She entered the final round one shot behind Mesta-Garcia.
But everything changed on No. 12, where Mesta-Garcia chipped in for birdie and Garrett double bogeyed to put Mesta-Garcia back in the lead.
Mesta-Garcia said she appreciated the support from Ruidoso and the Links at Sierra Blanca. She said the pressure of repeating might have made her nervous to open the final round.
She will return to Ruidoso later this summer after caddying for her boyfriend in Mexico, she said.
Mesta-Garcia attended high school at Montverde Academy in Florida and then went to Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy in Clermont, Fla. for two years before heading to University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.
She aspires to turn pro after her upcoming final year at UTRGV. She said she is saving up money while working at the Links at Sierra Blanca.
“My boyfriend really helped me a lot,” Mesta-Garcia said. “He was telling me to keep going and not to focus on results. He said, ‘You know the way you can play.’”