by David Chavez
Daily Lobo
When Christine Fernandez was little, her dad thought it would be a good business move to start playing golf.
It turned out to be a good move for her too.
The senior Lobo women's golfer grew up in Las Vegas, Nev., where her dad started playing golf to compete with his business associates. He took Fernandez to the golf course for the first time when she was 9 years old.
Fernandez loved the sport from the start and even quit all other activities to focus on her passion.
The University of Tulsa recruited her out of high school, and she spent a year playing as a Golden Hurricane. Fernandez then decided to leave Tulsa and was recruited by Texas, Pepperdine and UNM.
Lobo head coach Jackie Booth visited Fernandez and her family after she left Tulsa and recruited her to UNM for the 2003-2004 season.
"Tulsa was just too far away from home, and I didn't feel comfortable with my coaches and teammates there," Fernandez said.
Fernandez is the only senior on the women's golf team at UNM.
"I expect Christine to be a leader on and off the golf course," Booth said. "We lost some top seniors to graduation, so we have a young team this year, but I believe this team can come together and compete."
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Fernandez said coming to UNM is the best decision she made during her collegiate career. She is happy with the coaches, teammates and environment. The climate and scenery played a big role in bringing her to UNM.
"The coaching staff is very supportive, even when we're not playing well, they always have something positive to say," Fernandez said.
Fernandez also praises her teammates for the level of competition they bring to the course every day.
"At my former school, the environment was very laid back, so my teammates messed around a lot and didn't take things very seriously," Fernandez said. "Our team is very serious, which brings a higher level of competition to practice and that makes me a better golfer."
The UNM women's golf team maintained a top-20 ranking all of last season and placed third among women's golf teams with the highest GPAs.
After graduation, Fernandez said she is going to help with the women's golf team in whatever way she can, in addition to trying to turn pro.
"I want to make my parents happy by receiving my degree, but I still want to play golf as a pro after I graduate," Fernandez said.
