This young member of San Roque Club is clear about where he wants to go in the world of golf: to play on the European Tour and, if possible, to play in the four majors and at least win one. Zak Karkaletsos knows what it means to compete and also to win, although for the moment only in the amateur field. Time to time…
Zak, a 19-year-old Englishman, will begin studying business at the University of North Texas in August. Among his favorite hobbies, “apart from golf, of course, which I almost treat as a hobby, although I want to be a pro,” are playing and watching soccer, playing ping pong with his father – “I can’t bear to lose to him at anything” – and listening to different kinds of music, especially the Beatles, “for which I get a lot of teasing from my friends because I’m obsessed with them.”
-When and where did you start playing golf and at what age?
-I started when I was 6 years old thanks to my father, and soon after I joined the academy for juniors at La Quinta and that’s where I started to learn more about golf while enjoying it a lot.
-When did you know you wanted to take up golf?
-Probably when I was around 12 years old and Manuel Piñero took me under his wing and has been teaching me ever since. I can never thank him enough for what he has done for me. To be able to learn from such a legendary player is a privilege, and it has given me the belief that I can have a good career in golf.
-Tell us about your evolution in golf?
-I started playing national tournaments when I was 13 years old and went through different age categories. The main thing about amateur golf is the experience, learning what you do well and what you don’t do well under pressure and learning from your failures and successes, which gives you the foundation and knowledge for when you decide to turn professional.
-What have been your best results, your best ranking?
-Well, obviously, winning is always difficult, no matter what level, so I’m proud of my four regional wins in Andalucía, in which I also came second six times, which led me to be number 1 in Andalucía. Winning the club championship in San Roque three times in a row was also a great achievement. On a grander scale, my best memory was the 2017 British Boys Championship, one of the most prestigious tournaments in junior golf, where I finished ninth. The week overall was amazing, it really felt like you were playing the British Open the way the Royal and Ancient put it together, and that was the moment I realized I can compete with the best players and I broke into the top 50 in the European junior rankings and 140 in the world junior rankings. I am really proud of my consistency since getting my world amateur ranking, which was not easy to achieve, I had to shoot a final round 69 to get in, achieving 18 top ten results in 36 world ranking tournaments, with one win and only four missed cuts.
-What motivates you?
-What excites me most is that I know how good I can be and I know I have the potential to be able to do what the pros do on the Tour. However, I know there is still a long way to go and that potential alone doesn’t mean much: there has to be a lot of hard work and sacrifices, and I am focused on constantly improving to hopefully one day reach my potential and have a good career in golf.
-When did you join San Roque as a junior member and why did you choose this club?
-It was in the summer of 2015, and there were many reasons to do it, but the main ones were, firstly, that San Roque has two excellent courses, both always in excellent condition, and secondly, that there are many competitions at the club, which is important to keep the game in shape. And also there were many talented juniors at the club, such as Victor Bjorlow and Chris Steel, and it is always good to practice with other juniors.
-How do you rate the Old and New Courses compared to other prestigious fields?
-The good thing about the two courses is that both are very different. The Old Course is a very strategic course where you have to be very direct off the tee and then leave the ball close to the hole with your approach because of how difficult the greens are, very fast and sloping, so to score well you have to have good control of your ball. On the other hand, the New Course is a more modern course, with some brilliant holes for the drive and some challenging par 3’s, and it is a great test of putting. I would say that both courses are already among the best in southern Spain, although, after hearing about the plans for the redesign of the Old Course, I think this will be one of the best in Europe and I am looking forward to seeing what it will look like in the near future. However, I don’t think I should only mention the changes to the golf course: the improvements that will be made to the Old Course will be a major improvement. The plans for the club in general are very exciting, such as the redesign of the practice facility and clubhouse. San Roque Club will be at the top of any golfer’s must-do list. It is a great club to be a member of.
-What are your aspirations as a golfer?
-My main goal is to have the European Tour card for many years and have a stable career. Obviously, I have other goals, like competing in the four majors, and winning one someday will be my ultimate goal.
-With which of the current great players do you feel most identified and why?
-My idol is and always has been Tiger Woods without a doubt, and I don’t think there’s a golfer in the world who didn’t grow up wanting to be like Tiger. Everything about him, from how he carries himself on the course to how he controls himself under pressure, and the way he views the game is something that any golfer can learn from, and he’s the player I try to learn from all the time.
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