As the sun sets over the golf range, Coppell senior golfer Riya Bapna takes her final swing of the night, finishing her six-hour summer practice. 

“I remember being bored one day and I was like ‘let me go try golf,’ so I started practicing hard  and I started to get good,” Bapna said. “I started to like it, so my dad had stopped forcing me, and it was just fully on me.”

While joining the team was a different environment, she learned what it was like to be on a team. 

“In middle school, I used to compete by myself because golf is an individual sport and the high school aspect is different from what I was used to,” Bapna said. “I was not very sure about joining the team, but I’m really glad I did because it also helps prepare me for college golf.”

Bapna sometimes struggled with the downsides coming with pursuing a sport. 

“It’s a love-hate relationship because there’s a lot of ups and downs and there’s a lot of no-fun times and it can be hard to deal with,” Bapna said. “It’s a lot of strain on the mental game but I like it.” 

Her journey in joining high school golf paid off when she won her first individual award in her sophomore year. 

“I was really proud of myself because I beat a lot of really good players, especially in the 6A Texas high school girls golf division,” Bapna said.

The unified girls gold team won the UIL Class 6A State Tournament. 

“I remember making the first team all-state honors, it was a special moment to win state, especially since it’s never been done before at Coppell,” Bapna said. 

When Coppell girls golf coach Gary Beyer met Bapna for the first time, her qualities caught Beyer’s attention. 

“
She had good self confidence, and I could see just by watching her that she had a gift for golf,” Beyer said. “She is a really grounded individual. She’s very open and friendly. She’s proven to be a very good leader and good teammate.” 


Golf has given her skills she will carry into the next phase of her life.  

“It’s taught me how to be disciplined, when practicing by myself now, and it’s taught me how to have patience,” Bapna said. “You have to be super in control of your emotions even when things don’t go your way and it’s made my mental side a little bit stronger and challenged me a lot. In golf, I feel like I can always learn and always grow.” 

Bapna signed to Boston College to continue playing golf while pursuing a degree in business.

“I hope to leave a legacy on this program that the next golfers that come after me will look up to and try to do better than what I accomplished,” Bapna said.

As Bapna continues her education and golf, she has the skills and passion to pursue what she wants.   

“She’s very bright and she’s driven to succeed in life as well as on the golf course,” Beyer said. “She will go as far as she wants to go because there’s no ceiling on how far Riya will go.”

Bapna serves as one of Beyer’s teacher aids.

“I’ll just miss her coming in and talking to me before or during school. We just talk about stuff, we might not talk about golf at all,” Beyer said. “I will miss Riya’s personality more than I miss Riya’s golf, which I think is a testament to how good of a kid and how mature she has gotten over the last four years.”

Her main support system stems from the people who started it all: her parents.  

“My dad spends the whole day planning out my tournaments, tournament schedule and my summer schedule, I don’t ask him to do that; He willingly does that,” Bapna said. “He drives us to practice every day, he pays for all our memberships and he advises on whatever I need whenever I need it.” 

Bapna’s father, Rahul Bapna, saw her growth.

“Riya has really stepped up and taken charge of her golf game,” Mr. Bapna said. “She’s very driven and dedicated, she doesn’t even need us to push her anymore.”

Their support does not go unnoticed by Riya, and allows her to achieve everything she has and credits her parents for her success.  

“My mom is always supporting me a lot on the mental side and her support means everything,” Riya said. “My mom always keeps me in check and doesn’t let me get too far ahead of myself.”

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