OWGR: Obscure golf nations’ top-ranked golfer, part IV
Costa Rica
No, he’s not former bespectacled Dodgers pitcher, Eric Gagne. He’s Luis Gagne, a guy who seeks the closing capabilities of Eric.
The 22-year-old is already Costa Rica’s most decorated golfer based on his amateur career alone.
Gagne has had quite the interesting ride so far.
He moved to Orlando, Florida, in high school to pursue his golf dreams with better instruction, tournaments, etc. in the U.S.
Gagne was a top-20 high school recruit and went on to play collegiately at LSU.
He was a three-time All-American and made a talented tandem with current pro Sam Burns.
Simultaneously, Gagne ascended the World Amateur Golf Rankings up to No. 24 before turning pro.
His moment in the sun came in 2018 when he section qualified for the U.S. Open. Not only did he qualify, but he went on to share low-am honors with one of the world’s best amateur players, Matt Parziale, with a T-48 at Shinnecock Hills. That effort was good enough to beat Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, etc. Gagne advanced to the U.S. Amateur round of 32 later that year.
Gagne was nearly in line to qualify for another major via the Latin American Amateur. He was tied for the lead on the 71st hole before hitting a layup on a drivable par-4 into a bunker 90 yards from the green. That doomed his chances of a win and a coveted exemption into the Masters. Oof.
He had a nice senior season with LSU with a team-best four top-10s, but none better than sixth.
More misfortune found his way in the fall of 2019 at Second Stage of Korn Ferry Tour Q School. Gagne got off to a solid start with a 70 in round one. Or so he thought.
Gagne forgot to sign his scorecard before leaving the property, resulting in disqualification.
He was tied for 41st and needed to climb into the top 20 to move on to Final Stage, so it’s not as if he was on his way to advance with ease. Still, another layer of scar tissue was added.
He bounced back to sectional qualify for the U.S. Open again in 2019, where he missed the cut.
Gagne made seven more starts that year either across the pond on the Challenge Tour or European Tour with only one cut made (T-42 at the Euram Bank Open). He has yet to play in an OWGR-counting event in 2020 and sits at No. 1,931 in the world. His apex was No. 1,248.
There are 10 Costa Ricans with an OWGR ranking. None but Gagne have points, and thus are ranked in a tie for last in the world at No. 2,089.
I could see him continuing to either play in Europe, or come back west to work his way to the KFT via PGA Tour Latinoamerica.
Perhaps the current layoff from golf around the globe will allow this talented player to regroup and find success as a pro. If he can, it’s a possibility he could be representing his country down the road in the Olympics.
GOLF IN COSTA RICA
According to Top 100 Golf Courses, the first golf course to open in Costa Rica was a 9-hole course in the capital of San Jose in 1944. San Juan CC was the only one in Costa Rica until Cariari Country Club came around in 1970 as the country’s first 18-hole layout.
Cariara was a big hit in its early days with celebrities like Bob Hope, John Wayne and Joe DeMaggio showing up.
Arnold Palmer’s Ocean Course at Peninsula Papagayo is another popular destination.
Golf Advisor lists 15 courses in the country.
Another is Reserva Conchal Golf Club in Guanacaste, the venue for the PGA Tour Latinoamerica’s Costa Rica Classic.
This country of 4 million people is one of the world’s most beautiful. It’s filled with forests, volcanoes, beaches, and wildlife. But not all land is suitable for golf, nor is the citizenry overly enthused.
Most golf within Costa Rica’s borders is played near San Jose by tourists.