Meet Your Team

Originally a native of Ohio, Mike moved to Laredo in 2007 to pursue his bachelors in Fitness & Sports at TAMIU and play for the Dustdevils Baseball and Golf teams. During his senior year, Mike joined the golf staff at Laredo Country Club to learn more about the industry. Upon graduation in 2011, he entered the PGM program to pursue his Class A PGA membership while working as an Assistant Professional under Jeremiah Cabrera, PGA. After being elected to PGA membership in the fall of 2016, Mike was named the 6th Head Golf Professional of Laredo Country Club. In the summer of 2020, Mike was promoted as the 7th General Manager of Laredo Country Club. He is currently pursuing his Certified PGA Professional status through the PGA of America as well as his Certified Club Manager certification through the Club Managers Association of America. Most importantly, Mike shares his joy with his beautiful family, wife Dr. Mery Cortes and their two young children Claire & Michael.

Richey is an outstanding person with an incredible passion for the game of golf. His most recent role was as First Assistant Golf Professional at San Antonio Country Club, where he was elected to PGA membership last year. We are proud of his journey that led him here, and we are thrilled to work with Richey and the rest of the team to create an exciting future for golf at Laredo Country Club.

Rudy is a PGA Class A Director of Instruction in the Southern Texas Section. His clients have qualified for the World Jr. Championships, Collegiate Championships, multiple United States Amateur Championships, and Tour qualifying stages. Multitude certifications and education including Level II certified by the Titleist Performance Institute, Kwon3D Biomechanics Level II, Forces & Motion Certified, Flightscope Certified, Swing Catalyst Level 1, Discover Golf Level 1 Certified, CAPTO Precision Putting Level 2 Certified, and Completed the Penn State Biomechanics of Golf Instructor Program. • 2022 STPGA Harvey Penick Teacher of the Year • 2020 STPGA Harvey Penick Teacher of the Year (Southern Chapter) • 2019 Southern Texas PGA Junior Development Coach of the Year (Southern Chapter) • US Kids Golf Top 50 Master Kids Teacher • 2017 Heartland Conference Men's Coach of the Year (NCAA Div. II)

Annika joins our team as an alumni and current graduate assistant for the TAMIU Women’s golf team. Her passion is to continue to evolve in the golf industry through teaching and coaching. She is dedicated to growing the junior and ladies golf programs at the Club. Annika brings with her a wealth of experience having begun playing competitive golf at the age of 7. She competed in the 2015 USGA U.S. Girls Championship, earning a spot in the Quarterfinals at the match play level. The following year, she accepted a full scholarship to play golf at the University of Kansas at the Big 12 Conference from 2016-2020. Upon graduating, she received an invitation to play golf at Texas A&M International University from 2020-2022, earning a Master’s degree during that time, while advancing as a team to the NCAA DII National Championship in Georgia.

Originally from Colima, Mexico, Barajas moved to the US at the age of 14 only knowing a few words of English. He went to work on a golf course working on the golf course maintenance staff at a private course in Thousand Oaks, CA. By the age of 20, Barajas was the golf course superintendent at Recreation Park Golf Course in Long Beach, Calif. Rafael spent the following six years in professional development courses and seminars and become a Certified Golf Course Superintendent in 1990. In the mid-1990's Rafael accepted the golf course superintendent position at Hacienda Golf Club in Southern California, he remained in that position for 21 years before moving to the east coast of Florida 7 years ago when he accepted the Director of Agronomy position at Boca Grove Golf and Tennis Club in Boca Raton, FL. Most importantly, Rafael is a family man. He has been happily married to his wife Yolanda for 38 years. They have four children, Veronica, Daniel, Rafael Jr. and Marco Antonio.