Caymanian golfer Aaron Jarvis is settling into his new role as a professional golfer.
The 23-year-old officially closed the chapter on his amateur career on 24 March, transitioning into the professional ranks by simply clicking a declaration box at the PGA Tour Americas Qualifying School in Houston, Texas.
It officially started the next chapter for Jarvis, who put Cayman in the spotlight in 2022 when he won the Latin America Amateur Championship.
Jarvis shared that after graduating from Southern Methodist University in Texas last year, going professional was something on his mind.
“I think I just have so much passion for the game still. Finishing college last year, I knew I wanted to play professional golf and give it a shot. I made that decision a few months ago to turn professional and I’m going to give it all my best for the next of couple years,” Jarvis said.
In the short time since turning pro, Jarvis has competed in a few competitions, including the PGA Tour Americas Qualifying School in Texas, where he tied for 35th; and the Minor League Golf Tour in Florida, where he shot up the leader board to finish in fourth place.
Jarvis also showed his resilience at a U.S. Open local qualifier in Naples, Florida, shooting a three-under-par round to finish ninth overall, missing out on moving to the next round by a single stroke.
Reflecting on the busyness of the sport, Jarvis said he’s taking it one tournament at a time.
“Sometimes it’s back-to-back weeks of traveling all the time. [Us players] definitely want to play a lot and keep building up [our] game, so that’s the goal,” he said.
Looking ahead, his focus is on the PGA Tour Americas Qualifying School event set for next month where he hopes to “go out there, play well and get some status for PGA Tour”.
For other Caymanians hoping to turn pro, Jarvis encourages them to “definitely just strive for it”.
“Don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone and do something different. I think a lot of young Caymanians have this mindset of [being] trapped on this island and [not being able to] get out. But if you have an opportunity, you definitely have to take advantage of it or give it your best shot, because you’re young once,” he said.
Additional reporting by Seaford Russell Jr.
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