“Bien, Macus”
It’s a familiar phrase for those that have played with Margarita Ramos or fans following her group. It comes from the mouth of her mom and No. 1 fan, who is also named Margarita. The meaning is simple: good Margarita (Macus is her longtime nickname), but the two words represent what means the most to her, family.
Ever since Ramos moved to the United States at 11 years old, she has enjoyed a unique bond with her mother. Her dad, Luis, traveled back and forth between Mexico and the United States so the mother-daughter duo naturally spent a lot of time together.
“When I went to college at Arizona, my mom was like ‘What am I going to do?’ because she wasn’t with me anymore,” said the 24-year-old Ramos, who was born in Mexico City, Mexico and now resides in Phoenix, Arizona. “When I graduated, her whole world illuminated because she was like ‘Oh my gosh, I am going to be able to travel with her.”
Through Margarita’s two years as a professional golfer - 2013 on the Ladies European Tour and 2014 on the Epson Tour – her mom has missed just a handful of events.
“She is so sweet and always has the best attitude,” said Ramos. “She is so positive and it is really fun to be around her. I’ve honestly enjoyed my Epson Tour experience side-by-side with my mom.”
It was dad that introduced Ramos to the game of golf when she was five. It wasn’t an immediate love though; she enjoyed riding in the cart more than playing at first.
“My brother was a golf fanatic and he was always asking my mom if he could go to tournaments,” explained Ramos. “My mom finally gave in, so she put him in tournaments and then told me I have to play too because I couldn’t stay home doing nothing.
“I was like ‘No, I like riding carts, I don’t like playing.’ I would go to tournaments and play, but I would never practice. I would still just ride around in carts.”
Things changed when she went to the IMG Academy in Bradenton when she was 11 years old. She fell in love with golf and has lived in the states ever since. After three years in Bradenton, she moved to an academy in Augusta, Georgia for one year and then moved to Phoenix before her sophomore year of high school.
It was at Xavier College Preparatory where she met fellow professional Cheyenne Woods.
“It was so much fun being able to share my experiences with Cheyenne,” Ramos said. “She is another person that is so down to earth and nice.”
She may have had the coolest experience of her golf career during her junior year at an event in Orlando. Cheyenne and Margarita were playing in the same group while simultaneously making plans to go to the mall after golf. Then, Cheyenne got a text message.
“She casually said, ‘Geez, Tiger texted and he wants us to go practice with him.’ I was like ‘wait, what!’” Ramos said.
Ramos was excited, but Cheyenne was ready to go to the mall so she told Ramos she was going to politely tell Tiger they already had plans.
“I was like ‘No Cheyenne, you’re going and taking us with you,’” Ramos said. “We ended up going to practice with Tiger and it is still one of my golf highlights.”
More recently, Ramos had another chance to cross paths with greatness. This time with former women’s world No. 1 and Epson Tour graduate Lorena Ochoa. Ramos was invited to play in a pro-am where Ochoa was also a participant.
“It was nice to be there with her,” Ramos said. “She was telling us about her time on Tour and it is nice to know that she is still supporting the Mexican girls. She is such a great role model and it gives you a lot of inspiration.”
It’s the simple things that attracted Margarita to Lorena. The pro-am had two cars set up: one for Lorena and one for all the other Mexican professionals.
“Lorena was like, ‘I want to be a part of this’ so she came in the car with us,” Ramos said. “Seeing the number one player with everything she has done be so down to earth is amazing.”
Last year, after playing in the Lorena Ochoa Invitational, Ramos realized she is almost to the point of being ready for the LPGA Tour. She was paired with some of the top players in the world including Sandra Gal.
“Before I looked at LPGA players like ‘Oh my gosh, they are amazing’ and then last year when I got to play with them I realized they are great players, but they don’t have anything that I don’t,” Ramos said.
Ramos was recently announced as a sponsor exemption for the 2014 Lorena Ochoa Invitational from November 13-16.
The most important event in her future, however, is the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament which takes place in early December.
“I’ve always had it in the back of my mind that I want to play on the LPGA Tour and it wasn’t until I was 11 that I really wanted to do it,” Ramos said.
It’s been a work in progress for Margarita, who wasn’t able to get her Epson Tour card two years ago. However, this year, she finished 41st on the Volvik Race for the Card money list with two top-10 finishes and 14 cuts made in 19 starts.
“Last year was heartbreaking because I was like ‘How am I going to get to the LPGA?’ and I wanted it so badly,” Ramos said. “I think everything comes at your time. Being on the LPGA is my dream and my goal and honestly I feel ready.”
And come December 3-7 at LPGA International when Ramos will attempt to finish inside the top 20 to receive category 12 status on the LPGA Tour, mom will be cheering loud and proud with her famous two-word phrase, “Bien Macus.”
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