In the latest LPGA Twitter Q&A, Puerto Rico native and three-year LPGA Tour member Maria Torres talked about when she first earned her LPGA Tour card, the unique (and fast) outside the ropes events at the 2019 Indy Women in Tech Championship driven by Group1001 (where she captured a career-best tied for fourth result) and replied to fan questions, among other topics.— LPGA (@LPGA) June 17, 2020
“The first stage [of the 2017 LPGA Qualifying Tournament] went all good. Then Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico,” said Torres. “It was really bad and not being able to travel. I was worried about getting to the second stage, not even the final stage.
“Thankfully my sponsors and manager booked a flight to Atlanta so I could get to Gainesville and stay with one of my former teammates. I stayed in Florida all the way through third stage. It was a journey. It makes you grateful and humble. I had never cried in a tournament, but there was so many emotions from the previous two months.”
A graduate of the University of Florida, Torres was a five-time medalist for the Gators. She also set the UF program record for lowest single-season scoring average (71.71) in 2017 and secured 2016 SEC Golfer of the Year honors. Torres put into perspective how impactful the time she had in Gainesville was to her.
“Everything [was my favorite],” Torres said. “I remember as a kid, traveling to Florida for some tournaments because it was close to Puerto Rico. And I would tell my friends that I want to go to the University of Florida. I would see the gators in the airport, the golf course was amazing. I have been getting college homesick lately. I’m a gator, Orange and Blue, forever.”
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