DeKalb County Girls Golfer Chloe Boyd closed out her junior campaign with a major achievement: A third consecutive trip to the TSSAA State Championship.
Boyd punched her ticket to state with a fifth place finish in the Region 4A tournament, continuing a streak she held ever since the first time she swung a club at the high school level. Once Boyd reached Sevierville to compete, she delivered rounds of 71 and 74 against the state’s best.
Boyd said the road is a far cry from where the journey began. Boyd first picked up golf in middle school. Boyd said for her, it was not love at first swing.
“I didn’t take it very seriously back then,” Boyd said. “But I definitely was having fun and I started playing tournaments in eighth grade and it was very fun and that’s what I liked about it.”
Boyd said she began to take golf seriously after playing in those tournaments. Boyd said despite shooting in the 130s during both tournaments and finishing near the bottom each time, she found a new sport that she accepted as being fun and challenging.
When Boyd joined the DeKalb County High School golf team her freshman year, she understood the basics, but Boyd said her game still needed molding.
“I was pretty skilled in my game but I still needed some work done,” Boyd said. “Over time, the high school golf team has just helped me with my confidence and helped me meet new people that I’ve seen in other tournaments but meet people who are nice and understand what high school is like. It’s helped me evolve through other people and it was a great experience.
Golf is not Boyd’s only focus. Boyd said she prides herself on balancing her academic workload with her year-round training schedule. Her days often start at 6 am and stretch late into the night, filled with practice and homework. Boyd said as temperatures begin to drop, the grind continues to get tougher.
“Fighting the elements through thick and thin is tough,” Boyd said. “It’s cold. I don’t like the cold. I’d rather play in summer golf but you got to do what you got to do.”
Boyd said she puts on four layers of clothing when practicing during the winter, and when it becomes unbearable, she will move indoors to facilities such as Caddy Shack to stay sharp.
Boyd wasted no time making noise this year. She won the Early Bird Tournament in Cookeville to start the season, placing first out of 93 competitors and shooting a career-best 66.
Even though high school golf has ended, Boyd continues to golf into November. Boyd will compete in two golf tournaments in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving.