He grew up in a commune without golf courses and today he already shines in the Joaquín Niemann Tour

The relationship of Cristian Cárdenas (16) and golf began at the age of six, when his father, Ricardotook him to practice for the first time in the Aconcagua de Quilicura Golf Club. “My dad has always told me that I have had talent,” says the young athlete from La Florida a AS Chile.

On the green of the 18th hole of the Mapocho Golf Club, he talks about his life. He cannot hide his nerves as it is his first interview on camera, but little by little he lets go. Cárdenas has never been a member of a golf club nor did he grow up in a community that had a course on his land. He has always had to commute for hours to get to training or a round with the friends he has made over time. “I have always been treated very well everywhere I go,” she says.

In July of last year, the athlete decided to take a step further in his career. At that moment, he realized that he wanted to make a living from golf. “I dropped out of school and started training fully,” he admits. And so it has been for the past year.

His training begins at 10 in the morning with physical preparation. Then he goes to the Vitacura French Sport, a place where he arrives at 12 noon to leave at 7:00 p.m., or even at 8:00 p.m. on some days. “It’s an hour or so from my house. And in the afternoon, there are a lot of tacos, so being in that location makes transfers more difficult.” His days are long, so he ends up exhausted, but he doesn’t care. He is doing what he loves. Today he is number two in the Elite Junior Tour, circuit belonging to the Joaquín Niemann Foundation.

– What is your best and worst shot?

– The best right now would be the driver, because I’m too solid at the moment. And the part of the game that I have the weakest, I think, would be the short game, which would be the approaches and putts. I have to keep working on that part.

– How much has the explosion of Chilean golf caused by Joaquín Niemann and Mito Pereira influenced your motivation?

– I think that the ‘Joaco’ and Mito thing is quite motivating for Chileans and for me, a lot, because one realizes that one can reach the big leagues.

– Do you have world references?

– At this time I have no references outside of Chile. I really like ‘Joaco’ and Mito, I admire them a lot.

The great moment of Cárdenas in the Elite Tour

Cárdenas fights inch by inch to be the number one in the “Youth Men” category of the Elite Junior Tour, a circuit organized by the family of Joachim Niemann. “The organization is very good, the tournaments are very well done and the prizes are very good. Even better than in some open ones”, comments Cárdenas.

– What goals do you have for this year?

– I want to finish the year Top 5 in Chile so that next year I can go to the South American Games and win one or stand out.

– Do you think about goals for your professional career? Would you like to go to the PGA Tour?

– I would like the final goal to be the PGA Tour, but I prefer to go step by step and think about the present more than anything. I would love to become number one in Chile and try to do the same thing that ‘Joaco’ (Niemann) and Mito (Pereira) have done.