Scarlet Weidig Velazquez Places Seventh at Central American and Carribean Games
7/13/2023 3:28:00 PM | Women's Golf
The junior golfer represented Costa Rica as the top-ranked player from her home country
BOZEMAN, Montana – Attacking a mountainous, difficult course in demanding heat and competing against some of the world's best, Montana State junior golfer Scarlet Weidig Velazquez placed seventh at the 2023 Central American and Carribean Games last week, held in San Salvador, El Salvador.
Velazquez entered the tournament as the lone competitor from Costa Rica, earning a spot in the Olympic-qualifying event thanks to her status as the top-ranked golfer from her home country.
The native of Belen Heredia, Costa Rica, was participating in the event for the third time, an opportunity she treasured greatly for the opportunity to don the flag on her sleeve.
"Representing my country has always been something very special to me," Velazquez said. "It fills you up with pride, and being in such a special event like that where there's so many other sports in the same place and you get to go and be with all the other athletes, you really feel like this is becoming something bigger. I'm not just playing my sport anymore, I'm playing my sport for my country and I want to do well for my country."
After a tough opening round on Tuesday, Velazquez bounced back with the fourth-best round of the field on Wednesday with a gritty score of 77 and followed that up with a round of 78 on Thursday before closing out competition in the 72-hole tournament on Friday.
The competition took place at El Encanto Country Club, located just outside of San Salvador and a short distance from where Velazquez and all the athletes competing at the games were required to stay.
Performing under the pressure of an international competition with onlookers close by, one thing that stood out to Velazquez about the entire experience was the children that would clamor for pictures and autographs.
"I think it's so easy to fall into the mindset that you're just an average golfer, an average player, just one more of the bunch, especially when you're not doing that well," Velazquez said. "But you have these little kids running up to you that are just super excited to meet you, and it's just that small reminder that there's a lot more people out there that think you have so much potential and look up to you, and that at the end of the day whether you do good or bad, you still have to make sure that you're representing your country well."
Montana State assistant coach Joey Lovell carried the bag for Velazquez as her caddie, and said playing in this tournament was an important step in continuing to improve going into this fall.
"From an experience factor and going into next season, she's a fighter and never gave up," Lovell said. "She was always trying to give herself the best opportunity on every hole and so being on a tough golf course four days in a row, that mental challenge of that long of a golf tournament will help her out this season, because we play two days in a row not four days in a row, and those 36-hole days are the hardest mental challenge days. I think just knowing that she has this in her back pocket, it'll be helpful for her."
The grueling four-day tournament didn't end with a spot on the podium for the 2023 All-Big Sky Third Team selection, but Velazquez knows the experience was invaluable in preparing her for the upcoming Bobcat season.
"Clearly the outcome was not the one I wanted," Velazquez said. "I went in there really believing that I had an opportunity to win, and I still believe it. I just didn't have a good tournament, but it really showed me the things that might be weaker in my game. I think that's what is going to help me the most, because it's a lot easier if you win and do well, but you don't really reflect on it because you won, and when you struggle, that's when you're really able to pick and choose what you have to fix in your game. That's something that Joey and I definitely talked about, the mental errors that can be fixed, and that's what's going to help me for this season—knowing how to fix that and work on that."
Montana State returns five golfers in 2023-2024 from last year's team that finished second in the Big Sky Conference Championship, their highest finish since 1995.
"This was certainly different than playing in normal tournaments through the school--this was playing for her country, " Lovell said. "She's the only player in Costa Rica representing the golf team, so she is the best golfer in Costa Rica, which in itself is a pretty amazing thing. She'll be back, and she'll be better because of this experience."
The rising junior and architecture major agrees.
"It really was a one-of-a-kind experience, really amazing," Velazquez said. "It pushes you to get better, and I want to win. I'm going to keep trying until I get there."
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