Young Mexican Golfers Dream Big

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(Sophia Sheridan)

For talented young Mexican golfers aspiring to play in the LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association), becoming a professional golfer is not just a dream. Five young Mexican women were invited to play in the first tournament of the 2011 LPGA Futures Tour season getting a taste of the possibilities. Known as “the road to the LPGA,” the LPGA Futures Tour has been recognized as the developmental tour for women’s professional golf since 1999.

With many professional golf courses across Mexico, it’s an ideal sport to learn, but it’s also a luxury sport, and most Mexican youth don’t have the finances to invest in a golf career after completing their education. Impulsando al Golf Profesional Mexicano (IGPM)* [Advancement of Mexican Professional Golf] helps bridge the gap. Developed four years ago to help young Mexican golfers rise to LPGA Tour player status, the organization provides economic support and professional resources to help Mexican youth improve their golf game.

This year, five young Mexican women supported by IGPM were invited to play in the first 2011 LPGA Futures Tour, Florida’s Natural Charity Classic: (1) Lili Avarez, (2) Tanya Dergal, (3) Marcela Leon, (4) Pamela Ontiveros, and (5) Sophia Sheridan. All were present except for Tanya Dergal, who had already committed to playing in the KIA Classic qualifier. Of the four women who participated in the first LPGA Futures Tour of the season, Sophia Sheridan demonstrated outstanding plays, overcoming various challenges with skill and determination.

Kicking off the 2011 LPGA Futures Tour season on March 21-27, Florida’s Natural Charity Classic was held at Lake Region Yacht and Country Club in Winter Haven, Florida. Other tournaments on the 2011 tour schedule include 16 tours in 13 of the United States and one in Mexico. The same four Mexican players will participate in the second tournament - the Daytona Beach Invitational – on April 1-3, as they strive to obtain their 2012 LPGA Tour card.

For many golfers throughout the world, golf is not just a sport but a way of life and the road to success – and is no longer just a dream thanks to the professional development programs of organizations like Mexico’s IGPM and America’s LPGA. Although amateur golfers may not participate in the big leagues, they can still take a dream golf vacation, and play on championship golf courses throughout Mexico.

* Impulsando al Golf Profesional Mexicano AC (IGPM) is a Mexican non-profit organization established in 2007 by Rosalba Papacostas and Marina Villasana to help young Mexican women achieve their professional dreams. To raise support for aspiring Mexican LPGA golfers, IGPM hosts a fundraiser pro-am tournament before the LPGA Futures Tour season begins (this year on January 24, 2011 at the Mexico City Country Club). Mexican sports celebrities and government officials play an 18-hole tournament together with male and female professional golfers, such as the best Mexican golfer of all time, Lorena Ochoa.

Who is RedGolf® Anyway?

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RedGolf® Travel is the first golf travel company in Mexico to provide golf vacation packages in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico (Cancun, Isla Mujeres, Playa del Carmen, Cozumel, and the Riviera Maya), for travelers from the USA, Canada, and Europe. Established in 2010 in Cancun, Mexico, RedGolf® is owned by ESTREGA S.C., a Mexican tourism and travel company that has been developing quality tours since 2000.

Golf Vacation

This innovative travel branch of ESTREGA S.C. delivers convenience to travelers through personalized golf vacations and discount tee times for golfers who want to play golf year round at professional golf courses in warmer climates. Conveniences include accommodations at luxury hotels in some of the finest travel destinations worldwide and tee times at some of the most competitive championship golf courses for tourists.

Personalized travel is exemplified by the golf packages featured on the RedGolf® website. Travelers can choose between (a) scheduling discount tee times at listed golf courses, (b) reserving vacation packages at various luxury resorts and one or more golf courses, and (c) matching one of the listed luxury hotels with one or more listed golf courses.

Golf Partners

During its 10-year history, ESTREGA S.C. has distinguished itself from other travel companies by offering this type of personalized travel and quality service. Part of its success is due to the cultivation of business partnerships with reputable wholesale travel companies in the USA, Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, Europe, Scandinavia, and Asia.

One partner of RedGolf® is the E-Travel Solution Affiliate program which increases reservation and travel options for customers while keeping prices low. This partnership provides affiliate companies with access to 350 experienced travel professionals in Cancun, Playa del Carmen, and the broader Riviera Maya region with expertise in quality travel services – a hallmark of the company.

To supplement the company’s existing success, RedGolf® plans to expand its golf vacation services into the Caribbean, Central and South America, and other areas of Mexico, such as Puerto Vallarta and Los Cabos.

Youth Golf Tournament: Yucatan Cup IV 2011

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Mexico has always been a country that honors and nurtures its youth, and golf is no exception. With the country’s lush tropical landscaping, famous golf professionals have been drawn here to design signature golf courses. As a result, golf has become quite popular among both male and female professionals, amateurs, and even youth.

To encourage participation in the sport, golf tournaments are routinely held throughout Mexico. Most recently, the Children’s National Committee of Youth Golf (CNIJ - Comité Nacional Infantil Juvenil de Golf) and the Mexican Golf Federation (FMG – Federación Mexicana de Golf), Mexico’s equivalent to the PGA, supported the Yucatan Cup IV 2011 for children and youth.

Attracting 230 registered players, this 3-day tournament was held in the colonial city of Merida on February 4-7, 2011, at the Yucatan Country Club and the Yucatan Golf Club. For children up to age 13, tournaments were held at La Ceiba, a par 72, 18-hole golf course at the Yucatan Golf Club designed by architect Felix Mier y Teran and Vicente Erosa.

For youth age 14 to 18, tournaments were held at El Jaguar, a par 72, 18-hole signature golf course at the Yucatan Country Club designed by the legendary professional golfer, Jack Nicklaus. It was recently named the Best New Private Golf Course in Mexico. The country club is also Latin America’s first Jack Nicklaus Academy of Golf.

Congratulations to these gifted young players and aspiring golf stars!

Winners by age category:

Ages 14-18

Female Winner: Gabriela Lopez, player for Club de Golf Mexico

Male Winner: Gustavo Arizpe, player for El Camaleon Golf Club

Ages 12-13

Female Winner: Ana Paula Ramirez

Male Winner: Camilo Mexsen

Ages 10-11

Female Winner: Isabella Fierro

Male Winner: Daniel Trasvina

Ages 8-9

Female Winner: Maria Jose Ramirez

Male Winner: Jose Cristobal Islas

Ages 7 & Under

Female Winner: Ariel Gonzalez

Male Winner: Mauricio Miranda

Thanks to the support of the Association of Southeast Golf Clubs, this tournament had broad national representation and has been the most successful tournament yet. Association President Roberto Kelleher thanked the Mexican Golf Federation for enabling Merida to be the tournament headquarters:

"Every year this event becomes more relevant, and every year we see the best advocates of this sport in our country. It is an enormous pleasure to see the development of golf in Mexican youth and the rising stars of the sport."