Chasing a Dream

            I was privileged last week to host a young man with a movie-star name and movie-star looks who chose the Biggs Classic to make his debut as a golf professional.  Chase Knox is a natural athlete.  He was pretty good at tennis and even better as a baseball pitcher—until he hurt his arm.  But, true to his name, he chose to “chase” his dream in the highly competitive world of professional golf.  His ultimate goal, he says, is to make a fortune on the PTA tour to justify the nickname both he and his father were tagged with: “Fort” Knox.

            Chase, who hails from Alpharetta, Georgia, went to North Carolina State University where he earned a degree in electrical engineering last year.  But it wasn’t easy.  As an adolescent he developed narcolepsy, a rare disease that caused him to fall asleep suddenly at the worst possible times—like in class or behind the wheel.  It’s the reason it took him so long to get his degree.  It also kept him off the college’s’ golf team, even though he knew he was good enough. He proved it by putting off a career as an electrical engineer and entering several tournaments as an amateur and doing well enough to convince him to give golf a shot.

            Chase had never played the Sound Golf Links, a layout that places a premium on the precise placement of shots rather than on long bombs down the fairway. His lack of experience probably contributed to his missing the cut.  But he wasn’t the least bit discouraged as he headed off to Greensboro to play a qualifying round for the Web.com Rex Hospital Open. On the contrary, he was effusive about the tournament, the volunteers, and especially about the hospitality and friendliness of AP residents.  He is already looking forward to coming back next year.

            When Chase Knox knocked on my door last week, he brought with him a special bottle of wine he and his dad had picked out for me.  It was the perfect gesture from a gracious young man.  So was his parting gift, an autographed Titleist Pro V1 personalized with a single word: FORT.  I think I’ll keep it as I cheer him on to his ultimate goal.