Trio of Concho Valley Youth Golfers Preparing for World Championships

SAN ANGELO, TX -- A trio of youth golfers from the Concho Valley are gearing up for the US Kids Golf World Championships.

Miguel Flores-Acton, 14; Brooks Vaughn, 12; and Maxwell Wymore, 10, will represent the Concho Valley at storied Pinehurst in North Carolina at the end of the month.

“Well, it’s my first time going (to Pinehurst). So, I’m pretty excited,” said Flores-Acton, an incoming freshman at San Angelo Central High School. “It’s not just going to Pinehurst. It’s being out of state and enjoying different things.”

The trio frequently train together at the San Angelo Country Club and it doesn’t feel like work for them, according to Flores-Acton.

“It feels like you’re out here playing and have time to relax and enjoy everything,” the 14-year-old continued.

It’s the second consecutive year for Wymore to go to Pinehurst for the US Kids World Championship. After shooting 180 strokes over two days last year at Pinehurst No. 1, Wymore feels he knows what to expect when he shows up to the course.

“Last year, I didn’t really know what to expect,” Wymore said. “But this year, I’m in the hunt and I feel like I know the competition better.”

Knowing the history of Pinehurst, the home to many major golf championships in the past, Wymore is ready to tackle the long holes of the hallowed grounds.

“It was really exciting (last year). The course is very nice,” Wymore said. “It’s not the hardest golf course ever, but it’s super long every year. Especially the 9-year-old to 10-year-old (group) is the biggest jump. So, it’s pretty tough.”

It’s a culmination of hard work over the past year for all three kids.

“I just tried my best at the last tournament and work paid off. Practicing all the time, it paid off,” Vaughn said. “I made it.”

Vaughn credits the trio training together for their success on the links.

“You just get better seeing the better people play,” he said. “So, training with the better people and practice helps a lot.”

It will be the first time to Pinehurst for both Vaughn and Flores-Acton. They both are looking forward to the challenge.

“Oh, I’m really excited. It’s my first time going,” Vaughn said. “It’s gonna be really fun. I just hope to play well and have fun.”

“I’ve been playing US Kids since I was eight and that was the goal every year, to get to Pinehurst,” Flores-Acton said. “But this is the first year I’ve made it. It’s just one or two strokes that makes a difference.”

Flores will compete in the US Teen World Championship on July 25-27. Vaughn and Wymore will compete in the US Kids World Championships on Aug. 1-3.