Sumith Prasad
In Julio Quintana’s sports drama film ‘The Long Game,’ Felipe Romero is a confident golf player who forms the San Felipe Mustangs along with his friends and two coaches, J.B. Peña and Frank Mitchell. After serving as a caddie at the local country club, he and his friends set up a makeshift golf course to play the sport he loves. In reality, Felipe played a pivotal part in the Mustangs’ 1957 campaign that concluded with their state championship victory. From high school to his demise, golf was an unignorable part of his life and even his livelihood for a while!
Felipe Romero: From Caddying to Golfing
Felipe Romero was introduced to golfing and its intricacies at the age of thirteen. He followed one of his friends to the local country club, where the latter worked as a caddie to earn money. The prospect of earning at a young age attracted the boy to the golf course. He was a “short, skinny, dark-haired son of a typical poor but hardworking father and mother of Mexican descent, [who] had a strong urge to be constantly active,” as per Humberto G. Garcia’s ‘Mustang Miracle,’ the source text of ‘The Long Game.’ Even though he didn’t know anything about caddying when he left for the San Felipe Country Club for the first time, Felipe didn’t take long to learn its basics.
Felipe was Mario Lomas’ constant companion. The duo eventually formed friendships with Lupe Falen, Joe Treviño, and Gene Vasquez, who were also caddies. When they realized that they were not going to become members of the country club — where Hispanics were not allowed to successfully register — they built a golf course on their own. They named it El Llanito Country Club. “It was just hard caliche. We would tee the ball up on the little grass stubs. We’d go often after school, probably three days a week at least,” Felipe told Texas Monthly about their course.
Proper golfing equipment was a luxury for the young boy and his friends. Thus, Felipe had to rely on a mashie with a hickory shaft and a niblick. When a shaft was split, he wrapped it with electrical tape. The lack of resources didn’t stop him or his friends from playing golf. They were fascinated by the sport, which led J.B. Peña to join the group. The superintendent of the local school district promised proper golf courses to play if they joined his high school team, the Mustangs.
The Mustangs’ Silver Medalist
What attracted Felipe to the prospect of being a Mustang was the courses where he would get to play golf. “Going from El Llanito to an actual golf course was like going from the desert to paradise,” he told Texas Monthly. When the school district superintendent assumed the responsibility of the young player and his friends, the group became serious about playing golf. “They sponsored us, and they gave us advice [on] how to proceed, so it turned out very formal; it wasn’t joking, you know; we were always serious about the competition,” he shared with CBS Austin about playing for J.B.’s Mustangs.
The Mustangs were formed by Mexican Americans, who had to face severe discrimination just to exist in Texas. Playing an elite sport was out of the question for them until J.B.’s determination made it possible. “At that time, well, the discrimination didn’t leave us in peace for one thing, but when we won the state, by almighty God, we broke the barriers,” Felipe added. The golf player wrote history by winning the silver medal at the 1957 Texas state championship with a score of 158, just behind Joe, who won the gold. With the immense contribution of Felipe, the Mustangs emerged as the champions against all odds.
Felipe Played Golf Until His Health Allowed Him
The state championship and the silver medal motivated Felipe to pursue golfing after his graduation from San Felipe High School. He attended PGA Business School in San Antonio, Texas, which was the first of its kind in the country, to learn about the business spheres of the sport. The education helped him become a professional golfer who went on to participate in mini-tours between the 1960s and 1980s nationally and internationally. He was also a long-time employee of the Metropolitan Transit Authority in Houston, Texas, as a bus conductor and instructor.
Meanwhile, Felipe married Oralia Delgado and had two children with her. After his retirement upon 29 years in service, the golfer spent his twilight years playing the sport with his buddies. In 2012, he was inducted into the Latino International Sports Hall of Fame along with his teammates and coaches. Felipe remained in touch with some of the remaining Mustangs, who got together when Humberto G. Garcia published ‘Mustang Miracle.’ He also attended the premiere of ‘The Long Game’ with Gene Vasquez. However, by then, his health had deteriorated severely, forcing him to take part in the screening in a wheelchair.
At the time of the film’s premiere, Felipe recollected the significance of the Mustangs’ victory. “Everything comes in providence. There’s nothing else that we could’ve done, but we were destined to do it,” he said in the CBS Austin interview. Felipe passed away on May 15, 2024, seemingly due to natural causes in his home in Missouri City, Texas, at the age of 84. He was taken to the HCA Houston Healthcare Hospital in Pearland, Texas, where he was declared dead. While his wife passed away before him, the celebrated golfer is survived by his children Felipe “Felipine” Romero, Monica Narvais, Angel Romero, John Romero, and stepdaughter Angie Begemann, among many other loved ones, who keep his spirit alive in their memories.
Read More: The Long Game: Did Joe and Daniela End Up Together in Real Life?
