Par Excellence

When Javier Barcos first picked up a golf club at age six, it was only at the insistence of his grandfather. But by the time he was 12, he’d improved so much, “I fell in love with the game,” says the Spain native.

Barcos traded the Basque Mountains for the Rocky Mountains to play golf for the University of Utah men’s golf team, where he has smashed U records and amassed four top-five college tournament finishes— including first at the 2022 Oregon State Invitational. What helps him play well under pressure?

“In between tournaments, I focus on areas of my game that are lacking,” he says. “That makes me gain confidence so that when I am on the golf course, I can be myself and trust all the work I have put in.”