HARRISON, Ohio — Harrison sophomore Sophia Merrill stood on the driving range during practice Friday afternoon and smiled before hitting a ball off the tee.
“It's really fun,” Merrill said.
Sofia, 16, doesn't take practice swings. She drives, hits mid-length shots, chips and putts without hesitation — all in the same order. The driver is her favorite club.
“She just goes up, sees the ball and hits it,” Harrison girls golf coach Brian Carr said.
Sophia, a special needs student at Harrison High School, has been picking up a golf club since she received an adjustable Franklin driver for her first birthday. Two years later, she was practicing her swing on the carpet.
Afterwards, Sophia and her father, Jerry, took turns putting and chipping at the nearby Circling Hills Golf Course, illuminated by the truck's lights.
“We live up the hill here, so it's no problem for us to just come (to the course),” Jerry said. “I say, 'Sophie, do you want to try putting?' and she says, 'Oh yeah, let's go, Dad. Let's go.' That's what she loves to do.”
Sophia doesn't watch much TV, but she sometimes falls asleep watching the Golf Channel.
“When I think of Sophia, I think of golf,” Jerry says. “And it's just so amazing. She loves golf.”
Golf has been a constant presence for Sophia, helping her overcome cognitive and physical challenges — she underwent heart surgery as a toddler and used a feeding tube as an infant.
Now a high school golfer, Sophia battles health issues including congenital heart disease and epilepsy, which means she will wear a pacemaker for the rest of her life.
“She's a fighter,” Jerry said, “that's it. But she's happy. And if something's wrong, it doesn't make a difference. She just keeps going.”
Nothing stands in Sophia's way on the course: The Ohio High School Athletic Association granted her a waiver, allowing one of Harrison's two student council members to help her keep score and stay focused during varsity matches, which means everything to Sophia and her family.
“I think golf has given her confidence,” said Carr, who has been coach of the Harrison girls golf program for 22 years. “It's something that comes naturally to her, so I think she just feels natural and comfortable. Just being around other students and other student-athletes. She's part of a team, she's part of something bigger.”
So it's no surprise that Sophia wakes up thinking about golf every morning. She talks about golf at school.
Emily Holbert, an intervention specialist at Harrison, knows well that Merrill wants to be a golf pro or coach one day.
“She's honestly the happiest kid I've ever worked with,” Holbert said. “She's a great kid. She'll do anything you ask of her.”
Sophia enjoys being with her teammates and classmates, and her happiness is evident in her family.
“Despite her disabilities and everything, it makes me happy to see her happy,” said Sophia's mother, Crystal Merrill. “She has her own way of doing things. We're so proud of her and love watching her grow and progress. We think she's going to continue to get better and better.”
Sophia's progress was evident on Aug. 8, when she earned the team's best score at a tournament at Miami Whitewater Golf Course, the first time she'd played 18 holes on a regulation course.
“It's pure joy,” Kerr said. “It's hard to put into words because we've never had anyone with her personality before. She's all about golf. But she's all about the team. She's all about Harrison. She bleeds green and white. She's all about Harrison. And she loves it.”
That's why Sophia's already thinking about playing golf in college: She'd like to play close to home, with an assistant by her side. She's also known for being into the weather.
For now, she just wants to continue improving on the course and help Harrison throughout this season.
“I'm ready,” Sophia said.
Golf continues to be a gift for Sophia and her family year-round.
“Hopefully this will stay with her forever,” Jerry Merrill said. “She loves it so I think it will.”
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