Hitting the goal in 60s: Leo Casuga and Fred Molina’s journey to victory

Scrolling through your social media account and seeing your friends already at the top of their game at a young age, you suddenly ask yourself why are you stuck in a rut and unable to move forward?

Perhaps, you start to worry that it might be too late and hard for you to achieve your goals especially now that you are not getting any younger.

But hey, guess you forgot that there are people out there, who may not be born as a child prodigy but can make others be extremely proud of them no matter what their age is.

Enter these two fine golfers, Leo Casuga and Fred Molina, who may not be as young as you, but can prove that one can make huge and inspiring life changes even in their mid-60s.

It was last September 24 to 27 this year, when Leo and Fred caught the attention of 80,000 participants and 43 other nations when they successfully represented Canada in the Audi Quattro Cup World Final 2018 held in a world-class golf course in Kitzbuhel, Austria.

But how come these two Filipinos represented Canada and not Canadians? In an exclusive interview with Philippine Canadian Inquirer (PCI), Leo and Fred will bring all of us back before these trophies and limelight.

Backtrack

Leo was just an 18-year-old boy when he migrated to Montreal, Canada in 1972 where he was destined to meet the woman whom he will be sharing his whole life with. Fred, on the other hand, left Baguio that served as his home for 22 years, to move to Canada in early 1971 to seek for a greener pasture.

First time stepping his foot in Canadian soil, Fred said he felt excited and glad to see the other side of the world, however, he did not have much time to take in the beauty of the Great White North as the first thing he looked for was a job — unlike Leo who was impressed on how big and clean Canada is.

“The first thing I did was tour the city of Montreal and ate my first Montreal bagel and the very famous Montreal smoked meat,” Leo told PCI.

As newcomers in a foreign land, it is inevitable for Leo and Fred to encounter struggles, sharing that the first challenge they both faced was the language barrier. Moving to a place where people speak a language you are not fluent in, it was really hard for the two first time immigrants to communicate.

“The first struggle was the French language. Montreal is a French territory,” Leo said.

Language, they say, is as important as your plane ticket and passport when you go to another country. Through this, you cannot only learn more about one’s culture but of course, you can clearly understand the message that other people are conveying to you.

This is true for Leo as he shared that it is not only talking with the localities in Montreal that made it hard for him. Not being able to speak French fluently, he said, also brought disadvantage to him when he was applying for a job. Fred also had the same problem, but on his case, he had a hard time understanding English and Scottish people.

But having no plans to be left behind, Leo decided to take some French courses in school and also through the provincial government. Fred, meanwhile, dealt with his struggle by clarifying the questions to his job interviewers and confirming his understanding of it.

Despite the struggles as an immigrant, Leo and Fred appreciated the great things Canada has to offer for them.

“Canada is very supportive of immigrants. They provided education and subsidies to immigrants who needed them. The only thing that I complain about from time to time is how cold it gets in the winter. Other than that, Canada is a great country for all,” Leo said.

For Fred, compared to his home country where he experienced a “very poor” quality of life, Canada is the best place for him to bring and raise his family. Living in Canada, he said, gave him a much better life where he gets to enjoy a fresh and clean environment, free health-care, and good employee benefits and perks, among others.

“Everything is good here,” Fred noted.

Although they are miles away from where they grew up, both Fred and Leo’s Filipino heart is still prevailing.

In his day-to-day life in Canada, Leo shared that he and his family associate themselves with Filipino activities and causes.

“We cook and eat Filipino food and instill some of the good Filipino values to our kids like importance of keeping family together, respecting elderly, etc.,” he said.

Fred, meanwhile, told PCI that he and his family brought with them their way of living in Baguio wherein they talk in Ilocano inside their home all the time, cook their traditional Filipino dishes like Ilocano Inabraw and grilled fish.

Fred added that he also joined several Filipino-Canadian organizations such as the Philippine Cultural Center Foundation of Calgary since 1999, Providing Filipino Language and Culture Education, Computer Literacy for Seniors and Youth Enhancement Programs, among others.

For Leo’s case, he said he was not “officially” a member, but he allots time to volunteer and help out in some Fil-Can groups.

Living in Montreal for nine years, Leo decided to move to Vancouver, where his wife gave birth to his son. But wanting to join his siblings in Calgary, Leo and his family left Vancouver after two years.

Leo has been living in Calgary up to date, where not only his daughter was born but also his interest in golf.

