Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

AHOSKIE – A Ridgecroft senior who helped lead the school’s golf team to statewide honors twice during his career will continue to chase his dream of playing professionally.

Sawyer Chamblee has selected Liberty University as his next stop where he will major in Business and be a part of the golf team.

Chamblee, who also plays basketball at Ridgecroft, was a member of the school’s golf team that won the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association’s championship in 2022. That team was the NCISAA runner-up in 2021.

He has earned the team’s Medalist honors for the past two years.

“It’s you against the course,” said Chamblee when asked what attracts him to the sport of golf. “You always try to beat your personal best score.”

For Chamblee, that “personal best” is a 64, which he posted this past June at Beechwood Country Club while playing a round of golf with some friends.

He has also competed at Carolina Golf Association sanctioned events, posting a first place finish at a tournament this summer held in Wilmington. He has placed second twice and also has a third place finish at CGA events.

When he starts classes this fall at Liberty, Chamblee will have a guaranteed spot on the golf team after being recruited by their coach, Jeff Thomas.

“It’s nice, a great campus…I really like it,” Chamblee said. “It has great facilities. I took a recruiting visit there and decided that’s where I wanted to be.”

As a member of Conference USA, Liberty’s golf program competes in the fall and spring.

“They just got back from a tournament in Hawaii,” said Chris Chamblee, Sawyer’s father who also coaches the Ridgecroft golf team. “They played in San Antonio (Texas) a few weeks before that and also played in Florida. They travel all over.”

The dad said he strongly believes his son has the potential to play well at the collegiate level.

“Coach Thomas seems to be pretty excited to have Sawyer on Liberty’s team,” said Chris Chamblee. “He believes that once he gets Sawyer involved with the quality of players on the Liberty golf team, it will push Sawyer to a whole new level. Plus it’s a great university.”

When asked what it was like to coach his son, Chris Chamblee said it was a rewarding experience.

“Anytime you get the opportunity to spend extra time with your kids is great,” said the dad. “That’s the main reason I decided to take the job as the golf coach.”

Sawyer Chamblee said he began playing golf when he was four years old. That progressed to a competitive level beginning when he was in the seventh grade.

Asked what he sees in his future after college, Sawyer didn’t hesitate with an answer.

“Join the PGA Tour,” he said.

Go big or go home is a well-used adage by those in a quest to reach a personal goal. In Sawyer Chamblee’s case, he’s been doing that since age 4, so why stop now!