Meet the Tide Golfers: Sophomore Max Alverio
4/14/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
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By Adam Blevins, UA Media Relations
Surfing and Golf, two things that go together like peanut butter and jelly, right? Well if your name is Max Alverio they do. Hailing from the Caribbean Island of Puerto Rico, Alverio, a redshirt sophomore on the University of Alabama’s golf team, is driving his way into the United States golf scene. A participant in the 2004 U.S. Amateur and a 2004 World Amateur representative for Puerto Rico, Alverio is proving that he has what it takes to hang ten with the big boys.
When you’re here at UA, what is the main thing you miss about being in Puerto Rico?
“There is no beach. I come from a place that the beach is 40 yards from my house. You just miss that.”
When you are in Puerto Rico you love to surf. Have you ever had a run in with one of the island’s coral reefs or any of the dangerous sea life that is around?
“I actually hit my head once against a coral reef and had to get 12 stitches. I also scraped my back and had to get 6 stitches. That was all when I was younger though.”
What would be more exciting: catching a 20 foot swell off the coast of Rincon, Puerto Rico (a major surf spot), or making a hole in one at 17 on the Stadium Course at the TPC at Sawgrass?
“That’s a tough question. I think it would have to be the hole in one because a 20 foot wave could kill me. A hole in one would just make me happy.”
When you first felt the bitter cold of an Alabama winter, how did you react?
“I hated it. I couldn’t take it. The coldest it gets in Puerto Rico is like 75.”
What was it like playing in the U.S. Amateur Tournament?
“It was a great experience. I got to play a golf course they held a U.S. Open on. I was able to play with the top amateurs in the world, and learned that I could play with any of them.”
