- December 13, 2025
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There was no tee box to swing from when Taryn Nguyen first picked up a club.
Greens were nowhere to be found. Bunkers were imaginary obstacles.
Her introductory arena proved to be the front yard of her grandparents’ Bradenton home. That didn’t turn out so well for nearby residents.
“My grandfather (Kerry Leitch) got me these birdie balls (limited flight practice balls) to hit,” Nguyen said. “I would hit in the yard, but when I started hitting my neighbor's house, he started letting me go to the golf course.”
At 3 years old, she quickly became inseparable from the sport. By the time she was 4, Leitch reckoned she was ready for lessons, starting out at The River Club.
While golf is among her many childhood memories, it has endured more than the others. This sport is her past, present and future.
Nguyen will conclude her high school career with the Braden River High girls’ golf team Nov. 18 at the FHSAA Class 2A state championship, held at the Mission Resort and Club. She’s committed to NJCAA Division I’s Daytona State College, the 11-time national champion in women’s golf.
The senior, whose best finish at the state tournament is tied for 12th in 2023, is a four-time individual champion of District 2A-12, having completed the wire-to-wire feat Oct. 27. Despite an off day at the regional tournament — by her high standards — Nguyen tied for 12th and will compete at the state tournament for the fourth time.
“I take every tournament as it comes,” Nguyen said. “Thinking about the little techniques and trusting my swing when I get to the golf course is what, I think, gets me very consistent.”
She was named Girls Golfer of the Year at the 2023-24 Sarasota-Manatee High School Sports Awards. Last season, she finished T-14th statewide after taking top honors in region 2A-3.
None of that surprised Leitch, a retired world and Olympic figure skating coach, who always knew she had a “natural swing.” Back when he could play, he frequented the course himself on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Nguyen was around his house regularly as a child, and as her obsession with the game grew, he was a tireless advocate. No other family member of hers shared his genuine interest in the sport.
Getting into golf early, though, didn’t prepare Nguyen for the environment of a high school team. Support system aside, her competitive journey leading up to freshman year had only ever been individual — just her, a club and the ball.
Nerves troubled Nguyen as a newcomer. But James Straub, the Braden River girls’ golf and boys’ tennis coach, happily welcomed her in and took notice of what she brought to the table.
“Extremely talented for somebody who was a freshman. The most talented freshman that I had seen, probably in either sport,” Straub said. “And she always had a very positive mental attitude. She was always willing to accept input.”
Success followed suit.
Nguyen won her first-ever postseason tournament as a high schooler, shooting 80 (+8) at River Wilderness Country Club in Parrish for the 2022 district 2A-12 championship. She beat out two juniors who came in second and third, and handily so, with a six-stroke margin of victory.
There was obvious talent in her drives, chips and putts, but what opponents didn’t see was how she learned to cherish the team atmosphere. Straub still hasn’t forgotten the sounds of Nguyen and her teammates belting out tunes at the top of their lungs during practice.
With freshman jitters faded away, her concerns in more recent years have often centered around the mental side of the game. That can feel like waging war, at times, for young golfers.
A few inches can mean the difference between making par or carding a costly double-bogey.
“Whenever I (have) had a bad hole, sometimes it just messes with my mental (state),” Nguyen said. “I get a little bit more into myself, like I'm sad. I also get angry. But it’s more like I get upset with myself, ‘Why did you do this? Why did you do that?’”
Private coach Jon Bullas — a Florida Atlantic men’s golf alumnus — has been instrumental in helping Nguyen win that ongoing battle. He’s been through those hoops before, and has offered relatability in that regard ever since they started working together four years ago.
Their collaboration has improved Nguyen’s distance on every club. Once hitting around 200 yards with her driver as a freshman, she’s now sending the ball 230 or 240 at best. She used to work on hitting the ball 15 feet or just reaching the green with her irons, but now, she’s going for the pin whenever possible.
Her placement at states jumped from T-39th in 2022 to T-12th in 2023. She’ll be eyeing her first top-10 finish at the statewide level on Nov. 18 in her last-ever high school match.
Straub, whose expertise lies more in tennis than in golf, has often looked to Nguyen for assistance. Wherever his coaching has fallen short, he’s looked to her to fill in the gaps.
“But she would do it even if I didn't ask her to do it. She was just always willing to get along with everybody else, regardless of their level,” Straub said. “They could be just a beginner and she was still standing there trying to make some suggestions to help out her teammates.”
He can’t recall any past Pirate who won the district title four years in a row. He doesn’t know if there’s anyone from another program in district 2A-12 who’s done it before.
Consistency, though, transcends her performance. Whether it was Year 1 with Braden River, her final season now or even those beginner lessons inspired by Leitch, there's been one true constant.
She is forever enamored with the sensations of the sport.
“I just love the feeling of hitting a good, striking ball and making a good putt,” Nguyen said. “It just feels amazing."
