Last month we announced the exciting news that Vidanta Golf is now sponsoring a team of eight PGA professionals.
Included in this new Vidanta Golf Team is Carlos Ortiz, the 24-year-old rising star hailing from Guadalajara, Mexico. After going professional in 2013, Carlos joined the Web.com tour. A strong performance in 2014 earned him fully exempt status on the 2014-15 PGA tour and a standing as the Web.com Tour Player of the Year. Recently, we had a chance to catch up with this busy PGA touring professional and asked him a few questions about the game, the team, and what it was like growing up spending time at Vidanta.
Vidanta: Being a PGA Tour golfer, where are some of your favorite places to play?
CARLOS ORTIZ: Most of the courses I’m playing are new to me and I’ve liked most of them. I guess I like playing courses by the beach, and I love the ones we have in Mexico.
V: When did you start golfing and how did you get your start?
CO: I’ve been playing golf since I was a toddler. My grandfather, my dad, and my mom played so I wanted to go to the course with them. I started playing tournaments when I was 7, and that’s when I fell in love with golf.
V: Being a younger professional athlete, how do you promote youth participation in golf throughout Mexico?
CO: For me, Lorena Ochoa was a great model. Growing up in the same club as her, she showed me that if you work hard enough you can accomplish what you set your mind to. I hope I can be a role model for all the youth in Mexico, showing them that if they work hard they can pursue their dreams, whatever they might be. I was just another little kid with big dreams.
V: With more tour appearances, what are some of your own goals you want to reach as a pro golfer?
CO: My first goal is to win my first tournament this year, then win a major tournament and be one of the best players in the world.
V: Do you have a golf (or non-golf) hero? Who is it and why?
CO: Jack Nicklaus is my hero. I have always admired the way he played golf, how many tournaments he won, how he always was a gentleman, and I think he is a great ambassador for our sport. He has touched a lot of lives on and off the course.
V: We hear your father used to do some work on the Vidanta resorts, helping with renovations and special construction projects. Do you have any memories you’d like to share with members about spending time at Vidanta while you were growing up?
CO: My favorite memory was when my father was doing some work in Puerto Vallarta and they used to have a water park in the hotel at the Marina, and during our vacations we would go and have fun there. I loved the big blue water slide!
V: What are you looking forward to accomplishing as a member of the Vidanta Golf team?
CO: I hope to be a great ambassador for the Vidanta Golf team, and show golfers all around the world what great resorts and golf courses we have in Mexico. I think they are incredible. Not only are the courses beautiful and the resort hotels are amazing, but the way the people who work at the resorts make you feel is something everyone has to experience. Being part of the Vidanta Golf Team is an honor, I am very proud of my country and the great things we have.
V: Do you have any tips for young golfers who are looking to continue to grow in their game and are hoping to play competitively throughout school?
CO: The only thing I could tell them is to never stop believing in their dreams. Not so long ago I was just a normal boy who loved golf and had a dream of playing in the PGA, and even though it hasn’t been easy, I am now living my dream!
