Every year on July 1st, you may scroll through your various social media channels and see memes and posts that say, “Happy Bobby Bonilla Day!” Bobby Bonilla is a former MLB All-Star who played professional baseball from 1986-2001. He’s also a savvy businessman who chose to defer his largest contract until a decade after he played his last game. Now, every year from 2011-2035, the New York Mets pay Bonilla nearly $1.2 million as part of his buyout deal.
Why am I giving you a history lesson on one of baseball’s funniest annual recurrences? Because that same man now has a son who is starting to make headlines for himself in the junior golf world.
Roman Solomon Commits To South Florida
Roman Solomon is 18 years old and attends IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Originally from Sarasota, Solomon began golfing on the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour in 2021 and has competed in five events – finishing top-5 in every tournament and winning twice.
Solomon kicked off his 18th birthday with a hole-in-one at a team golf event in early March and continued his terrific year in the following months. He committed to the University of South Florida in May, after talking with other schools like Texas and Virginia. Ultimately, he chose to stay closer to home to be around family.
Solomon Earns Spot On Steph Curry’s International Golf Tour
On the course, Solomon finished strong during his latest season on NBA legend Steph Curry’s Underrated Tour. In fact, by finishing top-3 in the final tournament of the season, Roman qualified to take part in the Underrated Tour’s first European Tournament in the Spring. He will be one of just six Americans to compete.
It’s no surprise that Solomon is seeing all his hard work pay off as he prepares to take on the world of college golf next. After all, he recalled his experience at a summer golf camp earlier in his childhood.
“You’d play throughout the day and then go to the pool,” Solomon said. “I told my dad that I didn’t really want to go to the pool anymore. I just wanted to go play more golf.”
That’s the kind of passion, determination and work ethic that leads to incredible success in the future. But I guess when your dad is a former Major League All-Star, success is in the genes.
