- December 4, 2025
Flagler Palm Coast senior Sophia Stiwich (pronounced Stivick) says every golfer should try giving up the game for two years. It’s worked for her.
Stiwich — who was possibly the best high school freshman golfer in two states in 2022-2023 — picked up her clubs for the first time in two years just before the current high school season. And, she says, her game is better than it’s ever been.
Certainly, that was the case on Tuesday, Sept. 16, when she shot an FPC nine-hole school record 30 in the Bulldogs’ win over Menendez at St. Augustine Shores Golf Club. She shot 6-under-par with seven birdies, one bogey and one par. And afterward, she was thinking about how close she came to a 29.
She started on the second hole and birdied Nos. 2 and 3 before running into a little trouble on the par-5, No. 4 for her only bogey in the round.
“I tried to go after the green on my second shot and I ended up just short,” she said. “On my chip, I just read the way the green was wrong. I ended up hitting over the green. My putt back for 4 was pretty lengthy and had some turns to it, so I left it about 10 feet past the hole. I missed the 10-footer for par and tapped in for bogey.”
On the next hole, a par-3, her drive was far left of the green. A problem? Not at all. She chipped in from 40 yards for birdie. From there it was smooth sailing.
Stiwich grew up in North Port, in Southwest Florida, with a golf club in her hand. She began playing when she was 4, because her older brother played golf and she wanted to be better than him. He went on to play hockey. She stuck with golf. Stiwich hits a golf ball 300 yards and has a pretty good short game too.
“She’s a really good putter. She has a great feel around the green, chipping and putting,” FPC girls golf coach Patrick Kleinfelder said.
As a freshman at Lemon Bay High School in 2022, she tied for sixth in the Class 2A state championship with a 71-77—148, eight strokes behind state champion Alexandra Gazzoli of Matanzas and four strokes behind Seabreeze's Amelia Cobb, who tied for third.
After the season, Stiwich’s parents moved to Colorado where the girls golf season is in the spring. So, she got the opportunity to compete for another state title as a freshman. She tied with Brenna Higgins at 143 after two rounds of the Colorado Class 5A championship. Stiwich missed her par putt from the fringe on No. 18 by an inch. On the playoff on the same hole, she hit her tee shot out of bounds, tearing the meniscus in her knee.
“I was able to drive the green in the original round, so I thought I could do that again, and I ended up pushing too hard with my body,” she said.
She tried again and hit out of bounds a second time and conceded as Higgins played it safe with a shot down the middle of the fairway.
Placing sixth in the state championships in Florida and second in the state championships in Colorado — both during her freshman season — is quite a feat. But it wasn’t enough to motivate her to keep playing.
She didn’t play any golf at all over the next two years.
“I lost the spark, the motivation,” she said. “And it really was too cold in Colorado, too many snow days. Playing on the mats just was not worth it at all.”
Before her senior year, Stiwich's parents decided to move back to Florida, choosing Palm Coast, where they used to vacation. Sophia said she decided about a week before the high school season to play golf again, partially to honor her grandfather who died in 2024.
My grandfather drove me to camps and tournaments and practices. He always pushed me to be better, but he was never harsh about it. He had this delicate way of motivating me to make me want to do better.
— SOPHIA STIWICH
“His biggest passion was to see me play golf,” she said. “So I decided to play again to honor him and to make my mother proud. My grandfather drove me to camps and tournaments and practices. He always pushed me to be better, but he was never harsh about it. He had this delicate way of motivating me to make me want to do better.
“And now I have some unfinished business,” she added. “I got a state championship to win. That’s definitely my main focus.”
Stiwich, who plans to graduate in December, currently has a 34.5 nine-hole average. She is loving everything about the season, especially her team.
“I love the girls. They're amazing to be around. They're so encouraging,” she said. “And I love the coach. He’s been the best for my mental (game). He put a smile on my face and got my mind to reset (after the bogey during her record-breaking round of 30).”
“I know it’s a cliche,” Kleinfelder said. “But Sophia is a great player, but an even better teammate. She’s absolutely fabulous to have on the team.”
And she’s having the time of her life.
“I think everyone should try to take two years off,” she said. “You'll come back to do so much better. This is the best golf I've ever played since I started.”
