Making golf more accessible and changing its reputation as an elitist sport that are among the main goals of the Tiago Sousa Golf Project
– 11 October, 2024 | Text Michael Bruxo
Born from a tragic accident that took the life of 18-year-old golf prodigy Tiago Sousa, the project aims to be a beacon of hope, honouring Tiago’s memory by making golf more accessible to children who would otherwise never have the chance to play.
Created by Tiago’s parents, the project is supported by partners such as Algarve luxury resort Quinta do Lago and Irish professional golfer Paul McGinley.
To help fund the project, the second edition of the Tiago Sousa Memorial Tournament was held on August 21, 2024, at Quinta do Lago’s South Course, one of the most prestigious golf courses in the Algarve.
Aside from keeping Tiago’s memory alive, the tournament helps raise money for the project, which will soon be introducing golf to students in Almancil.
Tiago Sousa’s love for golf began at a young age and evolved into a passion that took him across Portugal and eventually to the USA, where he earned a scholarship to play golf. Tragically, in 2022, Tiago and five of his teammates, along with their coach, lost their lives in a car accident in Texas.
Whilst Tiago’s promising future was cut short, his spirit and love for golf live on through the Tiago Sousa Golf Project.
The project’s goal to bring the joy of golf to others is inspired by Tiago’s own “genuine desire to help others, particularly younger players. He loved teaching and helping the younger ones so they could achieve what he did”, his family says.
One of the main missions driving the project is to demystify golf and make it more accessible. Tiago’s father, Kenneth Starreveld, explains that there is a common misconception in Portugal that golf is an expensive sport, reserved for the wealthy. However, he insists that for children, the cost of playing golf is often lower than other popular sports like football. “There’s a wrong assumption about the cost of golf in the Algarve,” Kenneth says.
“It’s less expensive than other sports, but people don’t know because everyone says it’s expensive. It’s not,” he adds, explaining that he ends up paying more for his youngest son to play football at a local club than to play rounds of golf.
At the time of print, the project was set to kick off its first regular lessons in October 2024 with students from local schools in Almancil. After a successful meeting with the schools’ administration, Kenneth and his team managed to secure a partnership to bring children to Quinta do Lago’s driving range every two to three weeks for golf lessons.
The programme is initially targeting 200 to 300 students, with the goal of introducing them to a sport they might never otherwise experience. “Public schools do not provide golf as an option because there is no funding,” Kenneth explains.
Whilst golf lessons are an essential component, the project goes beyond just teaching kids the mechanics of the game. Kenneth believes in the social and personal development benefits that golf offers. Tiago, he says, had been described as “hyper” by a teacher, but after he took up golf, his grades improved and generally became calmer and more relaxed. Furthermore, he “made a lot of friends at tournaments, he travelled all over Portugal, and he met adults who taught him important life lessons. It’s a sport where people are open and honest”.
Despite the project’s ambitious goals, it has faced hurdles, from bureaucratic challenges which forced Tiago’s family to set up a legal association (which took nearly two years) to be able to work with public schools, to a general lack of funding, which Kenneth believes stems from Portugal’s almost exclusive focus on football.
“Portugal’s struggles at the Olympics are a reflection of the focus on football,” he says. “There’s only a focus on football, football, football,” he laments, pointing out that promising athletes in less mainstream sports often lack the funding and visibility needed to succeed.
However, the Tiago Sousa Golf Project has found support in private sectors and among individual donors, allowing it to move forward.
“We’ve put in some of our own money to get this running,” Kenneth explains. The project also benefits from its partnership with Quinta do Lago, which provides the golf course free of charge, and from the involvement of high-profile golf personalities like Paul McGinley. Kenneth is grateful for McGinley’s support: “I’m super lucky to have Paul McGinley as a partner. He opens doors that are normally closed.”
The project is still in its early stages, but the hope is to expand to other schools once it proves successful in Almancil.
“Our goal is to eventually expand,” Kenneth says. “The more funding we get, the more we can do.” For now, the focus remains on building a solid foundation – one that not only introduces children to the sport but also challenges the perception that golf is exclusive or elitist.
Through the Tiago Sousa Golf Project, Kenneth and his family are doing more than honouring Tiago’s memory; they are fulfilling a vision Tiago himself had – a vision of a more inclusive, accessible golfing community in Portugal. “We could sit at home and suffer in pain, or we can do something positive,” Kenneth says. “And I think this is what Tiago would have wanted, for us to do something positive for the community.”
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