Beachside's Sofia Rivera is the Varsity 4 All-News4JAX girls golfer of the year.
Jacksonville City Council weighs multi-million-dollar pedestrian safety project near EverBank Stadium Read full article: Jacksonville City Council weighs multi-million-dollar pedestrian safety project near EverBank Stadium Local parent Donnie Bruzska tells News4JAX that he worries about his son’s safety when crossing a busy four-lane road without traffic controlJacksonville cold snap brings hypothermia dangers; health officials advise precautions– Sofia Rivera tried every sport that her parents could get her into, but golf was always going to be her game.
The Beachside junior and Varsity 4 All-News4JAX girls golfer of the year picked up the sport early and got a boost of motivation from her uncle on the PGA Tour. Now, there’s no question that Rivera is bona fide star and bound for the big time, with a little bit of inspiration from her uncle on the pro golf tour.Long before Rivera was a high school golfing star, she was going from sport to sport and seeing what fit the best. Ballet. Tennis. Soccer. Whatever the season, Rivera had something to compete in. Golf was there, too, boosted by the small fact that her uncle, Russell Knox, was surging on the PGA Tour. Rivera said she was pulled by the tug of golf by watching her uncle week after week. Knox won twice on the PGA Tour and currently plays on the Korn Ferry Tour. “I kind of grew up watching him. Probably had a little bit of bias towards my decision because when I was younger, he was doing really well, like 18th in the world at one point,” Rivera said. “So, I think probably like watching him do well swayed my decision a bit. But yeah, I kind of fell in love with golf early. Probably when I was like 6 is when I really chose to play golf and then from then on. …”As a freshman, Rivera fired a 1-under 141, just one stroke back of the individual state champ. An even bigger achievement was that of the Beachside team as a whole. The Barracudas won the first team state championship in program history.Rivera was already a rising star in junior golf, but playing on a team where every individual score mattered was an aspect that unlocked an even stronger passion for the game. She called that season and the girls on that squad the “dream team.” Although she was playing in her first year of varsity golf for a school that wasn’t even two years old, Rivera said it felt like she and her teammates had been together for years. “Honestly, from there, I fell in love with high school golf. Team golf was just so exciting, and it never really felt like we hadn’t done this before,” Rivera said. “It was just something new and exciting that we got to go through. Rivera said the best advice she’s received from Knox and others has nothing to do with a club or a swing or the read on a green.“He just always made sure I kept golf fun,” she said. “Because he knows and every pro that I ask or anybody that I ask, and I’m like, ‘OK, if you could give me one piece of advice, what would you say?’ And they always say, ‘Just keep it fun. Don’t burn yourself out. … So I always kept it fun.”One of the big stars in a loaded Class of 2027. Co-medalist in region and district . Took eighth in Class 1A state tournament with 4-under 40. Already a five-time All-News4JAX selection .Class 2A state champ with a 2-under 140 to win by a stroke. Had 2-under 70 to finish T-3 at region. Signed with University of Oklahoma. Three-time first-team All-News4JAX selection and a second-team pick last year.Co-medalist at region and district to lead Bulldogs to team titles at both. Shot 2-over 144 to T-15 in Class 1A state tournament.Had 3-over 145 to finish sixth in Class 2A state tournament. Took sixth at region and won district tournament.All-News4JAX girls golfer of the year. Class 3A individual state champ after shooting 5-under 137 to win by four shots. Had 3-under 69 to finish runner-up at both district and region by a stroke. Three-time All-News4JAX selection . Has committed to Indiana.Had a 4-over 76 for T-4 at district. Fired even-par 72 for fourth at region. Shot an 11-over 153 for T-40 at Class 1A state tournament.Carded 7-over 149 to finish T-9 in Class 2A state tournament. Won region and district with 5-under 67s. Two-time All-News4JAX selection .Region champ with 4-under 68 and fifth at district tournament with 2-over 73. Had 11-over 152 for T-23 in Class 3A state meet. Scoring average per nine holes was 36.5.Finished T-20 in Class 3A state tournament with 9-over 151. District champ and third at region .Justin Barney joined News4Jax in February 2019, but he’s been covering sports on the First Coast for more than 20 years.Jacksonville doctor urges surgeons to help cure preventable blindness for freeQuestion still remain as to what caused deck collapse that injured multiple peopleVarsity 4 All-News4JAX boys cross country: Providence's Sean Cunningham leads the team$100K Walmart partnership will help Jared Bridegan’s widow add ‘Bexley Boxes’ across FloridaSmoke billowing from Maxwell House plant sparks call to JFRD4 JFRD employees arrested, accused of shooting paintballs at JSO car, I-95 sign during ‘prank war’Major national award for Mandarin sophomore receiver Brysen WrightWaycross residents smelling mysterious stench for days, what is it?Lawyer talks 1st Amendment implications of video with conservative activist at St. Augustine protestBryceville residents given some relief in dealing with construction on County Road 1211 year after 4 inches of snow blanketed Waycross, another winter storm is heading for GeorgiaCFO says Nassau County exceeded budget by $53 million
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