As Lucia Romero walked onto the hallowed grounds of Augusta National Golf Club for the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals, she could not help but feel that everything in her young life had led to this very moment.

Born in Coral Springs, Fla., Lucia moved with her family to their native Colombia shortly thereafter. Despite leaving a state rich in golf history, she still found her way to the game, picking it up at four years old, thanks to her grandfather. With the support of her parents, Lucia began practicing three to four times a week at their local country club, and by the age of six, golf had become just as important to her daily routine as a good night’s rest.

This routine would soon get the shake-up of a lifetime, however, as Lucia’s parents got new jobs and moved the family back to South Florida.

Knowing how devastated their daughter was to lose a place as special to her as their country club, Lucia’s parents sought out a new club where she could play and practice. But even though there were countless options available, none of them offered the community Lucia needed to grow as both a golfer and a person. That is until her family discovered the Miami chapter of LPGA*USGA Girls Golf.

Dating back to 1989, this global program has introduced more than one million girls to the game through on- and off-course activities centered around what the organization refers to as their “The Five Es” (Empower, Engage, Enrich, Energize and Exercise). Girls Golf is about much more than just learning the game, though. It also provides a safe space where girls can grow into better versions of themselves.

For Lucia, Girls Golf not only offered a strong foundation to grow as a player but it gave her a support system unlike any other, one that has already propelled her to chase her “Little Girl, BIG Dream” of playing golf all across the world.

“Girls Golf has become like family to me,” Lucia explained. “I’ve made so many friends there, and you can just tell that everyone is there for you. Even though we compete against each other in tournaments and other activities, and we all want to win, we still want each other to do good and be happy.”

And as it turned out, it didn’t take very long for Lucia to experience this camaraderie firsthand. Shortly after joining the program, she signed up for one of several tournaments the Miami chapter puts on each year, and for the first time in her life, she won.

“Winning that tournament remains my favorite Girls Golf memory all these years later,” Lucia said. “I remember they interviewed me after the win, which was a first, but it was so fun. The trophy was almost bigger than me too and I was just so happy and excited to win it.

“But what really stood out was how all the other girls celebrated me and made me feel so special to get the win. It really shows how much everyone cares about each other.”

Lucia Romero with trophies

Lucia’s love for the game grew exponentially from this moment, and she sought out every opportunity to play in tournaments and participate with Girls Golf. This included teaming up with her sister each weekend to help put on activities and clinics for the younger girls.

This naturally led to her choosing golf over other sports, which changed her practice schedule from a few times a week to every day. This decision paid dividends as both her chipping and putting improved, which led to lower scores and a newfound confidence when setting foot on the course.

Lucia rode this wave of momentum through Drive, Chip and Putt qualifying, eventually earning her a spot at the 2025 National Finals in the Girls 12-13 division at Augusta National Golf Club, home of The Masters Tournament. This monumental achievement wasn’t lost on Lucia, who jumped into her father’s arms after she advanced through qualifying.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Lucia said. “To know that I was going to compete in Augusta was just shocking. Looking back at how I was just a small golfer playing for fun, and now I’m gonna compete at such a historic place, it was hard to put into words. But at the same time, I worked so hard, and this showed how all that progress really paid off.”

Knowing that earning a spot in the National Finals was only half of her ultimate goal of winning it all, Lucia put together a plan of attack. It included upping her practice routine, watching past telecasts of the finals, and maybe most importantly, reaching out to a familiar face for help. That was none other than Alexandra Phung, a fellow Girls Golf of Miami member and 2023 Drive, Chip and Putt National Champion.

“She was so helpful and offered some great advice, which just shows how nice she is because we actually both qualified this year in the same age division,” Lucia said. “She told me the greens were really, really fast and to also analyze where to land the chip shot.”

Lucia was also told to do her best to manage the emotions that came with competing at one of the most famous courses in the world. This might have been the best advice of all, but it went out the window – rightfully so – upon getting to Augusta, Ga. The sheer magnitude of the event and all the fans in attendance only added to the pressure of playing at the iconic venue, and it ultimately resulted in an eighth-place finish.

Even though Lucia was disappointed in the result, it provided her with the opportunity to do something those fellow Girl Golfers did for her nearly six years ago – celebrate someone else’s victory. And that was because, for the second time in just three years, Alexandra won the National Finals, and Lucia was one of the first players to give her a hug and say congratulations.

Lucia Romero

This show of sportsmanship is a tentpole of Girls Golf and something that Lucia has witnessed time and time again in Miami. Girls supporting girls is a hallmark of the program and a key reason that participation continues to grow, with more than 100,000 members signing up each year.

For Lucia, everything is always about the bigger picture, one which she hopes involves more Colombian girls taking up the game and following in her footsteps to reach places like Augusta National and beyond.

“I think being Colombian makes me play better and want it more because there aren’t a lot of famous Colombian golfers,” Lucia explained. “That really influences me to want to do more in this game and to inspire other Colombian girls to give golf a try.”

This vision aligns perfectly with the One Million MORE Girls campaign, which is an effort by the LPGA Foundation to introduce the next million girls to golf by 2030.

If there’s anything Lucia has learned from her journey thus far, it’s that nothing will stand in the way of her dream to play golf all across the world. But for now, though, she is perfectly content spending her time each week with her friends from Girls Golf Miami.

One In A Million: The Lucia Romero Story

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