GGGA student Felipe Velazquez awaits PGA Tour LatinoAmérica debut
Aug. 21, 2012
GGGA student Felipe Velazquez anxiously counts the days until his PGA Tour LatinoAmérica debut.
Currently the day count is at 12.
That’s how many days are left until the 2012 season begins at the Mundo Maya Open in Merida, Mexico.
Velazquez, 22, of Caracas, Venezuela, qualified for the PGA Tour LatinoAmérica earlier this month when he finished second at the tour’s Q-School event in Miami at the Great White Course at Doral Golf Club.
“As it gets closer, you get more anxious to start,” Velazquez said of starting the season. “There’s more opportunity out there for you. It’s a big change and with trying to get your mindset around that change.”
At Doral, Velazquez finished at 10-under par with rounds of 69, 69 and 68. By way of taking second, he earned his playing card for the entire 2012 season. He plans to play all 11 events, which includes stops in Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Argentina and Peru.
At the end of the season, the top 5 players on the season-ending order of merit will earn their Web.com Tour cards.
And taking that next step is Velazquez’s goal. Though he knows it will be difficult competing among some great players, he feels confident that he has the talent and that he’s put in the preparation for being there.
“Felipe is definitely now on his way of going from good to great," said Txema Sanchez, who is Velazquez's coach at the Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy. "He had great experience playing and competing in college, but in order to achieve his goal of making the next level, he needed to improve the quality of his practice. We set up some basics to cover his needs before tournaments and manage the strategy for when he needed to compete week to week."
"He’s improved quite a lot in that area. Now when he trains he knows what he needs to work on and he can build confidence in many areas."
Velazquez turned pro in September 2011 and has trained at GGGA since with Sanchez. Before turning pro, Velazquez played all four years at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock where he studied business finance and was an All-American Scholar in 2010 and 2011.
In the fall, Velazquez notched several solid finishes on the NGA Tour including a T5 at Shingle Creek Golf Club to go along with three other top 20 finishes.
About GGGA
Based at the Mission Inn Resort & Club, 40 minutes outside of Orlando, Fla., the Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy is the leading full-time junior golf academy in the world. The Academy is committed to excellence in every facet of golf, fitness, personal development and academics, evident through exclusive relationships with Montverde Academy, an acclaimed private college preparatory school, and the American Junior Golf Association.
As part of GGGA’s partnership with the AJGA, the academy is the official title sponsor of the Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy Junior All-Star Series, an AJGA tournament series reserved for the world's top 12-15 year-old golfers.
The Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy features a boarding program for junior golfers and the following programs: Full-Time Junior Program, Post-Graduate Program, golf summer camp, golf winter camp and golf lessons and programs for adults, amateurs and professionals.
For more information about GGGA, the GGGA's full-time residential boarding program and other year-round opportunities to Train, Think and Play like a Champion, visit www.ggga.com or call 1-866-639-9099.
