Camacho helps lead golf team to 1st fall season win

CNMI son and golfer Sebastian Camacho is dominating the U.S. college golf scene as a student-athlete at the Ottawa University Kansas.

His most recent conquest was helping the OUK Braves men’s golf team to their first ever fall season win in school history.

The 20-year-old led his golf team on the first day of the Ottawa Fall Invitational last Sept. 11 with a personal tournament record of 69. He eventually settled for second place overall with a 74 on the second day, as he lost to his teammate, Ethan Brumbaugh, who shot a 66.

Brumbaugh finished first with a total of 140, while Camacho finished with a total of 143 for second place.

The Braves won first place in the tournament with a team round one score of 292 and round two of 299 for a total of 591.

“We won the tournament as a team beating the runner up by 25 strokes. Ottawa is our home course and our own invitational so it’s good we defended it and won for the first time in fall season history for the school,” said Camacho.

The Braves will return to action on Monday, Oct. 23, at the Sand Creek Intercollegiate for another two-day tourney.

When he moved to the U.S, for college, Camacho played his first two years at a JUCO (junior college), Southwestern Community College, with great success, making it to the national level in his last year there; he placed in the top 100 against the best Division 1 players in the nation.

He transferred out for his junior year to play at a Top 100 ranked private NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics). He’s played two tournaments there under scholarship and has found some early success with the OUK Braves.

Camacho, an alumnus of Grace Christian Academy, graduated high school in 2021.

He said he began playing and competing when he was 15 years old and quickly fell in love with the aspect of competition and what he had to gain from it. He played with many golf organizations on Saipan, such as Refaluwasch Golf Association and Marianas Golf Association, and even competed and won his share of tournaments on the island.

Camacho said, “It was a short time coming to push to pursue college golf but it was the right move for me. I moved to the states in the fall of 2021 to begin college and attended Southwestern Community College in Iowa. I made many strides in my game and in my education whilst there, even made it to the Division l National Championship to play against America’s best. I learned and grew quite a bit in my first two years as a student athlete, it’s shaped my ideology for school, sport, and success today.”

He is pursuing a college degree in mechanical engineering and said of OUK that it was one of the few schools that offered him a great scholarship while allowing him to be a part of the engineering program.

“The program here is amazing and I think I’m making real head room for myself in the workforce although it would be nice to play golf for the rest of my life. Until the end of my four years, I plan to continue working on my game and hopefully just hopefully it makes sense to turn pro, if not, I’m glad to be where I am and play competitively for as long as I can before I start my career in engineering,” he said.

Camacho then thanked his whole family for their continuous support and belief in his abilities, “as well as the connections and relationships that have been forged in my time here to help shape who I am today.”