At one point, Kiira Riihijarvi considered moving out of her Division II accommodations. She only want a better practise facility in the end. The University of Tampa’s head coach Missey Jones fulfilled that request, and Riihijarvi stayed for five years, won 12 games, and received a master’s degree in entrepreneurship.
Jones assured her, “You can play Division II and be a professional. Many NFL players come out of little colleges.
The 25-year-old Riihijarvi quickly made Jones’ point. The Finnish golfer earned her LPGA card for 2023 by placing fourth on the money list in her maiden full season on the Epson Tour. In each of her last three starts, she finished in the top five and claimed one victory.
Riihijarvi told Golfweek, “I very much loved my experience in Division II. “I wasn’t the best player when I first attended college. I was able to compete, play, and keep improving because of it. I believe it to be an excellent choice that many people overlook.
As graduates of Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, Hollis Stacy and Peggy Kirk Bell—both members of the World Golf Hall of Fame—were early examples of Division II athletes earning a name for themselves. Jackie Stoelting of Florida Southern and Sandra Changkija of Nova Southeastern are more recent Division II athletes to make up to the LPGA.
In Oulu, Finland, there are two golf courses. At the age of nine, Riihijarvi began playing the game at a junior clinic at Virpiniemi Golf Club. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, she claimed, the game of golf has taken off in Finland. The golf season lasts roughly five months where Riihijarvi resides, in the country’s north.
She attended the Darlington School in Rome, Georgia because she wanted to play golf all year round. Paavo, Riihijarvi’s brother, accompanied her to Rome so they could play soccer. When Jones heard about Riihijarvi, she approached a friend who coached high school golf in Georgia to provide her with a scouting report because she had a Swedish player who attended Darlington.
