By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
LOS FRESNOS — Los Fresnos golfer Briana Garza was introduced to the game of golf by her grandfather, Juan Aguilar, as a toddler.
Maybe he knew best.
Years later, he was on hand to congratulate his granddaughter as she took the next step in her golf career. Garza made it official and signed her letter of intent to play golf for the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley during a ceremony Wednesday at Los Fresnos High School.
“I just got her the clubs … she’s done the rest,” Aguilar said.
Garza expressed gratitude toward her grandfather for showing her what has now become a passion. She also confirmed that he did more than just provide her her first set of clubs.
“He took them to the pro shop and made them perfect for me,” she said. “He took me to the course and we played for fun and it turned out to be something.”
Garza started to play competitively at the age of 7, and went on to win tournament after tournament. It continued through middle school where she won every tournament she played.
“I started shooting scores I never thought I’d be able to shoot,” Garza said. “I’m doing something I never thought I could do. When high school came along, I was the girl to watch. It put a lot of pressure on me, but it taught me that I need to prove to them that I’m capable of doing so much.
“I’m proving again I can take it to the next level.”
Garza is the top player on the Los Fresnos girls golf team and is fifth in the Valley with a scoring average of 77.33.
Los Fresnos coach Luis Gonzalez has coached Garza on the course since she was a freshman.
“She already had some wonderful skills,” he said of Garza as a freshman player. “She was getting better and better and once she turned that corner, she blew past everybody.”
Gonzalez has seen Garza develop into a top golfer because of her dedication to her craft.
“If there was a shot that was giving her problems, she was going to be out there working on it,” Gonzalez said. “It was a constant work ethic I knew that this girl could turn into a wonderful player.”
Garza received a near full athletic scholarship to play golf at UTRGV and plans to study fashion merchandising. She felt a comfortable with the team and the coach and knew she had found where she was supposed to be.
Gonzalez said Garza is still receiving offers from other schools, but is happy with her choice. The Falcons’ coach gets to enjoy the rest of Garza’s senior season before she moves on to the next level, but he’s happy she won’t be far away.
“It’s close to home and we’ll all be here to encourage her, we’ll be here to support her,” Gonzalez added. “We’ll be there for her.”
After making her signing official, Garza reflected on what golf has taught her since her grandfather put a club in her hands.
“Golf has been in my life for 14 years,” she said. “I’ve been playing this for so long, it’s something I’ve depended on. It taught me a lot of life skills … how to grow up and not to be someone who gets mad over the little things or little shots (on the course).”
Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter, he’s @andrewmcrum.