There is no questioning Hunter Atkins’ love for golf.
The Oak Hill Academy senior golfer can usually be found on the golf course at Old Waverly Golf Club in West Point. During the summer, he played 18 holes nearly every day. Since school has started, he has been hitting the course when his final class ends.
But it’s not a love like that a recreational golfer might have for the game: a getaway from every day life to blow off steam. His love for the game is much deeper, mainly because he wants to turn his love into a career.
“I don’t take many days off,” Atkins said via a phone interview while he was on the second hole at Old Waverly. “I feel like if I take two or three days off, I feel like my game has reached the bottom.”
Atkins’ love for golf will continue. Last week, he made a verbal commitment to play at Southern Mississippi. It was a dream come true. He aspired to be a Division I athlete and USM gave him that chance.
Atkins plans to sign with USM in November.
He said he has interest from junior colleges like Meridian Community College, but USM was his only Division I offer.
Oak Hill coach and Atkins’ swing coach V.J. Trolio said Atkins will choose golf almost anything.
“If you said, ‘Hey, you want to go water skiing down the river or do you want to play golf? By the way, there’s a bunch of girls in bikinis on the boat,’ he’d probably still rather play golf,” Trolio said.
Atkins helped the Raiders win the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools Class 2A State championship this past spring. He also won the individual state title. He won the two-day Pros of Tomorrow golf tournament in Tupelo in July.
Atkins said he chose USM because it was close to home. He didn’t want to travel to far from West Point to go to college.
Trolio, who also played at USM, was not surprised that Atkins got a Division I offer.
“He displayed all the qualities that a Division I athlete would have,” Trolio said. “He had discipline, he’s a hard worker and he has some goals that are out in front of him that he’s worked for. There’s not a very high percentage of kids that play Division I athletics, especially from a small town in Mississippi. He had all the attributes.”
Trolio said Atkins doesn’t do anything spectacular on the golf course, but called him a steady player.
Atkins agreed with that statement, but feels like his play around the green stands out.
“I’d say the best part of my game is consistency,” Atkins said. “Keeping it in play and making putts. Short game is probably my best, liking chipping and putting.”
Trolio said Atkins will fit in nicely in Hattiesburg. The Golden Eagles are led by coach Jerry Weeks. He begins his 10th season with the Golden Eagles.
Trolio feels like the ceiling is high for Atkins and he hasn’t even scratched the surface of his potential.
“Going forward he can become a much better player, simply because he has room to improve in every area of golf, whether it be a mental piece, a physical piece, a speed piece or a technique piece,” Trolio said.
As a coach and instructor, he has seen the likes of Jonathan Randolph and Matt Fast. Randolph, who played at Ole Miss, has played 30 events on the PGA Tour and has been a mainstay on the Web.com Tour the last few years. Fast, who played at Mississippi State, has played four events on the PGA Tour and has five top 10 finishes on the Web.com Tour.
Trolio also saw former MSU women’s golfer Ally McDonald. She is playing on mini tours, but is expected to be apart of the LPGA Tour next season.
Atkins said he wants to be a professional some day. Trolio feels like if Atkins puts in the work like Randolph, Fast and McDonald have, he has a good chance of making that dream a reality.
“Were they much different than Hunter when they were the same age? No, they weren’t,” Trolio said. “It just depends on what he does when he goes to school. He’s in a good place. Southern Miss is a good school, they’ve got a good coaching staff down there. He’ll be playing against the best players in the country, so he’s got a really good place now to develop that talent and those skills needed.”
Atkins’ love for the game has helped the Raiders and has given him a way to earn a top education. Trolio, who also loves the game and has turned that love into a career, has seen first-hand what Atkins has done to show that love.
“He loves to compete and he loves the game. He probably makes about 200 trips around the golf course at minimum. He just loves golf,” Trolio said.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The 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 43 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.