In his final season, Gutierrez reflects on his time in college golf

Josemarria Gutierrez '26 has been around a lot of golf. Born in Mexico City, he started his career at Missouri Baptist University, a school of just less than 6,000 students, then transferred to Barton College, a Division II school in North Carolina for two years.

Now in his final year, Mercer has offered Gutierrez a different experience than his two previous schools.

"It's a great place," he said. "Definitely the most fun I've had."

With only two tournaments left in the regular season – his last semester as a collegiate golfer – he is reflecting on what his journey so far has looked like, and where it will go next.

"I've discovered a lot about myself, just being in the US, being away from my family," he said. "Things that I like to do now that I didn't know about myself."

Gutierrez has picked up some new interests since his arrival at Mercer, like listening to country music and fishing.

“I never used to fish in Mexico, and now I love it,” he said.

Hailing from Mexico but spending his last three years in the South, Gutierrez has noticed some similarities in both cultures.

“I would say coming from Mexico and now being here in Georgia, I feel like the southern hospitality is a little bit more kind of like how it is in Mexico,” said Gutierrez. “North Carolina, similarly to Georgia, people are welcoming, and it’s kind of like the southern culture.”

Gutierrez also said his "family-like" Southern experiences made him feel “more connected with the people” he was interacting with at the school and within the golf program.

After his season ended at Barton College in 2025, head coach Derek Hamm, with whom Gutierrez had a very close relationship, resigned, leaving the team in disarray as it waited to hear who would lead the program in the business administration major's final season.

For the second time in his career, Gutierrez took matters into his own hands and entered the transfer portal, which ultimately led him to Mercer.

“After I heard about Mercer and the program, and just all the great opportunities with the golf schedule we have, and being in Georgia, it was a no-brainer to come here," he said. "The program takes care of us very well, Coach Payne is great and we have a bunch of donors that interact with us a lot, and it’s just very enjoyable.”

While not getting a lot of playing time in his first semester at Mercer, Gutierrez remained determined.

“I think my mindset is just to keep improving and put the work in every day and trying to get better so I can continue to play golf after graduation,” he said.

His first 36 holes as a Mercer golfer did not disappoint. He shot even on his first-ever round representing the Bears and ultimately finished tied for fourth out of 75 individuals in the Cleveland Golf Palmetto Invitational in early March. Gutierrez then helped Mercer finish third of 15 in the Southern Intercollegiate, assisting his team with the second-lowest individual score.

The other seniors around Gutierrez have also helped him out a lot with the transition to Mercer.

"I think we're all on the same page," he said. “Just trying to enjoy our last tournament and trying to help the guys that are coming up to play the best golf they can and also enjoy their college experience" is the seniors' main focus this year before they move on from the program.

The team will conclude its season at the Wofford Invitational on April 12-14, in Spartanburg, S.C. After that, they will play in the Southern Conference Championship from April 27-29.

Gutierrez plans on playing after college, and after graduating will look towards amateur tournaments over the summer. For now, though, in his final weeks at Mercer, his mindset is simply “just trying to play good golf and control what I can control.”