RIO RANCHO, N.M. – A Rio Rancho native has the chance to make his lifelong dream come true, he just has to swing on par. 

Cleveland High School graduate and pro golfer, Alejandro Armijo, is headed to the final qualifying stage for the U.S. Open. It takes a special talent to get this far as a golfer and a lot of practice too.

KOB 4 talked with Armijo about what it took to get to this point. He told us he’s been working toward this his entire life and is excited to share this moment with friends and family.

“I would walk around with clubs in my hands, hitting the ball around the house the entire time,” said Armijo. 

At just 3-years-old, Alejandro Armijo picked up a golf club and has yet to put it down.

“I self-taught myself for the first eight, nine years out of two books, and it was the Tiger Woods book of “How I Play Golf” and Ben Hogan’s book,” said Armijo.

Tiger taught Armijo so well, when his parents took him to Bill Harvey for lessons, he couldn’t believe the talent that tee’d off in front of him.

“The ball goes out about 150 yards in the air and I looked at his dad and I said ‘With all due respect this kids got a great swing. So whoever is working with him needs to stay with him.’ And he goes, ‘Bill, he’s never had a lesson before,’” said Bill Harvey, a Ladera Golf Course pro. 

From that day on, Harvey became Armijo’s swing coach and taught him not just how to swing, but how to leverage the fire he plays with.

“I used to tease about having that Spanish swagger and that flare, and he has a little bit of a temper and I told him it’s OK, you know, use it to your advantage,” said Harvey.

Armijo has done just that. His determination and drive are now leading him to play in the final qualifier for the U.S. Open, one tee closer to his dream.

“Mindset going into it is take it as it comes, roll with the punches and just focus on what you can control,” said Armijo. “I wouldn’t be in this position if I couldn’t handle it type thing. So just gotta show up and play some golf, it’s just golf. So there’s other people there. We can do it better.”

As he makes a name for himself on the greens, his family, friends and coaches are watching with pride.

“I’m really proud of him. He’s fought through some stuff and he works so hard,” said Harvey.

“I love you to the family. I love you to the friends and I look forward to seeing you guys soon, and hopefully I’ll see y’all in Pittsburg,” said Armijo.