2024 BCR Girls Golfer of the Year: Reese Reviglio finds golf ‘something new and fun’

Reese Reviglio was looking for something new to try.

The Princeton junior played volleyball as a freshman, but it was not good on her knees, she said.

She talked to her friend, Addie Carr, now a Princeton senior, who switched over from volleyball to golf her sophomore year and loved it.

Reviglio also had some aunts, who are “big on golf,” persuade her to pick up the game.

“I went to Georgia and my aunts (Julie and Amy) taught me how to swing,” she said.

It was a good decision.

In her second season on the links this year, Reviglio knocked 4.7 strokes off her average for an area-best 51. She advanced to sectionals as the fourth individual qualifier at the Class 1A Seneca Regional.

For all of her accomplishments this season, Reviglio is the 2024 BCR Female Golfer of the Year.

“I’m really glad I did it,” she said. “It was something new and fun to try. Yeah, I want to do good, but I’m just here to have fun and make new friends.”

Reviglio said she surprised herself how well she played this year.

“I think when I started (last year), I thought, ‘Oh this is going to be so bad.’ Then this year, I went to sectionals,” she said. “I made it out. I didn’t think it was going to happen. Not after last year.”

PHS girls golf coach Gary Passmore said Reviglio worked a lot on improving her game.

“The credit goes to her determination to be the best player she can be,” he said. “I think her drive, her commitment and everything about her game changed the moment she realized that she can play it and play at a high level.

“Her consistency from round to round was really great. We knew we could get a mid-50s round from her pretty easily. She peaked at just the right time going into postseason. Strokes were coming off and she was pretty well locked in knowing that post (season) was there and she needed to compete.”

PHS head golf coach Brandon Crawford said Reviglio’s improvement was natural.

“They get that jump (in average) when they find consistency and when they get the excitement to go play,” he said.

While improving her skills, Reviglio also gained a better grip on handling her emotions on the golf course.

“The biggest improvement that Reese showed wasn’t necessarily in strokes taken off, but just in the way she maintained composure. Her mental side was much more complete than it was last year,” Crawford said.

“Her overall mindset was to really think her way through the round, rather than letting shots get away,” Passmore said. “Once they did, she was able to rebound pretty well and maintain that focus until the end of the round to finish as low as she possibly could even when her round wasn’t going her way.”

Reviglio, a pitcher in softball, considers herself a softball player who plays golf. That softball swing has helped her tee ‘em up on the golf course, Crawford said.

“One of her strengths she gets is from softball,” Crawford said. “When girls can generate speed, they can hit a ball. In girls golf, if you have length, you’re intimidating. Length to length she was with some of the longest hitters around when it goes where she wants it to.”

For an encore next season, Reviglio wants to go to state. To make that happen, she said, it’s going to take a lot of practice, especially on her short game.

Crawford was quick to chime in, “Putt better.”

“Not 3 putt,” Reviglio said.

Passmore said it’s a matter of her trusting her her game around the green more like she does off the tee.