Chase Taylor is like most student-athletes who takes his craft seriously: He expects the best from himself at all times.
So it is safe to say that even an experienced golfer like Taylor is bound to get a little flustered — or even aggravated — when things don’t go his way.
It’s not because of arrogance. Instead, Taylor’s attitude is based on hours of repetition and practice that have steeled his confidence.
Taylor had both of those extremes Thursday in the final round of the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 5A Championship at Columbus Country Club. A double bogey to start set Taylor off on a wrong path that ultimately dropped him to 7-over with holes left to play on the front nine.
“I kind of thought to myself this is not me and I know I can be playing so much better than this,” Taylor said. “I told myself I am not going to let this slip away so easily.”
Taylor’s ability to regroup helped him birdie No. 17 and then run off a string of 10 consecutive pars. The streak helped him erase a slow start and finish with a 78 that helped him edge Oxford High’s Ward Toler by one stroke to win the individual title.
“I just slowed down and took deep breaths (in an effort to calm down),” Taylor said. “There is not point in getting angry over something you love to do. I just did the best I could and ended up shooting 1-under for the last 11 holes. I thought that was pretty good.”
The title helped Taylor erase the memory of a second-place finish last year at the Class 5A Championship. He said he wasn’t surprised he was able to rebound from the slow start. After all, every golfer is going to experience starts to round like the one he had. The trick is to stay poised and to be able to put each bogey or worse behind you.
Taylor said he has used the same relaxation or re-focusing technique the past five years when he has bad rounds. He said he has come to realize getting mad about shots isn’t going to help him and that he needs to stay focused.
Taylor’s ability to forget his front nine was his first hurdle. As he made the turn, he realized he was one of the few players who still had a chance to take the title. After an opening-round 77, Taylor remained in contention with Toler because nearly every other player slipped away. Pascagoula’s Anthony Clark, who shot a 75 and held the first-round lead, shot an 84 and fell back. But even after New Hope coach Drew McBrayer told Taylor he had a chance to win the title, Taylor didn’t know how Toler fared on each hole because they were playing on opposite sides of the course.
That didn’t faze Taylor, either.
“I didn’t know it was as close as it was,” Taylor said. “It surprised me.”
Taylor didn’t allow the adrenaline that kicked in with that realization to affect his game. He remained composed and stuck to lessons Tony Luczak, the director of instruction at the Mississippi State University Golf Course, had taught him. The result was a gratifying championship to wrap up a senior season and an accomplished prep career.
“Tony has helped me a lot more than I give him credit for in the past few years,” Taylor said. “He has worked on my swing mechanics and helped me calm my mind.
“To actually win it felt really good. When I came to the 18th hole I had a three- or four-footer and I didn’t know how close the race was. It was one of my teammates who came up to me and told me I had won. I knew people who had shot in the 70s ended up playing worse than they expected, but I thought I was out of it after the 15th hole (on his front nine).”
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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