Sofia Rivera of St. Augustine makes her second start this summer in a USGA national event when she plays in the U.S. Junior Girls July 13-18 at the Old Chatham Golf Club in Durham, N.C.
Rivera, who became the youngest player in First Coast history to play in a U.S Open in June, will tee off No. 1 at Old Chatham on July 13 in the first round at 7:40 a.m. and off No. 10 on July 14 at 12:55 p.m. She will be trying to finish among the top 64 in 36 holes of stroke play to qualify for match play, beginning July 15.
Riviera is playing with Anna Bell of Poplar Bluff, Mo., who is coming off two American Junior Golf Association victories this summer, and Adrielle Miller of McKinney, Texas, who finished second and tied for second in her last two AJGA starts.
Rivera, the 2025 Times-Union girls high school player of the year after winning the Class 3A state individual title at Beachside, is and a verbal commit to Indiana. She won a U.S. Open qualifier in New Smyrna Beach and then shot 75-74―149 at the Riviera Country Club to miss the cut by two shots.
This will be her third USGA national tournament. Riviera played with Sahana Chokshi of Jacksonville in the 2025 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball and the duo missed the cut for match play by one shot.
Junior Players deadline nears
The deadline to get into the Junior Players Championship, Sept. 3-6, through the American Junior Golf Association Rolex Rankings is only days away.
Players who are among the top 58 as of July 14 are eligible for the tournament at the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass. As of July 10, only three area players were eligible: No. 1-ranked Miles Russell of Jacksonville Beach, the defending champion, No. 41 Cameron Kuchar of St. Simons Island, Ga., and No. 48 Lucas Gimenez of Jacksonville.
Russell won’t play because he’s on the U.S. Walker Cup team, which plays Great Britain/Ireland Sept. 5-6 at the Lahinch Golf Club in Ireland.
The next highest-ranked area player is Ambrose Kinnare of St. Augustine at No. 81, followed by Charlie Hipp of St. Johns at No. 105. Neither was entered in AJGA events this week.
Also outside looking in is Charlie Woods, who tied for 33rd in last year’s Junior Players and made a hole-in-one at No. 3 during the final round. Woods’ AJGA ranking has dropped to 167th.
Players could move up from outside the top 58 if players ahead of them on the rankings decline to play. The AJGA can also allocate tournament spots “to local supporters who help the AJGA conduct each event. Providing these spots to talented junior golfers is a means for the AJGA to show appreciation for the efforts and support of our extended team.”
Deerwood short course opens
The Deerwood Country Club will unveil its short course, “The Approach,” on July 11 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The course is the first phase of a renovation overseen by architect Erik Larsen, with the earth-moving by MacCurrach Golf Construction.
The short course has three greens and six tees, with shots between 50 and 90 yards.
The renovation work will begin in October, with changes such as a Biarritz green at the par-3 12th hole, a double green shared with that hole by No. 14, and changing No. 10 to a par-5 wrapping around the water.
There will also be extensive work on drainage, irrigation and grassing. The course, a George Cobb design, opened in 1960 as the First Coast’s first gate golf-course community, and hosted the Greater Jacksonville Open three times, the last in 1976.
Larsen has designed more than 100 golf courses in his 40-year career, including the Atlantic Beach Country Club and a renovation of the St. Johns Golf Club. He also worked with Arnold Palmer Design from 1983-2011 on projects such as the Sawgrass Country Club, Hidden Hills and Bay Hill.
San Jose pro Todd Bork to retire
The San Jose Country Club announced the retirement of director of golf Todd Bork after 26 years. Bork will stay on until his replacement is hired and then assist in the transition.
Bork, who was inducted into the North Florida PGA Hall of Fame in 2024, earned his PGA Class A certification in 1988.
Nolan Harper to become a Demon Deacon
Beachside High graduate Nolan Harper is transferring to Wake Forest after helping Florida Gulf Coast win the ASUN title last spring. Harper was also the ASUN freshman of the year in 2025. … Junior golfer Dean Raider of Ponte Vedra Beach made an albatross (a 2 on a par-5 hole) at the TPC Sawgrass Dye’s Valley Course on June 22. After a 285-yard drive into the fairway, he used a utility club from 235 yards out, with the ball taking a high bounce onto the green and into the hole. … Jack Nelson of the First Tee-North Florida will be among 80 junior players in the field for the Pure Insurance Open, a PGA Tour Champions event Sept. 18-20 at the Pebble Beach Golf Links. First Tee members play with Champions Tour players the first two rounds, with a cut to the low 23 pro-junior teams for the final round. … Mac Harris of Timuquana and Dominic Barron Holden of Hammock Beach shot 11-under 60 at the St. Johns Golf Club to win the Northern Chapter Pro-Pro on June 29 by four shots over Matthew Sheehan of the St. Johns Golf and Country Club and Angela Sheehan of Hammock Dunes.
Information from the North Florida Golf News was used in this report.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Sofia Rivera begins another national championship quest at U.S. Junior Girls
