Monday Memories - Borja Virto

<em>In the first of a new series for the 2017 Road to Oman, we asked two-time European Challenge Tour winner Borja Virto about his earliest memories, both in golf and beyond:</em>

<strong><span style="font-size: 16px;">First golfing memory?</span></strong>

Just going to the golf course with my dad. I don’t know how old I was, probably around five or something.

<strong><span style="font-size: 16px;">First hole-in-one?</span></strong>

I’ve had two in practice rounds. The first was when I was about 16 in a practice round in Pau when I was part of the Spanish junior team playing France in a match play contest.

<strong><span style="font-size: 16px;">First full round of golf?</span></strong>

I was probably six or seven when I first played nine holes – I think I shot about 80!

<strong><span style="font-size: 16px;">First set of clubs?</span></strong>

I used to have some Callaways, but it wasn’t a full set – I had a pitching wedge, an eight iron and a six iron, then a fairway wood and a driver. I was about ten years old I think.

<strong><span style="font-size: 16px;">First win?</span></strong>

My first important win was when I won the under 13s Spanish Championship. Before that I’d had a lot of local wins, so when I was about nine I probably won something at my club, but that Spanish one is the one I remember most.

<strong><span style="font-size: 16px;">First professional tournament?</span></strong>

It was on the Alps Tour in Luxembourg in September 2013 I think. I got an invite, I had only just turned pro and I was lucky to get to play that so soon.

<strong><span style="font-size: 16px;">First Challenge Tour event?</span></strong>

I’m not sure! I remember when I turned pro I got a few invites from the Spanish Federation but I don’t know which… Oh yeah, I do remember! It was in Lumine, the Challenge Tour event there in 2014. The Challenge de Catalunya.

<strong><span style="font-size: 16px;">First golfing idol?</span></strong>

Sergio. I remember I had a poster of him in my room and I had a picture of him from when I was five years old when he played a tournament at my home course – he was still an amateur but he was already really good. I had that picture and he signed it for me a couple of years ago when I saw him on tour, so that was pretty cool.

<strong><span style="font-size: 16px;">First film you saw?</span></strong>

Probably a Disney movie but I don’t really remember exactly.

<strong><span style="font-size: 16px;">First album bought?</span></strong>

Eminem. I used to listen to Eminem on my Discman, but I don’t remember exactly which album I would have got first – maybe the 8 Mile soundtrack.

<strong><span style="font-size: 16px;">First sport played?</span></strong>

Either football or skiing, I’m not sure. I know I started to ski when I was still really young, then at school it was probably football.

<strong><span style="font-size: 16px;">First sport seen live?</span></strong>

I don’t know, I probably went to a football game. I used to support Barcelona but I don’t really care anymore. My home team is Osasuna but they are struggling a bit right now and I think they are getting relegated, but I’m not a big football fan. I maybe even watched golf live before football.

<strong><span style="font-size: 16px;">First love?</span></strong>

I don’t know – I should probably say my girlfriend or she’ll kill me!