Keeping Eyes on the Target

You may not have witnessed the beauty of the world yet during the time when Leo and Fred first held a golf club. It was more than 30 years since 1988 when these two had first set foot in a golf course.

Now recognized as successful golf players, who would have thought that Leo and Fred never considered playing golf as something they really wanted to do in the future before?

“Golf was not available where I was brought up. As a kid, I just wanted to have fun. Golf in the Philippines is for the privileged,” Leo said.

Fred, for his part, said that as a child he never imagined himself being the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Bobby Jones, among others, as playing golf for him was just a hobby.

“I have never thought about playing golf; but since I arrived in Calgary my brother influenced me to play golf so he [would] have a playing partner. This is when I really started playing seriously,” Fred shared.

But after years of treating golf as their leisure activity, what only started to be their hobby turned them to representatives competing for Canada in a world competition, the Audi Quattro Cup World Final 2018.

As expected, qualifying in such prestigious competition was not and will never be an easy journey for the players, and that was the case for Leo.

“Because I had to work full time, not being able to play all the time to get better was the challenge,” he shared.

Fred, meanwhile, admitted that there were times he chose not to bring the best out in him during the game.

He said that there were times when he loses confidence and that sometimes, he loses concentration when he is playing with someone who is being a “jerk” during the round.

The two, however, dealt with these challenges by not quitting.

“Whatever time I can spare to play golf, I go,” Leo said.

Fred added, “If you played well that day, it is good enough. But if you goof up that day, so be it. Come back another day. And try again.”

Having this positive mindset, desire, and determination, there is no doubt that Leo and Fred’s willpower made up for their shortcomings, making them surpass the Audi Royal Quattro Cup on July 23 at Bearspaw Golf and Country Club Calgary, and won in Crowbush Gold and Country Club in Morell, Prince Edward Island on August 24 to 27 that led them to the finals.

“Competing with so many young and tall players was very challenging. We were so proud winning that event amidst the challenges. Winning the Canadian nationals was an enormous accomplishment for us,” Leo said.

He went on saying, “Imagine, two older players who happened to be Filipinos, represented Canada.”

Describing his feeling when he and his partner qualified in the finals, being “in shock” was already an understatement for Leo. He said they did not foresee that they will be making it to the world competition as they were already satisfied and happy just by winning the local event — even winning in the Nationals was far from their expectations.

Fred, on the other hand, shared, “When it was announced that we were the winners and will represent Canada in Kitsbuhel, Austria, I was overwhelmed and so excited. I’ve been playing golf for [a] long time but this is [the] most epic reward in my golfing career. I was out of words when I found out that we were the winners. I called my wife right away and told her the good news.”

Although they were not helmed as winners of the competition, being able to represent Canada for them was already their greatest achievement as golfers. Taking home the Audi Quattro Cup World Final trophy might be a bonus for them, but the opportunity to challenge the best players of other countries is what made them feel like they were actually the winners.

“I’ve been to a lot of tournaments, local and provincial, and nothing compares the Audi Quattro Cup experience. Being a part of this is a huge honor,” Fred stressed.

“We met many nice people around the world in an event that very few will have to opportunity to participate in. We felt very proud and very blessed. We will never forget this wonderful experience,” Leo said.

Fred and Leo also talked about how the Audi staff treated them well from the moment they arrived in Austria until their departure day.

“The overall treatment by Audi staff was tremendous. The guests’ scheduled trips, golf practice by the pros, ski resort restaurants, food, etc. were superb and totally enjoyed. [It was] my best experience of lifetime,” Fred said.

Leo, meanwhile, added, “No costs were spared by Audi. It was first class all the way. It was so awesome and certainly an experience to remember.”

Nevertheless, Leo and Fred, despite their age, are not closing their doors if given a chance again to compete in another game — they just have to keep practicing and get better each day.

While there is nothing in the pipeline yet for the two golfers, Fred and Leo said they are planning to fly back to the Philippines and compete in several golf tournaments there such as the Philippine Airlines (PAL) golf tournament or the Filipino-American (Fil-Am) golf tournament to be held in Baguio this year. But for the meantime, Fred said he will participate with the local golf tours in Calgary and Alberta.

Leo and Fred’s journey is only one of the many stories that prove that there is no rule requiring you to achieve everything you have wished for in your 20s.

If you fail, then you try again until you reach your desired result. Give your best shot and trust the process, they say. As long as you keep your eyes on your target and the fire burning, you will never see the words too late” exist in your vocabulary.