Eight-year-old Briel Royce will be participating in the Regional Drive, Chip and Putt at TPC Sawgrass, an incredibly competitive golf championship. It’s held in September at the Augusta National Golf Club the Sunday before the Masters Tournament and is broadcast live by the Golf Channel. Briel will be the first from the Nonahood to participate in this prestigious tournament.

The road to the tournament has been packed with a variety of events in order to qualify for the competition, including the Grand Cyprus, where Briel earned second place. That  qualified her for sub-regional, where she also earned second place out of all the kids in the 7-9 age range of the competition.

Briel has only been golfing seriously since July 2016. But her interest in golf has been present since she was 5, watching the Golf Channel with her dad and wanting to be like the pros that she saw on television. “They hit the driver really far,” said Briel, recalling the experience. Briel’s favorite memory so far in her golfing experience is when she got her first set of golf clubs in January and went on to earn first place in her very first tournament at Ventura Country Club. She hasn’t put the clubs down since she first started and is showing no signs of slowing down.

Briel has had a vast array of experiences in golf, including teeing off only to drive the ball 175 yards, right up to the pin, and getting a hole in one at locals on a chip. It is these actions that earn Briel points, which determine her score for the championship. If Briel performs well at the Drive, Chip and Putt, she will get to go to The Masters, the most well known and recognized of the golfing championships, and get to be interviewed by the Golf Channel.

Not only is Briel an incredible golfer, but she also takes interest in competitive gymnastics, karate, and Girl Scouts, with some roller skating mixed in here and there. Soon, she will also be camping at NASA. Though she explores a variety of passions, her heart lies with golf. She hopes to one day become a professional golfer like those she admires in the field, such as Lydia Ko, whom she got to meet at Reunion Resort while Briel was competing at Nationals.

After the championship, Briel is hoping to participate again next year as well as take part in some local tournaments to earn some more titles for her accomplishments. Briel says she feels both “amazing and excited” for the Drive, Chip and Putt and is hoping to come home with a trophy with her name on it since the championship will be Briel’s first competition to mail her a personalized trophy with her name cut into the plaque.

We wish Briel all the best of luck with the Drive, Chip, and Putt and cannot wait to hear about her achievements!