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BEAUMONT — A couple of Mid County student-athletes were awarded prestigious hardware this week from the golf community.

Tatum Bean of Port Neches-Groves High School was named the Girls Underclassmen Player of the Year, and Preston Deserrano of Nederland High School picked up the Boys Character Award.

The honors were selected from across Southeast Texas as the duo was part of a strong group of competitors honored Wednesday at the 2023 Babe Zaharias High School Junior Golf Awards.

This year’s banquet at 5 Under Golf Center in Beaumont included a dinner and a presentation from keynote speaker Brian White of the Houston Astros Golf Foundation.

The prestigious annual awards recognize the area’s top high school golfers, team leaders, underclassmen and high school golf coaches for the 2022-23 school and competition year.

The winners announced:

• Girls Player of the Year – Hallie Westfall, Hardin-Jefferson
• Girls Character Award (TIE) – Saylor Moreaux, Bridge City and Annabel Cardenas, Kelly High School
• Girls Underclassmen Player of the Year – Tatum Bean, Port Neches-Groves
• Girls Underclassmen Character Award – Peyton Hidalgo, Hardin Jefferson
• Boys Player of the Year (TIE) Lincoln Parks, Xander Parks – Orangefield
• Boys Character Award – Preston Deserrano, Nederland
• Boys Underclassmen Player of the Year – Julian Mathews, Kelly High School
• Boys Underclassmen Character Award – Drake Andrepont, Hardin-Jefferson

Austin Williams, Babe Zaharias Foundation Board Member and Director of South Texas PGA Jr. Golf–Beaumont Metro, said the awards banquet celebrates all honorees, coaches, families and the community.

“The awards banquet is such a special night, and everyone gets to share in the celebration,” he said.

“The future of Southeast Texas golf is bright with this group, and we hope they know that all of the Golden Triangle is behind them. The inspiring speech from Mr. Brian White is going to be with this group for a long, long time.”

About the Babe Zaharias High School Junior Golf Awards

Former PNG coach Jerry Honza originally pitched the idea to the late W.L. Pate Jr. (longtime chairman of the Zaharias Foundation) many years ago, and the partnership began under the name of Babe Zaharias Junior Golf Awards. After Pate’s passing in recent years, Austin Williams has taken the reins of the awards at 5 Under and each year has seen increased involvement and participation.