State Notebook: Robledo plays with top player Spieth
AUSTIN — Harlingen South golfer Roman Robledo can say he’s played with the best, in Texas and the United States.
Robledo was paired up with Dallas Jesuit’s Jordan Spieth during the final round of Friday’s Class 5A UIL State Golf Tournament.
Spieth is the No. 1 ranked amateur in the country and won his second straight Class 5A state championship following a rain-shortened 27-hole tournament.
Spieth will also compete in the Byron Nelson Classic next week in Dallas on a sponsor’s exemption.
It’s Spieth’s first PGA event.
“He’s got amazing ability,” Jesuit head coach Cathy Marino said. “He has a lot of talent and a great work ethic. And that makes him an exceptional player.”
Spieth started the day leading the tournament at 4-under par. But after bogeying two of the first three holes, Spieth looked to be in trouble. He went on to birdie three of his next six holes to make up for his early woes.
EMILY’S DEBUT: La Joya Juarez-Lincoln’s Emily Perez’s first trip to the UIL State Track & Field Championships didn’t go as expected.
The sophomore finished in sixth place in the 3,200-meter run with a time of 11:36.24 in the morning. Perez ran again later at night in the 1,600-meter run and came in seventh place with a time of 5:18.26.
Mission High’s Taylor De La Rosa lso ran in her first state meet in the two-mile run. De La Rosa came in eighth place with a time of 11:53.66.
RAINED ON THEIR PARADE: Heavy rain that moved through Central Texas on Friday caused many headaches to everyone involved with the UIL state track meet and golf tournament.
At Jimmy Clay and Roy Kizer Golf Courses for the 4A and 5A state tourneys, a six-hour delay forced golfers, coaches, parents and friends into a tiny clubhouse/snack bar shared by both courses. Long lines snaked across the snack bar for food and restrooms.
Inside the golf cart storage area, golfers hung out playing hackie sack. Some even made a makeshift ping pong table to pass the time. At Myers Stadium, a five-hour delay forced the rescheduling of most field events.
While the running finals for Class 1A and 4A ran as scheduled, some events like the Class 2A girls and boys long jump started as late as 9:45 p.m. The Class 3A boys and girls’ triple jump was pushed to Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m.
