Carlos Ortiz is Fifth Mexican-Born Golfer in PGA Tour History

Only five Mexican-born players had ever made it to the PGA Tour. Two of them won tournaments a generation before he was born, the most recent title by Victor Delgado in 1978 at the Ed McMahon-Jaycees Quad City Open. Mexico’s golfing icon was a woman, Lorena Ochoa, who grew up at his home club in Guadalajara.

The male players Ortiz idolized — Adam Scott, Sergio Garcia, Tiger Woods — he had seen only on TV or in magazines.

So imagine how he felt the day he made his PGA Tour debut.

Ortiz had already won twice on the Web.com Tour last spring when he received an invitation to play in the Memorial. He walked into the clubhouse at Muirfield Village, recognizing players he knew only by name. His awe turned into anxiety when he saw his idol, tournament host Jack Nicklaus.

“Oh my god, it was pretty exciting,” Ortiz said. “When you see them in real life it’s different. And first thing when I got in the clubhouse, I saw Jack Nicklaus right there. I got scared. They told me to go shake his hand, but I got scared so I went upstairs to my locker because I didn’t know what to do.

“But then I came back and said, ‘Thank you for having me, for the invitation.’ And he was really nice.”

Ortiz rallied with a 68 in the second round to make the cut at the Memorial, and then he returned to the Web.com Tour to finish a remarkable year. He picked up his third victory late in the season for an instant promotion to the big leagues, and he was voted Web.com Tour player of the year.

The 23-year-old is paving his own way now with high hopes. He has made the cut in both his starts in his rookie season, closing with a 65 to tie for 18th in Las Vegas. He is headed to Malaysia next week before gearing up for the OHL Classic at Mayakoba. It will be the eighth year for Mexico to host a PGA Tour event, and the first time it had a local player with so much promise.

Just don’t get the idea Ortiz was ever on the fast track to stardom.

Ochoa has been around him for the better part of a decade, though he didn’t immediately stand out. Ochoa would come home from college at Arizona and practice with the juniors at Guadalajara Country Club, and she recalls a little boy who loved his golf.

“He was there every afternoon,” Ochoa said in a telephone interview from Mexico City. “I used to see the little kids running around and practicing and playing. He was just a little one, a happy guy. Every time I came home, I see him growing. He was very skinny, very tall. And he was hitting the ball very hard.”

Ortiz made a few trips to America for junior events, though he never played well enough to get anyone’s attention.

Brad Stacke, the golf coach at North Texas, managed to find him with a little help and some intuition.

Stacke had a player from Mexico named Kenji Maruyama who had played on his junior college team in Iowa, and the coach told him to keep an eye out for any promising young players from south of the border.

“He called me three weeks later and said, ‘I’ve got a player for you. He’s really good,'” Stacke said. “I said, ‘Why don’t you go play with him?’ So he went and played with Carlos and he said, ‘He’s really good.’ I said, ‘What did he shoot?’ He said, ‘He’s really good.'”

Once the coach finally got a number out of him, he paused. Ortiz had shot 81. But it was enough of an endorsement for Stacke to remember the name, especially a few weeks later when Ortiz had rounds of 63-65-67 to set a 54-hole scoring record in a Mexican junior tournament he won.

“I was sold,” Stacke said.

Ortiz headed to Denton, Texas, for four years he wouldn’t trade. He won three times as a sophomore. He qualified for the U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills. He earned a degree in international studies. And he started to believe he was good enough to achieve everything he had dreamed.

“It took me a while when I came to the States,” Ortiz said. “I looked up to all these guys. To play with them made me realize I was good enough. People always tell me, ‘You’re good enough,’ but I need to see it with my eyes.”

He was hard to ignore last year on the Web.com Tour. He picked up his first win in Panama with a 66-64 weekend. Playing a month later before a home crowd in Mexico, he recovered from an opening 74 with rounds of 67-66-68. Ortiz nearly lost a three-shot lead until he birdied the last hole to beat Justin Thomas.

Could he be the male version of Ochoa? That might be asking too much of anyone.

Ortiz looked up to Ochoa as the best player in her sport and the best person in golf. Ochoa was renowned for her humility and her charity even as she rose to No. 1 in the world. And there is the pressure of playing for a country with a limited golfing heritage.

Ochoa still keeps in touch with that little kid, the “happy guy” she saw running around the golf club.

“I emailed him right away when he won his last tournament,” Ochoa said. “He said, ‘You can feel what we all felt when we were following you.'”

Only five Mexican-born players had ever made it to the PGA Tour. Two of them won tournaments a generation before he was born, the . . .

