The dilemma has been resolved. I’m not going to play in the Waste Management Phoenix Open qualifier, PGA Tour tournament which I was fortunate enough to have participated in last year in which I finished in fifth place. My unpredictable schedule dictates that I play in the Waikoloa Invitational that same week, first tournament of 2016 at Arizona State, my university.
It’s not easy to make a decision of this caliber, it’s a shame to have to pass up on the opportunity to play in an American tour tournament, even if it is just a qualifier, even more so that I have such good memories from last year and being held right next to my house here in the US, surrounded by friends. However, I have it clear that my priority right now is the University and the Sun Devils. It’s my team, my coach and my teammates and until I’m finished here this coming May, they are first on my list.
I can imagine that quite a few people in Spain will find this hard to understand, but there is a really tight bond between the student and the university here in the US. You become a part of that university for life and you will always be remembered as a Sun Devil, or whatever your mascot may be. That feeling of belonging somewhere and being a part of something is almost as important as family. I’m sure you’ve seen it in the PGA Tour on TV. Every time they talk about a golfer they always refer to the university he went to. It is almost more important than where you were born.
That being said, the PGA Tour, for the time being, will have to wait. After playing in the Mayakoba (I have to thank the Villar Mir family once again for the invitation), the next opportunity will be the Colonial National Invitational Tournament, tournament that I am invited to as the winner of the Ben Hogan Award. However, I won’t be able to play in this one either if Arizona State qualifies for the NCAA Final, because the dates overlap. Thus, my next appearance in the PGA Tour will be in the US Open, and we’ll see whether or not it’s as a professional, if I manage to make it past the qualifying round, or as an amateur.
