It’s July 2021, and Julia Lopez Ramirez is giving a speech.
Well, it’s more of a demonstration, really. The professor calls it a “How-to.” All instruction is online this summer, so Lopez Ramirez is outside, speaking into an open laptop while a sea of distant faces stare back at her.
Lopez Ramirez, an MSU freshman and soon-to-be star of the Bulldogs women’s golf team, is showing her classmates what she keeps in her golf bag. Those classmates, bleary eyed and fatigued from 18 months of pandemic-induced virtual instruction, aren’t paying attention. Had they been, they would’ve learned something about what motivates greatness.
There are the clubs – a standard range of woods, irons and a putter – a water bottle, a notebook, her phone and a towel. There’s also a “peseta,” a Spanish coin that predates the euro and the country’s entry in the European Union. Lopez Ramirez carries the coin in her bag but keeps it in her left pocket when she plays. It’s a reminder of who she is and where she comes from.
‘Spain will always be with me’
Lopez Ramirez, 20, was born in Benahavis, a mountain village near southern Spain’s famous Costa del Sol. Her father, Jose Antonio, raced motorbikes – an activity Lopez Ramirez still enjoys when she’s home – but it was her mother, Eva Maria, who introduced her to golf. When Lopez Ramirez was 4, developers built a driving range and practice course across from her house.
“A coach was giving lessons and my mom threw me out there,” Lopez Ramirez said.
As her skills improved, her game progressed. She was playing tournaments by 12. She was also having more fun. Admittedly, her playing “was not at a great level,” but she knew she could get there. By 14, a multi-sport athlete, Lopez Ramirez had to decide between golf and soccer.
“I played (soccer) for five years and tried to juggle both,” she said.
She chose golf, and found immediate success on the amateur circuit, competing in prestigious tournaments across Europe. She made the semifinals in the R&A Girls Under-16 Championship and was runner up in the 2021 Spanish Amateur.
That success led to interest from college programs, including Mississippi State. She committed to MSU without ever visiting campus.
“To be honest with you,” Lopez Ramirez said, “I didn’t even know where Mississippi was.”
For current MSU golf coach Charlie Ewing, the timing of his hiring was fortuitous – Lopez Ramirez had already signed with MSU and was on her way to Starkville when he took over the program in 2020.
“The first thing I noticed about Julia is that she’s incredibly competitive but she’s also a great athlete,” Ewing said in an April 14 HailState Plus Podcast. “She has an incredible understanding of who she is as a golfer and how she plays the game.”
According to Ewing, Lopez Ramirez’s influence extends beyond the course.
“She loves supporting her teammates as well as holding anybody and everybody accountable to what is best and necessary for success,” Ewing told The Dispatch. “She’s loved by everybody in our program and athletic department.”
‘I put pressure on myself’
It’s April 2023 and sophomore Lopez Ramirez is struggling. Day one of the NCAA women’s golf championships didn’t go how she envisioned, and she’s 1 over par heading into day two at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. The reigning SEC Golfer of the Year and the first Bulldog to win the SEC Individual Championship, Lopez Ramirez is a big hitter, and her distance off the tee makes her a threat in every tournament.
“Based on how far I hit, I have an advantage over the field,” Lopez Ramirez said.
She used that advantage the following three days, shooting 5 under par over her next three rounds to finish 13th, the third-best finish in program history. She feels good about the way she played.
“My driver makes my game fun. Go for it. Pull out the driver and hit,” Lopez Ramirez said.
The two-time First Team All-SEC selection won three tournaments this year with another nine top-5 finishes. Her scoring average was 70.31, the lowest in school history. She’s competed in 26 collegiate tournaments and has six wins and another 13 top-fives. Those kinds of results tend to get someone noticed, and the honors continue to roll in for Lopez Ramirez. She was named a First Team All-American by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association, and one of three finalists for the ANNIKA Award, presented annually to the top Division I women’s golfer.
“I put pressure on myself to perform,” Lopez Ramirez told The Dispatch. “If people see it, that’s great, but the one who needs to see it is me.”
The Tao of Julia
Lopez Ramirez likes Starkville: “It’s a small town…with a good vibe,” she said.
She has some perspective on the U.S., too: “Everything is huge. Cars are huge. Meals are huge.”
She wants to go pro and join the LPGA Tour: “To compete with the best players out there.”
But for now, she’s happy to be a part of a team and pursue some individual accomplishments. She wants to make the cut at Augusta, home of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship, and help the Bulldogs chase a national championship.
Like many golfers, Lopez Ramirez has her superstitions. In a game defined by mastery of both external conditions and internal emotions, golfers look for things they can control. For great golfers, the margin between success and failure is often inches. Inches determined by thousands of hours of practice, training and muscle-memory. Inches determined by a sudden gust of wind, a low-hanging tree branch or a deeper-cut rough. For the best golfers, that margin is mostly determined by one’s ability to compartmentalize, to calm nerves and manage anxiety under tremendous pressure. For Lopez Ramirez, it’s about bringing her philosophy of life to the golf course. She always marks her ball the same way – with a line and a smiley face. The last thing she sees before she swings is a smile.
“I always put my ball in the same position – I blast the face,” she said.
5 Things to Know About Julia Lopez Ramirez
Favorite food: Tapas
Favorite music: Pop and reggaeton
Favorite thing to do to relax: Spend time at the pool or beach with friends
Favorite other sport: Soccer
Favorite class at MSU: College algebra
Philip Poe is sports editor.
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 30 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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