The Many Sides to Federica Tavelli-Westerlund

Texas State golfer Federica Tavelli-Westerlund is no stranger to different cultures. Her mom is from Sweden and her dad is from Argentina, and she grew up living in Spain. 

It all started like a Hollywood script. Federica’s mom, Annika, went to law school in Sweden and then moved to Argentina to work at the Swedish Embassy. She had an urge to take tennis classes and went down to a Hilton hotel where she met Adriano the tennis coach, who would become her husband and Federica’s father. 

Tavelli-Westerlund's parents have played a large role in motivating her to play sports. Both of them played professionally, with her dad competing in larger tennis tournaments while her mom played handball in a second division league in Sweden. 

The family eventually moved to Spain and settled down near near a golf course. Coupled with the athletic household, Tavelli-Westerlund used the proximity of the course to take up the game of golf by joining her friends there on the weekends.

She did not limit her athletics experience to golf early on, though. She also competed in track and field and, like her father, played tennis until she was 13. But at that point, golf graduated from a hobby to a serious pursuit. In addition to focusing more on her game, she started to compete in tournaments.

“It was fun that my friend went to the course too, and it was my own thing," said Tavelli-Westerlund. "I had friends that also went to the course, so it became a social part at the beginning, and then I realized I liked it.”

When she was 15, Federica moved away to Birgittaskolan, a mostly boy boarding school in Sweden and made the golf team that just had one other girl.

After gaining more experience in golf, Federica represented Sweden in 2020 at the Quadrangular Match and Spanish Amateur Championships. She also played on the Swedish national team in 2019 at three tournaments including the Italian Amateur Championships, German Girls Championship, and the European Team Girls Championship.  

“It is always an honor to represent your country, and it made me really proud to have the chance to represent Sweden,” Federica said.

One thing that came in handy while being on the national team was her ability to fluently speak three languages. At a tournament in Spain, Federica was the only member that was able to communicate with the people there since no one else on the team knew Spanish. 

But her game started to speak for itself as she traveled across Europe for big tournaments. Eventually college coaches from the United States started to take notice.

Tavelli-Westerlund's national team coach knew Texas State women’s golf head coach and fellow Swede, Par Nilsson, very well. 

Nilsson was impressed early in the recruiting process by Tavelli-Westerlund's maturity, kindness, work ethic and strong results.  

“We had some strong competition getting her here by TCU, Texas A&M and Campbell,” said Nilsson. “But I think it was an outdoor dinner in December at Root Cellar that sealed the deal.”

For Tavelli-Westerlund, coming from the Nordic country of Sweden, the change in scenery (and winter temperature) was one of the many things that stood out towards her decision.

“I also visited a school in North Carolina and another two in Texas,” said Tavelli-Westerlund, "but when I came to Texas State it gave me the best feeling, I just knew I liked the people on the team and coach Par.”

Tavelli-Westerlund was nervous, like anyone would be, when it came to adapting to a new team. She reminded herself that she has already been on a similar journey when she transitioned to her school team, which made her feel more comfortable about the situation.

With the national teams, Federica felt the difference of those teams being competitive in fighting for a spot with different people being picked for every tournament. With the Bobcats, they have a team feeling that is more prominent. There is still the competition of people wanting to move up the lineup, but there is an overwhelming feeling of wanting to see each other succeed. 

Another difference Tavelli-Westerlund felt early on with the Bobcats was the dynamic of an organized team with a schedule, rather than being a team made of individuals. In Sweden, there are more individual tournaments.

Plus, Texas State's team consists of individuals from different backgrounds and cultures. Tavelli-Westerlund, the child of a Swede and Argentinian who has also lived in Spain, she enjoys learning about each teammate’s traditions.

“Federica has fit in so naturally to our program,” said Texas State assistant coach Kelly Welker. “She is incredibly strong, a fierce competitor, and has helped raise the standard for our program. She also has a calmness about her that helps the other players relax and be themselves. She has the biggest heart and always strives to find the positives.”

Tavelli-Westerlund and the rest of her international teammates have quickly agreed that Texans are friendly people and always willing to help. They also realized how much Americans love to eat out, sometimes daily, which is rare where they are from. 

Another way Tavelli-Westerlund assimilated herself into the culture of Texas was by picking up her own pair of cowboy boots with her roommate. Another Texas wardrobe staple, however, sits on her list to get next. 

“We said that this fall we are going to save up some money to get a cowboy hat,” said Tavelli-Westerlund.  

Tavelli-Westerlund spent this past June in Sweden, where she is usually for an entire summer in between academic years. This year, though, she came back the beginning of July to play in tournaments in the United States.

With two years left as a Bobcat, Nilsson is excited about what is next for Tavelli-Westerlund.

“She has learned a lot her first two years and has flashed greatness on the golf course," said Nilsson. "She almost won her first tournament with us and has been in contention in other events. I believe in Federica and value her as a leader on this team.”

Tavelli-Westerlund is also optimistic about her future after college. 

“My plan is to turn professional and try to qualify for a pro tour," she shared. "I would like to play professional for a couple of years.”

More traveling is in store with a professional career. But for a person who has tremendous knowledge about different cultures and languages – some of which has been gained while at Texas State – she will naturally fit into whatever her future holds.