Golf & Tourism Magazine July - September 2014 | Page 15

Interview
Figueroa’s focus on teaching his players
how to handle adversity is part and parcel
of the way he prioritizes the mental part of
the game. Concentration, discipline, selfassuredness; those, he says, are the key to
unlocking a young golfer’s potential.

willingness to make sacrifices and put in the
effort to get where they want to go,” says
Figueroa, who adds that he wishes there
were more local tournaments to allow these
developing golfers to play and hone their
skills.

“The hardest thing for any player, not just
a young player, is the mental game,” says
Figueroa. “If you don’t have confidence in
your swing, even if you have the talent, it’s
going to be very difficult to execute when
you need to. Golf is 70 percent mental and
30 percent the mechanics.”

Figueroa is working tirelessly to instill that
desire and work ethic in the next generation
of Puerto Rican golfers. Furthermore, he is
working with the generation that follows
that one. The coach accepts pupils as young
as five or six years old; one of his most precocious students, six-year-old Adrian Miller,
is playing this summer at the U.S. Kids Golf
World Championships. “That boy’s ability
level is just astonishing,” he says.

Of course, he does not neglect the physical
aspect, doing age-appropriate work with his
young players in the gym. “I work a lot on
core strength, because your swing comes
from the hips,” says Figueroa. “Cardio work
and flexibility are also important.”
The results of his coaching techniques and
philosophy speak for themselves. Along
with his instruction duties at Palmas del Mar
and as coach of the Cupeyville School golf
team, Figueroa works individually with a
handful of young players, some of whom are
now among the top junior golfers in Puerto
Rico. One of his pupils, Mitzel Chevres, recently won the 15 & Under category at this
year’s PRGA Junior Island Championships.
The runner-up, Ian Aldarondo, is also a student of Figueroa, and had the lowest scoring average in that age group during the
2013-2014 junior season. Both play with
Puerto Rico’s junior national team.

“There’s a lot of talent,
especially in the 15
& Under age group.
The big factor is their
willingness to make
sacrifices and put in
the effort to get
where they want to
go, says Figueroa”

Figueroa is proud of his work with young
players like Miller, Chevres, Aldarondo,
and many others who have grown
as golfers under his tutelage. He
feels gratified that he can contribute to their lives and to the
sport he loves so much.
“I am glad I have the opportunity
to give them the best of me so
that they can go forth and accomplish great things.”

Figueroa has been working with both players for several years, and has developed a
mentoring relationship that goes beyond
golf but contributes to their success on the
course. “I’ll pick them up at their house
and take them to Palmas with me,” says
Figueroa. In part it is a practical consideration because most parents simply cannot
drive their children to and from the golf
course multiple times during the week. But
it also allows for a more meaningful connection between coach and player.
“I teach them about confidence, not just
in the game, but in their daily lives. I care
about their studies and about their lives, not
just about golf. I’m basically a father figure
for them,” says Figueroa, who affirms that
his constant goal for these young players
is to get a college scholarship and a good
education.
He believes that many young Puerto Rican
players have the skills to achieve that goal.
“There’s a lot of talent, especially in the 15
& Under age group. The big factor is their
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