For the first time in his short career at LIV Golf, Sebastian Munoz has taken the lead at LIV Golf Singapore’s leaderboard. The Colombian golfer shot only a bogey in his first round at the Sentosa Golf Club with seven birdies and topped the leaderboard with a total score of 6 under 65.

From his opening round of 1 over 72 in LIV Golf Adelaide, Munoz has turned around his game in a relatively short time. Evidently, watching Munoz’s opening round and seeing him chart the leaderboard had raised curiosity in the people to know who Juan Sebastian Munoz is.

Who inspired Sebastian Munoz to play golf? 

Juan Sebastian Munoz’s golf journey started at home and he credits all of it to his father and grandfather. On January 4, 1993, Sebastian was born into Ricardo and Maria Fernanda Munoz’s family in Bogota, Colombia. The brother of three siblings; Gabriela, Daniela, and Mauricio, Sebastian was introduced to golf by his father at the age of three and grew up in the sport with his grandfather’s guidance, whom he called his greatest influence.

Sebastian would not have been playing golf if not for his father as he was a good sport even in volleyball and disc throwing but eventually focused more on golf. Giving his father and ‘pop’ the credit for his success, the 31-year-old once revealed that his story would have panned out very differently if not for the two father figures in his life.

Throughout his childhood to his amateur career, Sebastian was onto the bigger things. He was admitted to the all-male Colegi San Carlos High School. In 2010, in his last year in high school, Sebastian was ranked the no. 1 golfer in Colombia. It came after his three victories that year.

Sebastian’s three wins in 2010 included the Canadian International Junior Challenge and the Colombian Open Amateur Championship. Moreover, he was T1 at the South American Amateur Championship in the same year. After an eminent run as an amateur, Juan Sebastian decided to move to Texas and chase the American dream.

Sebastian Munoz’s collegiate and pro career wins

After he settled in the Lone Star State, Munoz got admission into the University of North Texas where his fellow teammate Carlos Ortiz also studied in 2011. In 2015, before he turned professional, Munoz earned a Conference USA Men’s Golf individual medal and helped his team win the Conference USA Championship.

Right after his graduation in 2015, Munoz returned to South America and started playing on to qualify for the PGA Tour Latinoamerica and he did it after winning the Abierto de Burcamanga and Abierto de Club Campestre Medellin in the same year. While initially he played at PGA Tour Latinoamerica, in February 2016, he received a sponsor exemption to play the Club Colombia Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour.

Winning the championship, he became the first Colombian winner on the Korn Ferry Tour. Subsequently, he also received a membership for the 2016 season. After a maiden victory, the 31-year-old finished 22nd on the KFT 2016 money list and celebrated his ticket to the PGA Tour for 2017.

However, after a disappointing season, he had to return to the Korn Ferry Tour. But once again, Munoz made his way on the PGA Tour in 2019 after being 12th on the money list.

Munoz’s return to the PGA Tour

In 2019, he didn’t wish to go back to the developmental tour again and neither wanted to be winless. He prepared well and finally got his lone win at the 2019 Sanderson Farms Championship. He was moving slowly in his career but was still a skillful golfer.

This led him to take part in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and win bronze for his country in team events. Not only this, Munoz had another breakthrough moment, which was at the 2022 President’s Cup. Munoz had a record of 2-0-1 and defeated the world no. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler in singles.

Though the International Team didn’t win, his incredible debut at Quail Hollow Club earned applause from the spectators and an emotional hug from his father. In the same year, the Colombian pro also became the only golfer to shoot two rounds of the 60s in a single season at the 2022 RSM Classic and AT&T Byron Nelson.

In 2023, Munoz made a jump to the breakaway league and joined his fellow Latin-American golfers Joaquin Niemann, Carlos Ortiz, and Mito Pereira. The three have been a part of Torque GC since its inception. Through his rollercoaster of a career, Munoz undoubtedly always had his family’s support but also a special person, his teenage love, Daniela Granados V.

Does Sebastian Munoz have any children? 

The first ever post that Munoz shared on his Instagram was with his then-girlfriend Daniela Granados V in 2013. Over the past decade, Granados has been by his side and supported him through all the ups and downs. After all, he calls her his favorite person. The two had been dating for a long time but Munoz popped the question to her in February 2020 at the serene Costa Canuva beach in Mexico.

Exactly six months after their engagement, the two tied the knot in a close ceremony with their families in Cali, Colombia. Nearly three years after their marriage, the couple welcomed their only child, Maria Pia Munoz, on June 9th, 2023. The Munoz family also has an Aussiedoodle as a pet.

After taking a win on every tour he ever played on, Sebastian Munoz would hope to start his individual victory run even at LIV Golf; Toque GC has won four times at LIV Golf. And it may start at LIV Golf Singapore!