Senior Andres Pumariega already has a job lined up when he graduates: play golf.
Mr. Pumariega, two-time MVP for GW’s golf team, is spending the summer practicing up to eight hours a day in his hometown of Miami in hopes of starting a professional career in the sport.
In June, Mr. Pumariega got a taste of the big time when he tied for 19th out of 58 players in a U.S. Open Sectional Qualifier at the 36-hole Black Diamond Ranch in Lecanto, Fla. The site was one of 11 across the country, and with 770 total players competing for 58 spots in the 2012 U.S. Open Championship, competition was stiff.
Mr. Pumariega’s playing partner, Scott Langley, won the Florida qualifier and was one of only three players to grab a U.S. Open spot at the Florida course. Mr. Langley played in the 2010 U.S. Open.
While he was unhappy with how he played in the morning, Mr. Pumariega said playing alongside Mr. Langley—who turned professional last year at 22—gave him some insight into what he needs to work on as he pursues his own golf career.
“I thought that it would make it easier for me to have someone to beat right in my group, and I could keep my focus on just that instead of the U.S. Open bid that was on the line,” said Mr. Pumariega, who qualified for the 2011 U.S. Amateur Championship last summer. “It was tough to see Scott qualify knowing that I have the ability to play just as well he did. Yet, it was a great learning experience that will help me in the future.”
The course was also a unique experience for Mr. Pumariega. Built on a rock quarry, Black Diamond Ranch runs around a lake, with a 90-foot drop-off from the fairway, which he said made it a “very scenic stretch of holes.”
Mr. Pumariega had some support right on the course in his best friend, Richie, who was his caddie at Black Diamond Ranch— and the reason Mr. Pumariega plays golf.
“When we were 12, we were at a friend’s house and I found a set of golf clubs. I had never played golf in my life and thought golf was for old people,” said Mr. Pumariega. “Richie invited me to play with him and his dad one of the following weekends and I’ve been playing ever since. I owe him for golf becoming such a large part of my life.”
At GW, Mr. Pumariega has been a star player, leading the team last season to their first A-10 Championship win this year and a 13th place finish in the NCAA Greensboro Regionals. He also received conference and regional honors and was named to the 2012 NCAA Division I PING All-Northeast Region Team.
Although he will leave GW when he graduates in December, Mr. Pumariega is already focused on life after Foggy Bottom—and it’s all about golf.
“I am really trying to schedule my golf and treat it like a job,” he said. “I will be spending most of my summer in Miami practicing but will also be traveling around to amateur tournaments. This summer will be a big indicator of what playing golf professionally will be like.”