CREDIT CARDS ARE GUCE’S BEST FRIEND
Race jockey’s daughter carves own path through hard work
I’m 5-3 and basketball will not get me a scholarship. If I wanted to go to college, golf was going to be the way
California-based Clariss Guce played under the radar through most of her amateur days until she broke into national consciousness last year when she competed in the US LPGA Tour.
Little is known about Clariss except that she’s the 30-year-old daughter of Ramon, who as one of the country’s top jockeys boasts of more than 2,500 victories at home.
Ramon still rides professionally in the United States, becoming the leading jockey seven times at Los Alamitos racetrack in Orange County, California.
Clariss was just 11 years old when the family migrated in the US and admitted to difficulties adjusting to the new environment.
“Moving to different country and speaking the language. It’s one thing to learn English in school as a child, it’s another to actually speak it full time,” said Clariss.
“My parents knew nothing about golf. It was my grandfather who influenced me. I was 9 or 10 then. I spent a bit of time picking up balls for my grandpa at the racetrack where he trained horses in the morning,” she recalled.
She forgot about golf when they moved to the US, picking up the game again when she was 14.
“I didn’t take it seriously until may junior year of high school,” Clariss said, adding that she needed to get a golf scholarship to get through college.
“I’m 5-3 and basketball will not get me a scholarship. If I wanted to go to college, golf was going to be the way,” she said.
Clariss admitted that she played golf out of necessity, more than the love of the game.
That soon changed after taking a long break from the sport after her second year in college.
Moving to different country and speaking the language. It’s one thing to learn English in school as a child, it’s another to actually speak it full time.
Clariss injured her shoulders and needed surgery.
“It was just wear and tear. It just got to the point that I could no longer really raise my hand without being in a lot of pain,” she recalled.
It was her brother who recommended her to have her shoulders checked. “My brother is awesome. He actually works now for Team USA beach volleyball as ATC,” Clariss said.
The break turned out longer than expected.
“The recovery was supposed to be four months but we ran into multiple problems during rehab so it took eight months before I could chip, putt or do small swings. And almost a year to go full speed,” she narrated.
The surgery provided her a new perspective and a second chance.
“It’s true that we don’t realize how much something means to us until it’s gone. It sounds like a cliché but it’s really what happened,” she explained. Before the injury, Clariss admitted that she was playing terrible and was actually ready to quit.
She said she was fortunate to have lots of people that came into her life at the right time.
My rookie year on Symetra in 2016, I took six credit cards out to bet on myself.
One such individual was her new college coach Annie Young who inculcated in her the value of hard work and mental toughness.
Clariss said words can’t describe how she felt the first time she returned to the course.
“It was the best sensation. I actually played nine holes the day after
I got cleared to do light swings. Nothing beats a sensation of a solid shot,” she recalled.
The realization that she’s good enough to be in the LPGA did not come to her, Clarris swore.
“There’s really no moment. I think my mentality has always been just working hard and take care of the tasks in front of me. Next thing you know, you get on the tour,” she said.
Clariss toiled for three years in the Symetra Tour where she won two tournaments.
“My rookie year on Symetra in 2016, I took six credit cards out to bet on myself,” she recalled. “I’m lucky, it worked out.”
Clariss admitted she didn’t have capital to travel just to play tournaments. “And when I did get success, I really appreciated it, knowing it was my gamble and I earned it,” she said.
The following year, Clariss said she dug a hole again and had to gamble all over again. “Trying too hard. Trying to do too much. Too much heartbreak from the year before missing my card by 1,” she recalled.
Clariss went back to working hard and having fun in 2018 that earned her a spot in the final stage of the Q-School. Being in the tour is a dream, according to Cariss. “It’s a privilege that we’re able to do this for a living,” she said.
To save on expenses, Clariss said she stays with families who volunteer to host participants. “It’s just nice to meet people from that city,” said Clariss who usually rents cars to get around. Except for the generosity of Callaway which provided her with the equipment, Clariss said she’s on her own.
“We’re not rich or well off. I would never ask my parents for money to do what I do. So I do have to find a way to fund myself.”
Guce earned $2,249 after placing joint 64th in the recent LPGA Drive On Championship in Toledo, Ohio, not a windfall by any estimation.
But it’s enough to get her into Sylvannia, Ohio this week for the Marathon Classic. If things don’t go according to plan, there’s always the credit cards, her best friends.