Colombian-born golfer talks about playing in America

Redshirt freshman Santiago Gomez left his home of Armenia, Colombia last year to be a part of the men’s golf team.

Venturing away to a foreign land can be a hard adjustment, but Gomez is making the most of his time here.

On April 16, he led his team to the first Lone Star Conference championship in program history.

He also became the first golfer at MSU to win the conference tournament, shooting seven under par with a score of 209.

“The goals I had this season were to play well in every tournament and go out and have fun,” Gomez said. “I didn’t think a lot about finishing in the top 10 or winning first at any time. I just went out, played my game and gave my best one hole at a time.”

Early beginnings

According to Gomez’s friend and teammate, senior Antonio Herran, Colombians learn to play golf in one of two ways, either through being wealthy enough to afford to play the sport, or caddying for the wealthy and learning from them.

Gomez got his start with golf at a young age. While others in his country would rather play soccer or tennis, as his mother did, Gomez was attracted to the game since he was four years old.

“I started playing golf because I wanted to,” Gomez said. “My mom wanted me to play tennis, and every time I went for lessons, I would stop at the tee box and watch the older guys play. I eventually told her I wanted to play golf instead.”

From that point, Gomez began taking lessons two-to-three times a week. According to Gomez, he started playing the sport just for fun, but once his muscle memory got better, he realized he had some talent for the sport.

Eventually, Gomez would travel to Wichita Falls when he was 15 to play in the 2009 Texas-Oklahoma Junior Golf Tournament where he met head coach Jeff Ray.

“That was the first time I saw him,” Ray said. “He played up in the 16-18 division and ended up placing fourth overall.”

The next time Ray would meet with Gomez again would be in the summer of 2011 when he traveled to Columbia where Gomez and Herran were both playing in a tournament. Ray and Herran used the trip to convince Gomez to come at a collegiate level at MSU.

“(Me being here) was one of the main reasons Santiago came here, because we had been really good friends since we were really young, and I knew he wanted to come and play (in the US),” Herran said.

Gomez agreed, saying that Herran sold him on MSU, and that Coach Ray taking the time to meet with him in Colombia impressed him.

Adjusting to America

Gomez’s first year in America did not get off to the start he expected. After some trouble with his transcripts transferring over to MSU, Gomez had to sit out until this past season.

“At that time, it was hard for me because I really wanted to come here and play,” Gomez said. “Looking back at it now, I think it was good to come here and get used to the courses and be at practicing every day. Golf here and golf in Columbia are very different.”

Gomez also said the time off from competitive golf also gave him time to fully adjust to his new surroundings. Of all the things that Gomez found culturally different, food was the hardest thing to adjust to.

“There’s nothing like Colombian food,” he said. “Everything here is burgers, fries and chicken, but there’s no national plate here.”

Preparing for the future

Gomez and the golf team will now prepare for the NCAA D-II Regional Tournament, and they ultimately hope to make an appearance in the national tournament.

Gomez plans to continue playing golf here to get his degree in business management, but he also plans to turn pro after he graduates, playing in either the PGA Tour or the PGA Tour Latinoamerica.

“Before when I would think of Columbia, I would think of coffee,” Ray said. “Now I think of Santiago and Antonio. They’ve been great for our program, and they’ve been great students and ambassadors for our school.”