Chase Taylor”s play this summer has put him in position to realize a goal.
Now he hopes an improved and more consistent golf game will help him compete with some of the nation”s top players.
Taylor, a rising senior at New Hope High School, will play this weekend in the United States Golf Association”s Junior Amateur Championship at the Gold Mountain Golf Club – Olympic course in Bremerton, Wash.
“I have been looking forward to it for the past couple of weeks,” said Taylor, who led New Hope to a Class 5A state title in May. “It is a really good opportunity. It will help me figure out where I stand in the leaderboards with everybody.”
The USGA Junior Amateur is considered the nation”s top event. In existence since 1948, it is open to male golfers who haven”t reached their 18th birthday before the close of competition and whose USGA handicap isn”t more than 6.4. It is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the USGA. Ten of those events are only for amateurs.
The field of 156 will play 36 holes to find the top 64 scorers. From there, players will advance to stroke and match play to determine a winner.
Taylor feels confident about his chances. He said he has been doing things a little more consistently and working out the “little notches” in his swing make me less consistent. He feels he is taking the sport a lot more seriously than he did several months ago, and he hopes to reap the rewards of that new attitude this weekend.
Tony Luczak, the director of Mississippi State”s Institute of Golf, will accompany Chase and his father, Robert, an assistant baseball coach at New Hope High. He will serve as Chase”s caddy.
“Our goal is to hit fairways and greens,” said Luczak, who has been working with Taylor for the past three weeks. “If he stays in the fairways and greens it won”t be an issue. Our first goal is to make it to the top 64 and make the cut. It is not a matter of coming in first or 64st, it is finishing somewhere in the top 64.”
Luczak is confident Taylor can accomplish that goal. He said he has been working to “tighten up” Taylor”s swing. He said it takes time to get any player to swing the same way every time. The fact that Taylor will be a senior at New Hope High later this year makes it even more challenging to accommodate for changes in his body.
But Luczak said Taylor has learned how to control the alignment of his club and his swing path when he goes from zero to 115 mph in half a second. He also feels Taylor has a better understanding of the game and can better implement instruction and make it work faster.
“He has gotten taller and stronger,” Luczak said. “All of the information we have been working on the last three and a half years is allowing him to be more consistent and powerful. I am hitting 290- to 295-yard drives. He is 30 yards ahead of me, and he is making it look easy. It is just phenomenal. … Chase is one who has taken the burden on himself to work that hard, and that is the reason why he is that successful.”
Luczak, who is from Michigan, hopes his knowledge of how the Northern grass plays will give Taylor an advantage over the other players.
Luczak will go to Washington prepared. He said he packed warm weather anticipating temperatures at night would go below 50 degrees. He also purchased two pairs of new shoes and did plenty of swimming and Pilates to make sure his back is ready for a lot of walking.
Taylor has stayed busy this month putting Luczak”s lessons into action. On Wednesday and Thursday, he played in the Coca-Cola Junior Tour”s Pros of Tomorrow event at the Tupelo Country Club. He shot 77 and 78, but he feels he has played consistently throughout the summer thanks to a practice regimen that has him hitting 300 to 500 balls nearly every day.
Taylor hopes to showcase his refined swing and improved play this weekend. He hopes competing against some of the nation”s top players will help bring out the best in his game.
“When I look back at my scores, I have shot and played better with people who play better,” Taylor said. “It helps bring out the competitive side. I feel a little nervous and a little anxious, but I am ready to go out there and play. I know it is going to be a good experience and very fun. I want to get out there and see how I stack up and see how much more I need to be practicing.”
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 49 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.