Growing up in Uruguay, Juan Lizarralde first experienced American life through the lens of the movie “Rudy.” Then, in 2001, those experiences became first-hand when he came to play golf at Oklahoma Christian University.
After his accomplished career, Lizarralde was inducted into the Oklahoma Christian Athletic Hall of Fame Jan. 30.
Lizarradle said he always desired to study in America, but the experiences and successes he gained while here far exceeded his expectations.
“First of all, I noticed how nice people are,” Lizarralde said. “I go to school and I only knew one person, but the first day everyone was saying hello. It’s just something that doesn’t happen down [in Uruguay].”
Coach David Lynn, the head men’s golf coach, first recruited Lizarralde because another Oklahoma Christian golfer from Uruguay, Diego Fernandez, recommended him. Then, Lizarralde said it only took a little persuasion from Fernandez for him to move to Oklahoma.
“It was easy,” Lizarralde said. “My friend told me it was a great place with nice people. Then, I talked to Coach Lynn over the phone and email, and he seemed like a great person.”
Lizarralde began playing golf when he was five years old, so he came to Oklahoma Christian with a mature experience in the sport. When he arrived, the men’s golf team consisted of six players, so Lizarralde entered the starting lineup of competitions immediately.
In his freshman year at Oklahoma Christian, the Eagles placed first at a NCAA Division I tournament hosted by Louisiana Tech University. Lizarralde placed second individually at the tournament. According to Lizarralde, this tournament victory shifted the golf atmosphere at Oklahoma Christian toward one of heightened success.
His first collegiate tournament victory came in his freshman fall season at Coffee Creek Golf Club in Edmond, OK at an Oklahoma Christian sponsored tournament.
To close his freshman season, Lizarralde finished 14th at the NAIA National Tournament and was named to the first-team All-American list, becoming only the third golfer to be named as a NAIA first-team competitor.
Lizarralde repeated as a first-team NAIA All-American honoree during his sophomore season at Oklahoma Christian. During this season, he also recorded two first place finishes in spring tournaments in Georgia and Oklahoma. He said he believes his golfing success stems from his persistent personality.
“I always wanted more and more,” Lizarralde said. “I was never happy with what I had and I always wanted something else. Also, discipline and planning—I knew what I wanted. I just had to go and chase it.”
During his junior season, Lizarralde “chased” more.
In a competition Oklahoma Christian’s Sports Information Director called “one of the greatest performances ever by an Oklahoma Christian golfer,” Lizarralde tied the Oklahoma Christian school record for best single-round score in relation to par at the NAIA Region 6 tournaments in Glen Rose, TX.
Lizarralde ended the first round of tournament play with an 8-under-par 64 to tie the record. He finished with 19-under par, hitting 52 of 54 greens, 21 birdies and an eagle in regulation.
“It was my lowest score ever,” Lizarralde said. “Everything went well. It was one of those tournaments where you feel like you can do whatever you want.”
Again, Liarralde earned first-team NAIA All-America honors with a third place individual finish at the NAIA tournament, where Oklahoma Christian finished fourth as a team.
In his final season at Oklahoma Christian, Lizarralde recorded three individual tournament victories, including two first place finishes at NCAA Division I tournaments hosted by Wichita State University and the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
At the NAIA Championship in Olathe, KS, he placed third while Oklahoma Christian placed second overall, which marked the fourth top-four national finish for Oklahoma Christian during Lizarralde’s career.
Despite never winning an individual national championship title, Lizarralde said he believed his top performances and the success of the men’s program set an example for future golfers at Oklahoma Christian.
“It helped set the bar high—aim for winning tournaments and be in contention all the time,” Lizarralde said. “Hopefully, I have been a good example to look up to and imitate the action of giving everything you have, to practice harder every day and to always want more.”
Due to his successful golfing career at Oklahoma Christian, Lizarralde was inducted into the Oklahoma Christian Athletic Hall of Fame Jan. 30. He joined five other honorees for the Class of 2018: Kenny Burns, Rachel Martin Sise, Natalya Nikitina-Helvey, Steve Guymon and Peggy Murphy Skiba.
“It was a great honor to be there with such great names,” Lizarralde said. “It was something I wasn’t expecting. It’s like the cherry on top of the cake, a feeling of competition. I’m part of the big story at Oklahoma Christian.”
Lizarralde said through all his years of playing golf, it still remains that he got the chance to be successful while doing something he loves, even at the professional level.
“Success is a big word,” Lizarralde said. “For some people, it means one thing and for others, another. I won two tournaments, played on different tours worldwide and had fun playing, doing what I love. In my opinion, I’ve been successful.”
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