She shot a 61 and won the Fort Worth Girls Junior Championship for a third time in four years
Nearly a decade ago, a young Trinity King found her passion at a Dick’s Sporting Goods.
A set of pink golf clubs caught her eye.
“I wanted to try golf,” said King, who was seven or eight at the time.
Now entering her senior year at Arlington Martin, King is one of the top golfers in the state.
“I’ve stuck with it because it was challenging,” she said. “I would love going to the driving range with my dad and once I played on my first course and all the other components came together – I feel in love with golf. I got my first medal and was completely hooked.”
King is coming off a win at the Fort Worth Girls Junior Golf Championship, which took place from July 9-12. It was her third title at the event in four years.
She capped off the title Thursday at The Colonial while shooting a 12-under for the tournament and winning by 20 strokes.
“I have a lot of confidence here,” King said. “I love playing in Fort Worth and in my hometown, in front of my family. They support me and that helps me the most.
“Teeing it up at The Colonial was very special. We got to take photos with the Wall of Champions behind us. It was fun to see the course behind the scenes.”
Winning by 20 strokes is a large margin, but she won by 23 strokes in 2017.
“I knew there would be competition and players out there that wanted to beat me,” King said. “I just wanted to go out there and play my game, and I didn’t let it affect my friendships off the course. I’m very level headed and humble.”
While King has many accomplishments on the course, her biggest may be off it when she committed to TCU during March 2017.
However, TCU wasn’t even on her radar when she started recruitment.
“I wanted to attend a school out of state, but I suddenly realized I loved how we do things in Texas,” King said.
Her first visit to TCU was during a football game and she loved the atmosphere.
“It wowed me and I wanted to go back and see what else it had to offer,” she said. “I toured the campus during the school year and attended some classes with the team, and it was easier talking to the coaches than any other coach. It felt very natural and I fell in love with the school more and more. The Fort Worth community surrounding TCU was a big factor for me.”
King will begin her senior year at Martin next month and has big goals in the spring. She wants the Warriors to go to the UIL 6A golf state tournament as a team and wants to win an individual title.
She won the District 4-6A title this season and came in second at the regional tourney. King finished tied for seventh at state after shooting a two-day total 143. She was eight strokes off the lead, three behind bronze.
King also said she wants to win the FW Junior Championship for a fourth time in five years.
Learn more about Trinity King
How many years playing: 11
Favorite male golfer: Aaron Wise
Why: “I played with Aaron during The Colonial pro-am. It was awesome just to understand the course and to find some new shots to hit. It was a new look at the game based on his experience.”
Favorite female golfer: Lexi Thompson
Why: “Lexi is a big role model for me. She’s young and has made it on the tour. She’s still playing phenomenally.”
Last Eagle: Ridglea Country Club during the FW Junior Championships (Round 2)
Any hole-in-ones: One. Two years ago in California
Lowest round: 61 (Round 1 of FWJC)
Best part of your game?
“I’m most confident in my driver. When I step on the tee, I know I can put myself in good place on the fairway.”
Major: Entrepreneur Management
Plans after college?
“I want to continue playing golf on the tour, reach No. 1 and have my own junior golf academy.”
This story was originally published July 17, 2018 at 10:28 AM.