Darter reaches the top of 4A Golf
Freshman golfer Rylen Darter recalled her favorite moment from her memorable Class 4A state championship run as she embraced her father, Rustin Darter, with tears flowing after shooting a 71 on the tournament’s second day to clinch the title.
“It was definitely a moment that I loved and will never forget,” Rylen Darter said.
What made the moment even more meaningful was the journey behind it as Darter and her father had spent years working toward a state championship together. Darter first picked up a golf club at just 18 months old, and by the age of 6, the dream of winning a title started to take shape.
Darter, who burst onto the high school golf scene only eight months ago, climbed to the top of the Class 4A ranks as a freshman while collecting multiple tournament victories throughout the season leading up to the state championship. She reflected on the historic accomplishment and what it meant to her.
“I was really proud of myself, and me and my dad both cried at the end because it has been a dream ever since I stepped foot on the tee box in my first tournament,” Rylen Darter said. “I’m glad I was able to do it.”
According to Rustin Darter, his daughter has always been mature beyond her years, balancing the pressures of school, straight-A grades and everyday life while still finding time to spend multiple hours practicing on the golf course each day.
“It’s just a product of her hard work and years of dedication,” Rustin Darter said. “She spends two to three hours almost every day at the course after school. Between that and her classwork, she is constantly working her tail off. She has that Kobe Bryant mentality of, ‘We are out hitting balls while you are sleeping.’” Rylen Darter attends Legacy High School in Taylor, which allows her to work at her own pace academically while also earning college credit. The flexible schedule has also given her more opportunities to focus on golf and continue developing her game.
“Handling golf and school comes with challenges because you have to sacrifice time, but it’s almost fun in a way because I like a challenge,” Rylen Darter said. “I know I have to get my work done in class so I can have more time for golf in the afternoons.”
Even with all of her success on the course, Darter said the values she carries away from golf matter more to her than trophies or accolades.
“I pride myself on being a good person because I would rather be known as a good person than just a great golfer,” Rylen Darter said. “I also want to help middle schoolers who want to accomplish the same things I have.”
Taylor head golf coach Stephen Gibson spoke about the opportunity to coach Darter during her freshman season and emphasized the rare mentality she possesses at such a young age.
“It’s hard to believe she is a freshman because of her maturity,” Gibson said. “The word for her is ‘special.’ She is a special athlete and an even better person. She is the most humble kid you will ever meet and also one of the most helpful. There were times she would be out on the course with other golfers and offer a helping hand. You just don’t find that very often. She is different.”
Darter added that during difficult moments throughout the season, Gibson was someone who helped her stay positive and continue pushing forward, even if it was something as small as pulling a funny object out of his pocket to make her laugh.
“He had a huge role during my run,” Darter said. “A lot of times if I would get frustrated, him just walking on the fairway with me was all I really needed to calm me down and put a smile on my face when I needed it.”
Although one of Darter’s ultimate goals is to become a professional golfer, she also has interests away from the course, including writing and journalism. She especially enjoys writing short thriller stories that, according to Rustin Darter, can sometimes be a little dark.
“It’s really fascinating for me when I write,” Rylen Darter said. “I love writing thrillers. It’s one of the only things I’m really good at writing, but it would also be really cool to turn that into writing more news for small towns like this because I feel like I would really thrive in it. Maybe one day I’ll be writing for a newspaper like that.”
Despite the state championship victory, Darter is not slowing down anytime soon as she now turns her focus toward the Girls High School Golf National Invitational at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina on July 11-13.
The tournament will be played on a course that feels familiar to Darter after spending years competing in high-level events and preparing for moments like this.
“I am very excited because I also get to play with some of my friends,” Rylen Darter said. “I’m excited to go back to Pinehurst because it has been one of my favorite places to be during tournaments.”
