Lara Arias made history at the 2023 Ryder Cup as she became the Ryder Cup’s first female Golf Course Superintendent when the biennial match between Europe and the United States came to Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, Rome, Italy.
But this feat was made even more special when you take into consideration Lara produced an immaculate Ryder Cup course all while 32 weeks pregnant.
Breaking barriers as the first female in her role at the Ryder Cup was testament to Lara’s progression through the agronomy industry, with the Spaniard saying it all started when she was a child.
A lover of the outdoors, nature and animals, this was the catalyst for Lara’s career on the golf course.
Lara said: “I have really good memories growing up at home in Spain.
“Memories with my family and outdoors with animals. It’s probably the reason why I started my career as a forestry engineer.
“Later on, I made the decision to focus my career on golf courses and it was a really good decision, no?”
After completing an internship in Malaga, Spain, Lara headed across the pond to join a Global Turfgrass Training Program at The Ohio State University where she was fortunate enough to work on many golf courses including Quail Hollow, as it hosted the 2017 U.S. PGA Championship won by the U.S. Ryder Cup team’s Justin Thomas.
“They gave me the opportunity to work on many different golf tournaments and learn more about the different types of grasses,” Lara added.
“It was probably one of the best experiences of my life.
“When I started my internship I couldn’t really speak English and maybe only understood about 20% of what was being said.
“But thanks to them, and my Irish roommate, I finished the internship being able to speak English.”
However, Lara’s love for the Ryder Cup stemmed a year previous when she had the opportunity to work on the golf course at Hazeltine ahead of the 2016 Ryder Cup, before again joining the agronomy team at Le Golf National, Paris, France, during the 2018 Ryder Cup.
It was in Paris where she first worked with her partner Alejandro Reyes and once again at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in 2023.
Reyes said: “2023 was a very challenging project from the beginning.
“We needed somebody very passionate, somebody able to build a team from scratch and somebody with experience to move forward that type of project.”
As 2023 came around, Lara knew this would be an amazing year but what would transpire is truly special.
Lara led the agronomy team during the 2023 Ryder Cup and delivered a perfect golf course all while 32 weeks pregnant.
“We hosted the Italian Open and I was already pregnant but nobody knew,” Lara said.
“And during the Ryder Cup I was 32 weeks pregnant.
“It helped me get through the event to be honest. At the end of the week it was one of the best professional moments of my career but I also knew I was soon to have one of the best moments in my personal life.
“All week I was thinking about how we are going to have a family after the Ryder Cup.”
Nowadays, life is very different for Lara after welcoming their baby girl, Alejandra, into the world on November 17, 2023.
Lara said: “My life has changed a lot.
“From a golf course superintendent to a few months later having a baby – it’s a lot in a short time.
“The next challenge is to get back to work. I don’t want to stop working but I also want to be part of Alejandra’s life.
“Many nights I am awake with Alejandra and I think that one day when she grows up we are going to talk about the Ryder Cup.
“We are going to share with her that she was part of the Ryder Cup because she was there.
“She’s going to understand what the Ryder Cup means to myself and Alejandro and why she made it so special for us both.”
A trailblazer at the Ryder Cup, Lara’s story will hopefully inspire more women to get involved in golf this International Women’s Day.
