This week at El Camaleon Golf Club will bring a life-long dream to reality for talented Mexican professional Carlos Ortiz when he competes in a PGA Tour event in the land of his birth for the first time.

Ortiz, who has made just four career starts on the high-profile U.S. circuit, is giddy with excitement as he prepares to tee off in Thursday's opening round of the $6.1 million OHL Classic at Mayakoba in Playa del Carmen.

"Playing down here in Mexico, it's a dream come true," Ortiz told PGATour.com on Wednesday. "It's a nice honour, and I would like to perform well.

"Hopefully I can play the weekend and have a chance to get close to the lead. I'm excited to get the support from the crowd in Mexico ... give them something to cheer."

Guadalajara-born Ortiz has already enjoyed a golden 2014 campaign, winning three times as a rookie on the lower-tier Web.com Tour for total earnings of $515,403 to secure his PGA Tour card for this season.

He went on to make the cut in his first three starts on the 2014-15 PGA Tour, his best finish a tie for 18th at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open last month.

"It's been a learning experience," said the 23-year-old Ortiz, who as a youngster learned the game playing at Guadalajara Country Club where former women's world number one and fellow Mexican Lorena Ochoa also played.

"It's just been a new everything. I'm still learning, but hopefully I'll continue to get comfortable."

Ortiz was inspired to develop a strong work ethic by watching Ochoa, who is 10 years older, hone her own game at Guadalajara Country Club.

"She's always been a good example for me," Ortiz said of Ochoa, a 27-time winner on the LPGA Tour who stunned the golfing world in April 2010 when she announced her retirement from the competitive game at the age of 28.

"When you have somebody that close, and you're watching her work that hard and making her dream come true, it's unique.

"She's reached out to me and offered to help in any way she could. We text and she emails me and she's always there for anything I need."

Ortiz has been grouped with Argentina's Angel Cabrera and Colombian Camilo Villegas for the first two rounds at El Camaleon.

 

John Herlong, PGA WebGolfClub Staff Writer herlong@pga.com October 14th, 2014