“PRO” Files – Touring Professional Carlos Ortiz

He never was a first-team All-American in college…nor a second-teamer…nor even a third-teamer. In fact, Carlos Ortiz never made so much as Honorable Mention All-American in his career at the University of North Texas, but the native of Guadalajara, Mexico, won three times on the Web.com Tour this past year, and most likely will be named Player of the Year, to earn his PGA Tour card for 2015. Ortiz was lightly recruited – North Texas was the only Division I school to offer him a scholarship. Although he won three tournaments his sophomore year, he really didn’t stand out during his college career. Graduating in the spring of 2013, he turned pro and was successful in going through Q-School that fall, earning his Web.com Tour card. Ortiz won two of the first six Web.com tournaments in 2014, and then capped off his season by winning the last regular season event on August 24. Ortiz is a long hitter despite his slight frame, averaging over 300 yards off the tee. He played in Jack Nicklaus’ Memorial Tournament earlier in the year and made the cut. Ortiz is following a similar path of another golfer, Zach Johnson. Johnson, too, was unheralded out of college, but later became one of the leading players in the game. Only time will tell if Ortiz’s career path follows that of Johnson, but it wouldn’t be smart to bet against him at this stage.