![\"\"](\"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/images_Actualidad2016_Angel-Hidalgo.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u00c1ngel Hidalgo Portillo is an 18-year-old Marbella-born golfer who plays out of Royal Guadalmina Golf Club and is shining on the national amateur golfing stage thanks to some excellent results this past summer. He began playing golf when he was just two years old, at the Golf El Angel Academy in Marbella\u2019s Golf Valley, encouraged by his grandfather and father, also named Angel and a golf professional. <\/p>\n
He soon began winning his first tournaments in Andaluc\u00eda, in the novice and youngest child categories, and later as a junior he was selected for the national under-14 team, thus initiating a successful journey outside his home region and country.<\/p>\n
His main accomplishments so far have been achieved this year, specifically during the summer months: the Spanish national amateur champion\u2019s title in El Saler; and victory in the Spain Under-18 International tournament in Bonalba \u2013 involving teams from Italy, France, England, Italy, Finland, Denmark, etc. \u2013 where \u00c1ngel won both the individual title and the team trophy. He also was victorious in the Andalucian Under-25 Championship played in M\u00e1laga, and the Norberto Goizueta Memorial at Royal Guadalmina \u2013 the club where he is officially registered as a federation member, where he practises and where this interview was held. <\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2013 What are your short-term goals?<\/p>\n
\u2013 I would like to complete Bachillerato (senior high school) with good grades and then study at a U.S. university. I have many friends here, from Guadalmina, who have gone over to America and it\u2019s going well for them. I\u2019ve always received very good references about US universities: they provide a lot of support for the sport and it improves your English. I believe that there, whether you like it or not, the standard is higher than here, and if you want to stand shoulder to shoulder with the best you have to move over there. <\/p>\n
\u2013 And as for golf? Do you see yourself having the opportunity of forging a career in golf? <\/p>\n
\u2013 I would truly like to \u2013 at least I will try to. Right now, when I\u2019m playing so well, even more so, but that would be another couple of years, God willing. <\/p>\n
\u2013 Are you receiving support from the Andalucian Federation?<\/p>\n
\u2013 Actually yes. The Andalucian Federation is doing a very good job, and also the Spanish one, taking us to all the tournaments and providing a great deal of support. <\/p>\n
\u2013\u00a0What is your normal practice routine here at Royal Guadalmina?<\/p>\n
\u2013 I mostly like to go first to the practice range, warm up a little and hit a few balls, although I don\u2019t like to hit balls for too long \u2013 half an hour or at most one hour. Then approach shots for a short while, 10 to 15 minutes, and later I spend a lot of time putting \u2013 which I really like a lot. <\/p>\n
\u2013 Where do you feel most comfortable with a club in your hand: on the tee, fairway or green?<\/p>\n
\u2013 On the green, without a doubt, with the putter. I play well with the driver but I need to improve with my irons. <\/p>\n
\u2013 Do you see yourself on the US Tour within five years?<\/p>\n
\u2013 Well, God willing.<\/p>\n
\u2013 What advice does your father give you?<\/p>\n
\u2013 What he especially wants is for me to complete my studies: that\u2019s the main thing for him. And if golf works out well, even better, but studies first. <\/p>\n
\u2013\u00a0What subject would you like to study?<\/p>\n
\u2013 I haven\u2019t thought about it yet because I don\u2019t want to weigh myself down too much.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00c1ngel was planning to compete in the Puerta del Hierro tournament at La Ca\u00f1ada, the Balearics in December, the Andaluc\u00eda Cup in January at Guadalmina, the King\u2019s Cup\u2026<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00c1ngel Hidalgo Portillo is an 18-year-old Marbella-born golfer who plays out of Royal Guadalmina Golf Club and is shining on the national amateur golfing stage thanks to some excellent results this past summer. He began playing golf when he was just two years old, at the Golf El Angel Academy in Marbella\u2019s Golf Valley, encouraged […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":6271,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[124],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14495","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-destinations"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14495","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14495"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14495\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6271"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14495"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14495"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14495"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}