Follow Us On Google News | Get Our Newsletter



Trending News on PVDN

  • sargassum-slams-cancun-playa-restaurantsSargassum Crisis in Cancún and Playa del Carmen Forces Restaurants and Beach Clubs to Cut Staff Businesses in Cancún and Playa del Carmen report steep losses due to sargassum, with restaurants losing diners and beach clubs sending staff on unpaid leave. Restaurants and beach clubs along the shores of Puerto Juárez in Cancún and Playa del Carmen are grappling with a sharp downturn in business due to a relentless invasion of…
  • tropical-storm-erick-warnings-mexico-coastHurricane Erick will bring heavy rains to Puerto Vallarta Hurricane Erick Puerto Vallarta will bring heavy rains to Puerto Vallarta by Friday but poses no risk to the northern coast of Jalisco. Meteorologist Víctor Manuel Cornejo López, of the Civil Protection scientific committee for the Bay, reports that Hurricane Erick will deliver significant rainfall to Puerto Vallarta without threatening the region’s safety. According to…
  • puerto-vallarta-flooding-landslide-hurricane-erickHeavy rains flood Puerto Vallarta streets and trigger landslide in tunnel Flooding from remnants of Hurricane Erick paralyzed key roads in Puerto Vallarta and caused a landslide in the Luis Donaldo Colosio tunnel, Civil Protection continues damage assessment. The city of Puerto Vallarta was overwhelmed Thursday night by heavy rainfall that caused major flooding, stranded vehicles, and triggered a landslide in the Luis Donaldo Colosio bypass…
  • huracan-erick-2025-mexico-peligroHurricane Erick Becomes Eastern Pacific’s Strongest Cyclone of 2025, Eyes Mexico’s Southwest Coast Hurricane Erick rapidly intensified off Mexico’s Pacific coast, becoming the second hurricane of the 2025 season and threatening southwestern Mexico with dangerous wind, rain, and storm surge. This story is available in Spanish: El huracán Erick se fortalece rápidamente y amenaza la costa suroeste de México The 2025 eastern Pacific hurricane season continues to surge…
  • hurricane erick damagePuerto Escondido and Pinotepa Nacional suffer severe damage from Hurricane Erick (VIDEO) Hurricane Erick caused widespread destruction in Oaxaca's coastal towns, including Puerto Escondido and Pinotepa Nacional, with downed power lines, flooding, and road closures. Oaxaca’s southern coast is reeling after Hurricane Erick made landfall early Thursday morning, slamming into Santiago Pinotepa Nacional at 5:30 a.m. with maximum sustained winds of 205 kilometers per hour. Although the…
  • Arrivals at Puerto Vallarta airport increases nearly 50 in JanuaryAirlines warn of possible flight delays and cancellations in Puerto Vallarta Airlines warn of possible flight delays and cancellations in Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara, Mexico City, and more due to Hurricane Erick. Flexible travel policies are now in place. Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco — Travelers passing through Puerto Vallarta International Airport and other major airports across Mexico may experience delays or cancellations due to the ongoing effects of…
  • Know your consumer rights in Mexico Is it legal for restaurants to include the tipPuerto Vallarta restaurants face 33 percent staff shortage Restaurants in Puerto Vallarta face a 33% staffing shortfall as they prepare for a busy summer holiday season, aiming to boost sales by up to 60% despite ongoing labor challenges. As Puerto Vallarta prepares to welcome a surge of summer tourists, the city’s restaurant sector is grappling with a serious staffing problem—operating with roughly one-third…
  • tropical-storm-erick-hurricane-watch-southern-mexicoTropical Storm Erick Strengthening as Hurricane Watch Issued for Southern Mexico Tropical Storm Erick is forecast to become a hurricane before making landfall in southern Mexico. A Hurricane Watch is now in effect from Bahias de Huatulco to Punta Maldonado. Tropical Storm Erick continues to gather strength off Mexico’s southern Pacific coast and is forecast to become a hurricane by Wednesday, according to the latest advisory…
  • puerto-vallarta-flooding-first-storm-2025Puerto Vallarta hit by flooding, fallen trees, and damaged roads after first storm of the season Heavy rain and a nighttime storm caused widespread flooding, road closures, and downed trees in Puerto Vallarta. Several key roads remain impassable. PUERTO VALLARTA — The first major storm of the rainy season swept through Puerto Vallarta overnight, leaving behind extensive damage across the city, including widespread flooding, blocked roads, and fallen trees. By morning,…
  • american-woman-drowns-santa-maria-los-cabosAmerican Woman Drowns at Closed Beach in Los Cabos Despite Black Flag Warning A 57-year-old American woman drowned at Santa María Beach in Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, on June 17, despite black flag warnings indicating the beach was closed due to dangerous conditions. Los Cabos, Baja California Sur – Tragedy struck the beaches of Los Cabos on the afternoon of June 17, when a 57-year-old American woman…
Scroll to Top