He steps up to the ball, he needs to score if he wants to win. Everyone goes quiet and all eyes are on him, every shot in the championship comes down to this. Simon Correa goes through this situation during tournaments all around the world.

Most people have a dream to be a professional athlete when they grow up, but most of the times they don’t follow their dream and end up taking another path. This is not the case for Simon Correa, since he was a little boy he decided he wanted to be a professional golfer.

“I have been playing golf for 11 years, I started when I was 4 years old. I have always loved golf,” Simon Correa, TCS 10th grader and golfer, said.

Simon played golf  since he was  4 years old, but he didn’t realize the talent and the potential he had until he was 6. His golf trainers realized that he had a lot of skills, this  made him standout from the rest of the kids.

“When I was 6 years old, I won a tournament and that was the moment when I realized golf was my way to go. I felt as if I had a special talent for golfing,” Correa said.

TCS 10th grader, has opened himself a lot of opportunities in his life through golf; things that some people could never accomplish, but Simon was able to do, due to his  determination when playing golf. He has played in some of the best golf courses worldwide, he has also visited places all throughout Colombia and the world.

“Golf has allowed me to go to a lot of places, for example Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, United States, and Scotland. I think this is an amazing part of golf,” Correa said.

Even though it might sound boring to have the same training routine and do the same activity during your entire youth, Simon still finds himself passionate about golf and enjoys every minute of it. This is a reason as to why his focus has always been the same, making it to the top.

“Golf is full of emotions, when you are during a tournament and the race for the first place is tight, you can get nervous and excited, that is something I love about golf,” Correa said.

Having a good time is a crucial part of the process. This is one of the main reasons he has had such incredible results in tournaments and practices. It is much better for you and your health to do something that you enjoy.

In a research made by ESPN in the United States on 2013, they found out that the biggest reason boys drop out of sports is because they are not having fun. This information shows how important it is for a young athletes to enjoy what they are doing, like Simon does. 

By: Bruce Kelley and Carl Carchia. ESPN.

In addition to loving what he does, he also established to create balance between studying and golf. As you can see on the chart above, school is also a reason as to why  people quit sports. Simon is able to put hard work in golf and also keep up with all the work at school.

“I also believe he is really responsible and knows how to manage the situation. Im sure he misses a lot of school days in tournaments, but he still manages to control everything,” Juan Pablo Gomez, Simon´s friend, said.

Simon has managed to train and compete golf at a high level, and at the same time successfully keeps up with school. This is something not a lot of people can manage, loads of young athletes have to either drop out of school to focus on the sport, or abandon the sport to focus on school.

Hard work really pays off, not only with tournaments and good grades, but also in sponsorships or contacts. Simon Correa, is  just as a 15 year old boy, that already has had contracts with important golf brands around the world, like Titleist.

“I can’t be officially sponsored since I am an Amateur, but Titleist sends me some stuff like clubs and balls, and the Colombian Company Nutresa helps me aswell,” Correa said.

It’s amazing to be supported by big brands and companies. This means they see talent and potential in you. One of his golf mates, Juan Pablo Gomez, also sees the special talent that Simon has for golf.

“Simon is the best golfer I know, he has his goals clear and he puts in a lot of hard work and effort, he really wants to have a future in golf. I believe he deserves everything he has got and even more, it is what he loves to do,” Gomez said.

Simon is definitely going through the right path while having a fun time. Everyone who knows him, recognizes the work he puts into golf, and wish him the best for his future as a golf player. Simon has a great potential and a long road ahead of him to reach his ultimate goal.

“Really my dream is to be a professional golfer. For this I have to continue with the process I have been doing. This consists on enjoying my years as a Junior in golf, training with hard work, talking with universities in the United States to go there for university and open myself a door to play on the PGA Tour. I have now started talking to universities in United States to go there when I graduate from school,” Correa said.

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#TrustTheProcess