EDINBURG — Edinburg High Bobcats’ senior golfer Madi Ozuna grew up around the game of golf, with both her dad and sister playing the sport collegiately. She picked up her first pair of clubs during the fifth grade after watching her dad and sister.
While the seed was planted by her family, it was the mental aspect that made Ozuna fall in love with the game and pursue a dream to be the next in her family to compete in the collegiate ranks.
Ozuna, a four-year letter winner with the Bobcats’, made that dream a reality on Friday, signing her national letter of intent in front of her family at the Edinburg High Gymnasium, committing to further her academic and athletic career at UTRGV, a Division I school that compete in the Western Athletic Conference.
Bobcats’ head coach Orlando Garza said Ozuna’s signing comes as no surprise, saying he knew she was ready from the moment she walked through the doors her first year.
“When she walked in and I gave her the golf bag, I already knew,” Garza said. “First of all, I knew her dad in the past and what he had done. I got to see her in a tournament before she came to school, and she was doing really well. She was already ready to go.
“I think high school for her was just a step to where she wanted to get. I’m looking forward to seeing her playing at the next level. It’s where she belongs. She’s probably been ready for this for a while now.”
Ozuna put together a dominant senior season, posting a scoring average of 73.7 and advancing to her third regional tournament appearance in four years, with COVID-19 wiping out a chance of four-straight appearances.
Ozuna also won the District 31-6A individual title, posting back-to-back scores of 69 and 68, the only two sub-70 scores of any RGV girl’s golfer this year.
Garza said Ozuna’s work ethic is unlike any other, saying she is always ready to work and do what needs to be done to improve.
“She understands that everything is important, and nothing is special,” Garza said. “Whether you go work in the morning or night or for an hour or two, she’s always going to do the work. It doesn’t matter. She’s going to go out there and get the work done and do what needs to be completed.”
Still, Ozuna credits her success not only to her work and dedication, but to her laid-back attitude, focusing on having a good time instead of stressing over her scores.
“Personally, I don’t like to be serious on the golf course,” Ozuna said. “That’s just my number one rule. The work that you put in outside of your tournaments is going to show. It’s not going to go anywhere. It’s going to show and do what it has to do when you’re playing. So, if you’re having fun and having a good attitude, that’s all that matters to me. The results will come.”
Ozuna plans to pursue a degree in business but remains unsure of what career she intends to pursue after graduation.