In her second year as a member on the Epson Tour, Amira Alexander (Alpharetta, Georgia) has professional golf tournament experience, but this week she received a sponsor exemption from the Insurance Office of America (IOA) into the IOA Invitational.
Last year, Alexander competed in the Four Winds Invitational, Fuccillo Kia Classic and Guardian Championship. Also, in the fall, she became a member at Atlanta National Golf Club, so she has some home course knowledge entering her first tournament of 2018.
“I would like to stay patient out there,” Alexander said laughingly. “I’ve learned that golf requires a lot of patience. The game is not forced.”
Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Alexander lived in Saint Croix of the U.S. Virgin Islands (Saint Croix, Saint John and Saint Thomas) until the age of 4 when her family moved to Rochester, N.Y., where they stayed until she was about 9 years old. That’s when they settled in Alpharetta, having called the Peach State home since.
Furthermore, the 2015 Caribbean Amateur Golf Championship winner is a Kent State University alumna. She was an integral part of the Golden Flashes run at capturing an 18th straight Mid-American Conference (MAC) Women’s Golf Championship in 2016.
“I needed a change in atmosphere,” said Alexander, who spent the first three years of her collegiate career at the University of Georgia. “Helping my team win at the MAC Championships was pretty cool. My last year, I didn’t want to be that team that couldn’t continue the consecutive wins. It was a great memory and I enjoyed that a lot.”
While she faced adversity during her collegiate career, Alexander met the challenges head-on and came out stronger. That same mentality is something her native country is currently still going through. Saint Croix was hit by the tail end of Hurricane Irma in early September of last year, before being completely devastated by Hurricane Maria in the latter half of the month.
Alexander’s mom (Tracy) and dad (John) drove to Miami, Fla., twice, just to send generators to family and friends in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It wasn’t until January of this year that her family could start living without generators. Furthermore, John is helping rebuild condominiums in Saint Thomas.
Just like the resiliency demonstrated by the island nations to return to a normal way of life, so too has Alexander shown strength in maneuvering through curves that life has thrown on its narrow path.
“It has been a long journey, but I’m blessed to be out here doing what I love to do,” Alexander said. “Still having the passion for golf is definitely a dream come true, especially playing in my hometown. I’m excited for this week.”
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