Chase Haygood – From Small Town to Champion

Last Monday (Sept. 2), Chase Haygood achieved something every collegiate golfer dreams of - he captured his first individual tournament title. 

Haygood started his junior season at UCF by recording a 208 (-8) to win the Island Resort Intercollegiate individual title held in Harris, Michigan. Haygood said when he was being presented with his trophy, he had to stop and reflect because the truth is that the path he took to get to this moment was a long journey that started many years ago an hour away from UCF. 

Haygood was born and raised in Ponce Inlet, Florida, a small town outside of Daytona Beach. He described the town as the kind of place where everyone knows each other. He also described it as a place that wasn’t too into golf, as there weren’t many golf courses in the area. Instead, due to its proximity to the beach, people were more into surfing. However, that was a sport that Haygood couldn’t get into because it was too out of his element. 

“I don’t like the ocean that much.” Haygood said laughing. 

Haygood and his twin brother Cole, who currently plays golf for South Alabama, grew up in an extremely loving family. He said his family is one of two loves that define his “whole life.” That other love is golf, and that love came as a result of his family. 

“(Golf) is a really big part of my family,” Haygood said. “My dad, stepdad and grandfather all got me into golf. I would go watch my dad play golf and mess around on the green.” 

Haygood said he was given his first set of clubs when he was eight years old and he then started to compete at tournaments when he was 14. It wasn’t the easiest beginning for him, however. When asked how his first tournament went, Haygood simply replied “I think I played horrible.” However, thanks to hours of practice this would quickly change. Haygood said the moment he knew he had the potential to be a successful golfer occurred during his freshman year at Spruce Creek High School.  

“I was the best on my high school team my freshman year, which was pretty cool,” Haygood said. “And then I started to take it really serious.” 

Haygood would go on to have a really successful high school career, being ranked No. 141 in the Junior Golf Scoreboard 2022 class rankings. That success led to several colleges reaching out. He picked UCF, despite not having any connections to the school. Haygood said the reason he chose to become a Knight was due to his connection with the team, his impression of the facilities after his official school visit and its proximity to his hometown.  

According to Knights head coach Bryce Wallor, Haygood’s tenure at UCF has been defined by his constant improvement. This is both on the golf course, as his average score went from 74.05 his freshmen year to 73.96 his sophomore year, and off it, as he says he’s grown into the role of team leader.  

Wallor said he was expecting a huge improvement in Haygood this season thanks to the training he did in the offseason. In addition to coming back to UCF to work with his coaches, he also began working with a private coach named Todd Anderson. Anderson, who has trained several successful golfers including PGA star Billy Horschel, and Wallor, had Haygood work on what he perceived as the weaknesses in his game, such as doing speed training to try and hit the ball further. 

Considering Haygood won his first individual title by scoring a collegiate career best in the Island Resort Intercollegiate, Haygood’s training seems to have paid off. He said that once the tournament ended, everything he had done had been worth it. 

“The first thing that’s going through my head is all the time I put in has paid off,” Haygood said. “It’s nice to be able to say you’re a collegiate winner. It’s something a lot of people don’t get to say and that’s kind of like a life goal getting checked off. So, I was very proud of myself.” 

The excitement of the win wasn’t just felt by Haygood. It was felt by the whole team. Haygood said his teammates only referred to him as “champ” on the trip back to Orlando and Wallor said watching the moment unfold reminded him of why he does what he does. 

“You’re just so proud of him,” Wallor said. “This what you’re in coaching for. To watch player development. To watch human development.” 

Haygood’s journey from small, surf-loving town to winning a collegiate tournament was a long one. However, he says that this isn’t the end of his journey. Instead, it is only a major stop on the path to something greater. 

“The main goal as a team is to make it to NCAA Regionals,” Haygood said. “And an individual goal would be to do the same.”