Kwalikum Secondary’s golf team was honoured by the school on Wednesday with a special awards ceremony celebrating its recent AA provincial golf title win.
Outstanding in his field all year and leading the Kondors to the school’s second provincial golf title, and first in 25 years, was their top gun Santiago Bouyra, a third year exchange student from Mexico City who trains out of the Brent Morrison Golf Academy at Pheasant Glenn when he’s not attending KSS.
Those that know the tall, easy going teen, say he’s made big strides this year.
What many people don’t know though is that Bouyra won the prestigious World Masters of Jr Golf tournament last year.
Played out each July at TPC Las Vegas (TPC short for Tournament Players Club), which is located just off ‘the strip’ and considered the premier PGA Tour facility in ‘Vegas, 20 different countries had teams of up to four players competing.
Bouyra as the story goes was representing Mexico as their #1 out of four players.
“Santi” as he’s known shot a 74 opening round, fired a tournament-low 65 second round, and finished with an even par 72 on day three to win the event by four strokes.
Also worth noting points out KSS teacher/golf coach Butch Gayton is that Santiago was in the 15/16 age group and had the lowest final score, even though there was a 17/18 group.
“I like it here a lot, with friends at the golf academy and here (at KSS) and Butch helping us lots,” Bouyra said easily when The NEWS caught up with him days before the B.C.’s.
Bouyra says he still gets back home whenever he can, “but I play lots of tournaments all over Canada and the States in the summer, so I’m here all-year long.
“I think we have a good chance — we’ve been playing well,” an upbeat Bouyra said heading into the B.C.’s.
“He has been much improved this year,” Gayton surmised when asked about Santi and what he brings to the table. “Just his overall demeanour and leadership abilities ...this has been a great year for Santiago, a huge year, and I’m really proud of him. “He’s a valuable member of our team and he’s also doing really well in school, all A’s and Bs,” said Gayton. “And the great thing is he’s back next year.”
“I didn’t know anyone here when I came here in Grade 9,” Bouyra explained when asked how he came to be a student at KSS. “I came here because there’s lots of golf academy’s in the States but there’s not that much social life in those academy’s and campus’ that are really big,” he said. “Here you get more freedom and at the same time you can still golf and have fun with what you’re doing.”
‘What he’s doing’ is working on his game.
“Oh yeah, every day,” he smiled, adding that while his longterm goal is to be teeing off in the PGA, his immediate goal is to land a university golf scholarship south of the border when he graduates next year, “and go from there.”