Teen golfer is no longer ‘underrated’
A Sarasota teen is setting himself up for success on the golf course after winning a tournament hosted by one of the biggest sports icons.
SARASOTA, Fla. – A Sarasota teen is one step closer to making his dream of playing in the PGA a reality.
Roman Solomon grew up watching his dad play golf and wasn’t surprised when he learned to love the game himself.
“I think when I was about 10 years old, I just decided I’d rather just play golf,” said Roman.
Now at 16 years old, Solomon is starting to make waves on the golf course as a sophomore at IMG Academy.
“I’m just getting my name out there for everyone to know who Roman Solomon is,” he says.
This summer, Roman Solomon got invited to travel the country as a member of NBA Champion Steph Curry’s Underrated Golf Tour and traveled from city to city living the life of a pro for the summer.
This summer Solomon got invited to travel the country as a member of NBA Champion Steph Curry’s Underrated Golf Tour and traveled from city to city living the life of a pro for the summer.
“It’s such a great opportunity to be there in the first place,” said Roman.
But heading into the final tournament in San Francisco, Solomon found himself five shots behind the lead.
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Solomon thought his story was already written.
“I wasn’t really focused on winning; I was just focused on playing my game,” he said.
However, it was in San Francisco where Solomon made a charge thanks to some advice from a family friend and San Francisco sports legend.
Winning Steph Curry’s Underrated Golf Tour earned teen Roman Solomon praise and attention from the tour’s namesake, Steph Curry.
“Barry Bonds was watching me my last two rounds,” said Roman.
“He told me when he was driving me up to the first tee he was like, ‘Roman, I didn’t come here to watch you if you suck so you better play some good golf.’ No pressure!”
And thanks to that message of encouragement, if that’s what you can call it, from Barry Bonds, Roman was able to storm to the top of the leaderboard and forced a two-hole playoff.
Roman’s family was in awe as they watched.
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“He really showed us something with his demeanor and his patience. And we’re proud,” said Roman’s mom, Christina Solomon.
As proud as his family was, Roman must’ve been even more proud when he secured the overall tour championship in that playoff earning the praise and attention of the tour’s namesake, Steph Curry.
Roman hopes to continue his success at IMG Academy and earn a college golf scholarship with the goal of making it to the PGA Tour one day.
“It was definitely something I’ll remember forever for sure,” said Roman.
The win now catapults Roman from a teenage golfer to a golfer who potentially has a serious future in the game.
“It’s really life-changing honestly,” says Roman.
Now, Roman hopes to continue his success at IMG Academy and earn a college golf scholarship with the goal of making it to the PGA Tour one day.
In other words, Roman Solomon is underrated no more.
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