Double Duty

The Colorado Rapids have regular episodes of a short documentary series “Colorado Presents” on Apple TV as part of Apple’s deal to carry Major League Soccer games.

And Rapids midfielder Oliver Larraz, who grew up in Denver and has been affiliated with the Rapids since the age of 9, got his chance to tell his journey while playing a few holes of golf at Fox Hollow Golf Club in Littleton.

Larraz, 22, started for the Rapids for the first time this past February after growing up playing for the team’s youth academy. He’s playing this year on a one-year contract with the Rapids.

A fast midfielder, Larraz is shown in-game footage trying to defend against Lionel Messi when Inter Miami played the Rapids to a 2-2 draw in April. “You can see his brain moving quicker than anyone else’s,” Larraz said of Messi.

Larraz does a short interview with host Jordan Angeli then they tee up at Fox Hollow Golf Course’s links course. Larraz, hitting from the blue tees, has a quick downswing and hits with power. Angeli, from the whites, had a smoother tempo but crushed her drive.

“You definitely undersold yourself,” Larraz said.

Jordan said he began playing in his teens while he was also a budding soccer star at the preps level.

“When I was 15 my uncles would take me out,” Larraz said. “The game side of (golf) is always fun because you’re playing against yourself and it’s the most frustrating and rewarding thing in the world. You always think you should do better and there’s no excuses.”

In December he signed a one-year contract with the Rapids and got his first-ever start for an MLS game in February.

Larraz has continued to see playing time this season for the Rapids as the team has hovered just outside of the top 3 of the MLS Western Conference. Through early summer he had started 16 games and averaged close to 70 minutes a game.

Golf, however, remains a refuge for him where the results are clear and up just to him. “You’re the only one in control of how you’re playing and also there’s an exact score that tells you how you did,” he said.