Santiago Navarro is a junior in high school, and he’s quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with on the links in the Sunshine State.
The Venezuela native who moved to Central Florida in 2018 helped lead Windermere Prep to a regional championship in early November. Days later, he won the Winter Garden Junior Open as part of the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour.
He’s the first to admit that a strict practice regimen led to his recent success, and his message to players of all ages emphasizes an adherence to developing physical and mental skills.
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“Golf is just you and yourself out there,” Navarro told News 6. “You don’t have a team to back you up, it has to be you and yourself. If you lose your mind on a hole, it can ruin your entire score and take you away from the championship.”
“I’ve really developed, all of my coaches really know about that and have helped me through it,” Navarro said.
“It’s really important to trust the process. You can’t get ahead of yourself, you have to be there every day and work hard for it. If you’re off months and months, it can really ruin your game,” Navarro added. “My biggest piece of advice would be trusting the process and the results will come along.”
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