Beverly Williams was in the eighth grade when her father, Ernest Williams, told her that Española Valley High School had a golf team. She decided she wanted to try it out.
“I came out on a Sunday and Monday I played in my first tournament,” Williams said.
It wasn’t the greatest start.
“I think she shot in the 150s,” Española golf coach Tom Velarde said. “It was up there.”
Despite the difficulty, Williams decided she wanted to face the challenge. Her hard work began paying off as a ninth-grader.
“Last year when I broke 100 and shot a 98, I realized I could do something,” Williams said.
Now a sophomore at Española Valley High School, Williams has become the second female golfer in school history to shoot three state-qualifying rounds and enter the Class AAAA state golf tournament. 2008 graduate Alicia Salazar broke the ice last season when she became the first Española golfer — male or female — to qualify for the state tournament.
“(Salazar) paved the path,” Williams said.
Williams accomplished her feat in dramatic fashion. She shot her first qualifying round April 6 at Towa Golf Club in Pojoaque. She needed to earn two more qualifying rounds during the season, but she only had one event left — Española’s last regular season tournament April 20-21 in Roswell.
The state-qualifying score varies from course to course. To qualify for state, Williams had to shoot her best on both days.
She shot a 93 at Spring River Golf Club April 20 to put away the first qualifying round by two strokes. As she approached the final hole April 21 at New Mexico Military Institute’s golf course, she felt the pressure.
“I was keeping the score in my head the whole round,” Williams said. “The last hole was a par five and I needed to shoot a seven at most. I was pretty nervous when I got to the tee box.”
Williams had a 20-foot putt for par on the final hole.
“I got it pretty close and had a putt for bogey,” Williams said. “As soon as I heard the ball drop into the hole I was so thankful, because I knew my hard work had paid off.”
She had shot a 92, and earned a spot at state by one stroke.
“Her work ethic and her desire to excel made it possible,” Velarde said. “She doesn’t argue about anything.”
Williams has now set her sights on bigger goals. One of them is to help Española get to the state tournament as a team, by winning the District 2AAAA tournament. But it won’t happen this year — the district tournament was cancelled thanks to the swine flu.
“I love my team,” Williams said. “None of us would have gotten where we are without our team.”
The team consists of freshmen Shayla McCall and Mariah Martinez, along with senior Cassandra Olivas.
Another future goal for Williams is earning a golf scholarship to play in college.
“I need to improve by about 20 strokes,” she said. “I have to work hard, hit 500 balls a day.”