The top-ranked amateur golfer in the world, Kiara Romero is many things.
A two-time first team All-American, the fourth in Oregon history. The Big Ten women’s golfer of the year. The youngest of three siblings, all collegiate golfers. A dog lover, who has grown to appreciate fishing and the outdoors more over her two years at UO.
What she’s not though, is a dancer.
“Never been my thing,” Romero said.
For all of her accomplishments on the links, Romero’s background is somewhat misrepresented. Her Wikipedia page contains several inaccuracies, all cited from a source story that has no basis in reality.
She’s born and raised in San Jose, not New York. She has zero background in dance, contrary to the claim that she trained at a ballet school in jazz and contemporary dancing.
“That is not in the genetic pool is ballet dancing,” said her father, Rick. “Trust me.”
Nor is her family from the Dominican Republic. Her father is half Spanish and her mother, Maricel, is Filipino.
They raised each of their children without electronics for many years. Kiara didn’t have a phone until she was 15.
“We made them go entertain themselves,” Rick Romero said.
Eventually, their grandparents bought a starter set of golf clubs for older siblings Kaleiya and Kyreece. Kiara was only five at the time and one afternoon, wearing UGG boots and a furry jacket, she picked up a club for the first time.
“She was a little diva at five years old,” Rick Romero said. “First time she picked up a club she had this natural golf swing, blasting the ball down the fairway.”
Two years later, Kiara won her first tournament.
For years, the siblings made daily trips to nearby Santa Teresa golf course to shoot the par 3 course.
“It was cheaper to go play nine holes than sit on the range and hit balls,” Kiara said.
At 12, Kiara entered a 16 and under AJGA tournament in Georgia that had significant stakes. If she finished in the top five, Rick promised Kiara she could have a dog. She made the top five by one stroke.
“That was the one big tournament where I tried my hardest to play the best I could,” Kiara said.
Kona, a Belgian Malinois, has been with the family for the six years since.
As the oldest sibling, Kaleiya was the first to begin home schooling once pursuing competitive golf tournaments made a traditional school schedule unfeasible. She went on to play at Pepperdine.
Kyreece followed, as did Kiara, who completed high school in three years. Though she’s two years younger, they arrived at UO at the same time.
Rick Romero said the starter set of clubs from his parents, Lonnie and Cathy, has “definitely saved us some tuition money.”
Entering her third year of college, Kiara is vying to complete the process of earning enough points in the LPGA Elite Amateur Pathway to earn her way onto the professional tour.
Doing so will require more wins, which she has a lot of already.
Romero holds Oregon’s single-season record for scoring average (69.91), shot the lowest round in program history (10-under 62) at the NCAA Gold Canyon Regional, which she also won individually, and tied for eighth at the NCAA Championships. She also shot the lowest final round by an amateur in U.S. Women’s Open history (5-under 67) this summer.
While golf continues to be a major part of her life, Kiara has found more meaning since getting to college.
“Golf isn’t my whole life and I think I learned that the most coming to college,” she said. “If I were to go pro right out of high school I don’t think I would have learned that; I think golf would have been my entire life.
“Winning doesn’t come from being perfect but from putting the small pieces together and keeping a good confidence and some hard work to back it up.”
