Save Search Close

Ricardo Celia Bio - (C) GOLFstats Inc. 2020

He began playing at age 6, guided by his father. But he not only played golf: he also played soccer. And his mom was a swimmer, so the sport always surrounded him. "My father was a good amateur, he was an amateur national champion, he encouraged me to do all kinds of sports: soccer, baseball, golf, and since I saw my father as an example, he led me to golf," he recalled. He is a big fan of Junior de Barranquilla and Barcelona Football Club.

At the age of 11, he played his first national tournament in the Country Club of Cali. Remember that on a hole, he could not get the ball out of a bunker, an instructor helped him to figure out how to do it. There he understood that golf is about discipline too.

A scholarship to Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to study business administration was his definitive pass to golf. In his third year of college, he decided to turn professional. And his career, in a certain way, has paralleled that of Sebastian Munoz, today the best player from Colombia.

"Sebastian and I practiced together to play the Club Colombia Championship in 2016, at the Country Club. Seeing him win that tournament motivated us all. "He was always a good player, a good person. I also played with him in Panama, we played practice rounds together, we always had a good relationship."

Celia got to the PGA Tour Latinoamerica first before Munoz. He did it in 2015. He also won first before Munoz, when he was crowned champion of the Ecuador Open. "It was the first time that I was fighting a tournament in the PGA Latinoamerica. I had just turned professional. I had a good weekend with the putter, I overcame the pressure of the leadership and won", he explained.

The Argentine Republic Open, which is now his greatest victory as a professional, is a tournament lashed in tradition, being played since 1905. Only one Colombian player, Marcelo Rozo, had won it in 2013. Giving the tournament even more importance, since 2016 the winner got an exemption to the Open Championship. Celia won the tournament but he did it in a playoff against Brandon Matthews. He won on the third extra hole with a 32-foot birdie putt. He began the week 1,566th in the world rankings and finished it 762nd. It was his first title on the PGA Tour Latinoamerica for four years and came despite the fact he began the final round T-6th and double-bogeyed his opening hole. Celia subsequently eagled the 10th and birdied four of the last five holes to catch Matthews

From Argentina, Celia returned to his native Barranquilla to see his beloved Junior football team and celebrate the two goals of Teofilo Gutierrez, of whom he is a declared fan. "How can I not be a fan of the two-time champion?

Unfortunately, he was only to play in one more event in 2019 and because of COVID-19th played in just six events in 2020 only making one cut, T-23rd at the Puerto Plata Open.

The same problem in 2021, he has only been able to play in three events on the PGA Tour Latinoamerica missing the cut at the Club at Weston Hills Open, T-25th at the Holcim Colombia Classic, and missing the cut at the Banco de Pacifico Open.

This will be his first trip to the Open Championship.