El Cameron - only Jan 8 and already tour story of the year (MOD EDIT - NO POLITICS)

[CasualLie]

Apologies if there has already been a thread on El Cameron...I checked, but the search here is ___ well, you know...

 

Anyway, long way to go for 2019, but I already feel there will not be another golf story better than this one. A better story of on the course performance, yes, but overall, this is amazing.

 

I promise, it is a great read.

 

https://www.golf.com/news/news-features/2019/01/08/jose-de-jesus-rodriguez-long-hard-journey-to-the-pga-tour/

[bandrz]

wow. what a story. definitely someone to pull for!

[bladehunter]

Wow. I’ve seen him play. But I did not know the back story.

 

He has a fan here for sure.

[MarkFromTheUK]

Great story. Will definitely look out for his name on the leaderboards. I hope the guy who lives in a white house doesn’t try and build a wall around him.

[Matt J]

As a guy who moved to Costa Rica with very little Spanish language skills and ended up staying there 5 years I will 100% be cheering for this guy. The joke in Central America is that everyone wants to move to the USA to make money and then once you have money you want to live in Central America. Hope El Camaron keeps his card!

[Golfjack]

Click bait lol. Who clicked thinking it was Cameron Champ?

 

It's El Camarón, amigo!

[Jagpilotohio]

Wow. Good read. Thanks. Was the spelling error intentional? Very crafty.

 

I Will be rooting for both Cameron and “El Camaron” this year I guess.

 

I actually thought this was another Champ thread when I clicked on it. A Nice surprise that it isn’t.

[bladehunter]

Not me. Champ has a long way to go before he’s the first Cameron I think of. I actually thought it was a new Cameron putter. And hoped it wasn’t one of the ones in the pre release thread.

[burritos4breakfast]

Great story. Vamos Camaron!

[Dr. Block]

That was a great read. Thank you for sharing. It's refreshing to read the work of a talented journalist having been given the ability to ply his trade. These kind of articles are becoming fewer and further between these days.

 

I hope I get the chance to see this fellow on TV at the Sony this week.

[Rangeballz]

Good read. Gives me someone to pull for during the upcoming year.

[pappaf2]

Love The Shrimp. Would be really cool to see him succeed on the big tour.

[gators78]

Just an amazing story, the Shrimp vs. Maverick round could be a movie.

[OutBackHack]

Fabulous story.

[andrieddle]

Let's see this guy in SONY and show what he can do

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

He's obviously got a great work ethic, but the guy must have some serious talent as well. From the article, it seemed that he only started playing golf seriously at 25 (and with no lessons), but managed to get on the Mexican Tour by 27. Impressive.

 

Good read, as well. Thanks, OP.

[theboypinoy]

I was ready for another thread on Cameron Champ, haha.

 

Thanks for the read however on El Camarón!

[wfwp]

Thanks for sharing the great story. It will be nice to watch his progress.

[Golfjack]

BTW this guy is an amazing person!

[tiderider]

wow ... inspirational on every level, and speaks a bit to the uniqueness that is america, where dreams can come true ... thanks to the OP ...

[GolfChannel]

Wow, thanks for sharing.

[CasualLie]

Haha...unintentional click bait. Honest typo...shame on me as a Californian!

 

Anyway...when I read the story and was just blown away, my second reaction (first being would love to see him win) was why do I even bother with this game?!?!? Haha...seriously, all the rounds, all the practice, big money on kit, lessons, books, posts, videos, on and on and on...and the whole time I only needed to just suffer through learning to hit a ball with rebar as a shaft because after mastering that you can hit anything!

 

The other part of the story that is mind boggling is just how many things / events in his life just had to come into play at the right time / right place to get him on this path. From little things like slower greens one the mini tour in Mexico to big things like the member buying him his own membership. At so many points off the course it could have all gone off the rails, and still he persevered.

 

The work ethic, humility, and dedication to family is quite admirable.

[vjswing]

FANTASTIC story - thanks for sharing! Will be pulling for this guy for sure.

[Birdie Mac]

This is the best story I've read in quite some time, and I've forwarded it to friends. Love to see an underdog make good when the competition is groomed for greatness. Very inspirational. Thanks OP!

[Jagpilotohio]

He’s -3 thru 8 holes today! Tie 11th. Go Shrimp!

[Llortamaisey]

He’s -3 thru 8 holes today! Tie 11th. Go Shrimp!

 

Still -3 after 14. He must have hit a wall.

[broth518]

He is wearing Iliac this year and here is an interview with him:

 

https://www.iliacgolf.com/pages/jesus-rodriguez-iliac-interview

[MidwestGolfBum]

He certainly has another fan in me. That's a heck of a way to make it to the PGA! Good to see him getting it to -4 today, I certainly hope to see him continue to do well this year.

[tiderider]

https://www.usatoday...ive/2525201002/

 

in the same vein, this year's oldest rookie is 42, and finally made it after 20 years of trying ...

 

Traveling the backroads of professional golf can be a long and lonely journey.

It’s a trying passage through tours like the Golden Bear, Gateway, Adams and the Web.com, with plenty of stops at mini tours, state opens, Q schools and Monday qualifiers added to the itinerary as you chase your childhood dream. It’s a tiring trek that tests the mettle of a man as the miles, and then years, pile up. Doubts become your wingman as the holy grail that is the PGA Tour remains in the distance and the dream that is your 15th club in the bag becomes more difficult to hold on to.

For nearly two decades, however, Chris Thompson clung to hope. And last year, his voyage of 19 years landed on the light at the end of the tunnel.

Playing some of the best golf of his life, Thompson secured his PGA Tour card for the first time when he had three top-4 finishes on the Web.com Tour and finished in a tie for 24th the following week in the tour’s regular-season finale. That left him at $181,738 in earnings, good enough for 20th place and inside “The 25,” the top money winners who earned PGA Tour membership.

[OutBackHack]

https://www.usatoday...ive/2525201002/

 

in the same vein, this year's oldest rookie is 42, and finally made it after 20 years of trying ...

 

Traveling the backroads of professional golf can be a long and lonely journey.

It’s a trying passage through tours like the Golden Bear, Gateway, Adams and the Web.com, with plenty of stops at mini tours, state opens, Q schools and Monday qualifiers added to the itinerary as you chase your childhood dream. It’s a tiring trek that tests the mettle of a man as the miles, and then years, pile up. Doubts become your wingman as the holy grail that is the PGA Tour remains in the distance and the dream that is your 15th club in the bag becomes more difficult to hold on to.

For nearly two decades, however, Chris Thompson clung to hope. And last year, his voyage of 19 years landed on the light at the end of the tunnel.

Playing some of the best golf of his life, Thompson secured his PGA Tour card for the first time when he had three top-4 finishes on the Web.com Tour and finished in a tie for 24th the following week in the tour’s regular-season finale. That left him at $181,738 in earnings, good enough for 20th place and inside “The 25,” the top money winners who earned PGA Tour membership.

 

Chris had made the arduous and dangerous journey crossing the border between Kansas and Missouri several times. He's a fighter.