Let’s hear a golf clap for your athlete of the month, Daniel Rice. Daniel is a seventeen-year-old incoming-senior at Magnolia High School, where he is the top ranked golfer and MVP on the varsity golf team.

Daniel started playing golf at the age of six, and played competitively until the age of twelve. At that time, Daniel changed his focus to football, basketball, and select baseball. But the call of the green was strong, and in seventh grade, Daniel returned to the golf course, where he realized golf was his “true passion and future.”

Daniel’s favorite memory of golf was recently, in the spring of 2025, when he shot the course record 66 (five under par) at Margaritaville during the first round of District competition.  He would go on to win the district, and tie for third at regionals. As a team, Daniel and the other MHS golfers qualified for state in their very first year in the 6A classification. After the season, Daniel was awarded all-district team and all-region team honors. Additionally, he competed in the Byron Nelson Jr. Championship in early June. Of course, no golf memory is complete without that one special shot; while playing in the US Junior Amateur qualifying tournament, Daniel shot 67 (three under par) while recording his first-ever hole-in-one. Then, in mid June Daniel had to qualify shooting 3 under par just to qualify for Patrick Reeds AJGA Jr Invitational. Daniel tied for 3rd place at 6 under par to earn fully exempt status for future AJGA Tournaments. Daniel was offered a Golf/Academic Scholarship to play D1 Golf in the Fall of 2026 at Houston Christian University. He accepted!!!

Discipline is essential to balance schoolwork and sports commitments, Daniel says. “I go straight to the golf course after school. I practice for up to four hours, eat dinner, shower, and then study,” he states. It’s a full schedule, but in the pursuit of something great. From golf, Daniel says he has learned important life lessons, like the value of patience and how to perform under pressure. He says he’s also learned how to help and encourage his teammates to work hard and strive to get better.

For his success, Daniel credits three people in particular. “Both my personal swing coach, Tom Martty, and my high school head coach, Riley Isaac, have played key roles in helping me develop into the player that I have become. And especially, my mom; without her, I wouldn’t be the golfer I am.”

In the future, Daniel plans on playing golf collegiately, and is hoping to make a career on the golf course, whether that’s playing or coaching the next generation of young golfers. If he could offer any advice to other aspiring young athletes in the neighborhood, he would say: “Hard work and determination pay off. Enjoy the process and find others who strive to get better, just like yourself.” The great Tiger Woods said, “You owe it to yourself to be the best you can be.” No matter the conditions, no matter the adversity, no matter the pressure, Daniel Rice is going to face them head-on, and be the best he can be.