A Mexican professional golfer with a taste for South African biltong has fallen in love with the country – and is teeing it up in Parys this week. That’s Parys in the Free State.
Luis Carrera is looking to continue his highly successful debut season on the Sunshine Tour in this week’s Vodacom Origins of Golf Series at the Parys Golf & Country Estate.
The 25-year-old made a spectacular start when he became the first player in Sunshine Tour history to win the Tour’s Qualifying School and then claim the first two tournaments of the season – the FBC Zim Open and the Kit Kat Cash & Carry Pro-Am.
Carrera currently leads both the Courier Guy Order of Merit and Fortress Rookie of the Year standings. Now he will tee it up in the Sunshine Tour’s most historic series of pro-am tournaments – the Vodacom Origins of Golf.
This series, dating back to 2004, has produced champions who have gone on to global success and even Major titles.
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Ironically, Carrera is only in Parys this week because of a plan he and a few Colombian golf friends had.
“I had a couple of friends from Colombia who were going to come to the Sunshine Tour Qualifying School in April this year,” he said. “We decided on the Sunshine Tour because it gives you something extra – you can jump to another level like the HotelPlanner Tour, DP World Tour or even the PGA Tour. It also has a lot of tournaments so you get into the rhythm of playing the whole year, and the prize money is very good too.”
In the end, his Colombian friends didn’t make it.
“So I came alone. I was a bit nervous about that, but it seems to have worked out well.”
Born and raised in Mexico, Carrera was introduced to golf by his father at the age of three. At 18, he left to play college golf in the United States, and in 2022 won the Canadian Amateur. He turned professional in June 2023 and was self-coached until recently.
Now he’s chasing a third Sunshine Tour title and a place in the Vodacom Origins of Golf history books.
“I think it’s wonderful here. I like the nature,” he said. “At one of the tournaments we saw monkeys on the course – that was unreal. I was so impressed by the wildlife. I also love the biltong. And the South African players are super nice to me.”
With the co-sanctioned season with the DP World Tour and HotelPlanner Tour starting later this year, Carrera’s current form has him perfectly placed for a strong finish.
“I’d like to play the whole season on the Sunshine Tour and finish in a good spot so I can hopefully get into the co-sanctioned events. Right now my dream is to play on the DP World Tour and in the Majors.”
Photo: Sunshine Tour
Article Link: A biltong-loving Mexican pro in Parys