Things couldn”t have worked out much better for the New Hope High School golf team.
Chase Taylor and Austin Fitch are only too glad they could play integral roles in helping the Trojans win a district crown and cap the season with a Class 5A state title.
Last week, the rising junior and rising sophomore added to their haul as they were named first team Class 5A All-State.
Taylor and Fitch were the only local players honored.
“It was really surprising,” said Fitch, who said he carried a six or seven handicap this season. “It is a really big honor for a freshman to have.”
Said Taylor, “It has been an amazing season, especially having three seniors (Chaz Robinson, Jamie Merchant, and Zack Graves). I am real happy to win district and to go on to win state. It made their year, and me and Austin”s year, too.”
Fitch had a low round of 68 at an event early in the season in Birmingham, Ala. He admitted he started the season “kind of shaky” after not having any practice time coming off football and boys basketball seasons. He said he tried to hit balls in his backyard and to keep his short game sharp by using an indoor putting green, but he said much of his practice came during matches.
It wasn”t until the round of 68, he said, that things started to come together.
“It was very hard not to get frustrated at first because I knew what I was capable of,” Fitch said. “I just had to tell myself what I was capable of and work harder to accomplish my goal.
“(The round of 68) opened my eyes to know what I was capable of doing, and it was a really big boost for the rest of the year to know I could accomplish that, and maybe do better.”
Fitch said his short game really improved as the season went on and it kind of held him together during the season. He said his consistency driving the ball helped set him up well for many shots all season.
“The driver was one of the best clubs in the bag (this season),” said Fitch, who has been playing golf since he was 8 years old. “I kept the putter rolling pretty well and the driver just happened to add on.”
Taylor was in Greenville on Saturday playing in a Futures Tour event. He wasn”t too happy with a round of 78 in which he said he didn”t have any “horrendous” holes but worked through a day that “consistently was not good.”
Fortunately, Taylor fared much better for much of the high school season. Averaging about a 74 each tournament, Taylor improved all year and got to a point where he felt he had matured from his sophomore season.
“I have been trying to work harder than I have been at it,” Taylor said. “It feels really good (to be named All-State). I have been practicing a lot to get better, and I feel I have gotten better than I used to be.”
Taylor admitted to being surprised by his individual honor. He said improved play with his irons helped him get closer to the pin and complemented a short game that was “pretty consistent” all season.
With such a strong season in the books, Taylor hopes 2012 can be just as good for the Trojans.
“(Being named All-State) definitely gave me and Austin a lot more confidence,” Taylor said. “There is always room for improvement with the short game, putting, and chipping. That can always be improved.”
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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