Posted: Tue, 10 May 2011 04:41 PM - 14,041 Readers
By: Kevin Robbins
photography by Erich Schlegel
Julia and Joe Beck III hugged Monday morning before their rounds of golf.
The siblings wished one another good luck.
Then they put a family stamp on the Class 4A state tournament at Jimmy Clay Golf Course.
With a ribbon in her hair, Julia started on the first hole. The sophomore at Lake Travis shot a 1-over-par 73, which gave her a one-shot lead over Callie Scheffler of Highland Park.
With a bucket hat on his head, Joe began on the 10th. The senior at Lake Travis shot a 73, too. He finished in second place, two shots behind Major Monzingo of Northwest Byron Nelson.
The Lake Travis boys ended the opening round in first place, leading Highland Park by five shots. The girls, in second, trailed Montgomery by six.
The situation theoretically could be better. Joe could be leading, like Julia. The girls could be winning, like the boys.
But the Becks are smart kids. They read Bob Rotella, a sports psychologist who titled one of his books with these wise words: Golf is not a game of perfect. They understand golf is a game of contention, which is right where they finished on a hot and windy afternoon in East Austin.
And Joe and Julia, along with their teams, are in position to contend today in the second and final round.
"That's all we could hope for," Joe Beck III said.
Today will mark the last time Joe and Julia play a high school tournament together. Their parents, Joe and Jamie Beck, walked nine holes with each player Monday, switching at the turn and texting updates back and forth.
They tried not to dwell on the finalities that hang over every shot. Their son soon will leave to play at Rice. Julia also hopes to play college golf.
"Weren't they just 5 and 7?" marveled Jamie Beck.
She still can picture her children in the back yard, waving plastic clubs at plastic balls eluding holes their father dug in the grass. She can still see them at Texas Junior Golf Tour events. She remembers when Joe caddied for Julia last year in the U.S. Girls Junior in Pinehurst, N.C. Or when Julia labored to carry Joe's golf bag in the Austin Men's City Championship the year before.
"They really pull for each other," said their father, Joe, a former TCU golfer who now is the general manager and head professional at Austin Golf Club.
Joe and Julia plan to play more tournaments together this summer, but their schedules, once nearly identical, now lead the family in different directions. It's a reflection of their progress as players. It was a matter of time.
Joe played his way into the Texas Amateur this summer at Austin Country Club. He intends to qualify for the men's U.S. Open and other elite men's championships.
Julia qualified for an American Junior Golf Association event. She intends to play in other national tournaments for women.
They know they have many rounds of golf together waiting in their futures, whenever those futures converge.
"It's going to be a lot," Julia said.
"Thousands," said Joe.
The first of them starts this morning, when a brother and sister hope to make a little family history.
Lago Vista girls in fifth
The Lago Vista girls shot a team score of plus-109 at Roy Kizer Golf Course to finish the opening round of the Class 2A state tournament in fifth place, 25 shots behind leader Kermit. Katie Jackson led Lago Vista with a 23-over-par 94, tied for 17th place individually.
Cameron Yoe was in fourth place, seven shots ahead of Lago Vista. Emily Fuchs shot an opening-round 85 to lead the Lady Yoe. She trailed first-round leader Elizabeth Chavarria of Sonora by 10 shots.
