Since Cathedral School’s Kayla Starr has her left hand regularly tucked in a golf glove, it’s several shades paler than her right, showing a distinct tan line that falls precisely around her wrist. But every time Starr looks down at her hands, she is reminded of one of her biggest goals.

Starr, a freshman on the Green Wave golf team, has dreams of one day becoming a professional.

“That would be great,” Starr said. “I’m working as hard as I can. My No. 1 thing I am focusing on is golf.”

For eighth-grader Chase Kaiser, motivation comes from the competitive comments he often receives from other players in the community.

“I actually like it because it puts a lot of pressure on me, and I usually do well under pressure,” Kaiser said. “It also pushes me to get a lot a better so (other golfers) don’t catch me.”

The pair might be young, they are already doing whatever they can to excel.

Kaiser’s personal best is a score of 71, shot last fall in Natchez. Starr, meanwhile, posted a score of 83 this past Wednesday at the Natchez and Cathedral Golf Invitational at Duncan Park, just two strokes shy of her all-time low.

“They have that drive,” Cathedral coach Kurt Russ said. “You rarely see that in any sport any more, but these two go at it. They want to beat the golf course every time they go out.”

With the willingness to learn comes discovery, and each has their own method of study.

Starr has been playing golf consistently for just over a year, so she has had to understand the game quickly. She said every tournament broadcast on television is a chance to improve.

“After my dad helped me get into it, I started watching more golf and it just made me even more motivated,” Starr said. “I feel like I’ve developed a lot over the past year.”

Kaiser’s education comes heavily from his family. He said his grandfather played golf for over 70 years, while his father for just around 45 years.

“It’s always fun to go out with them on Sundays,” Kaiser said. “You have to get out there and practice. It takes lots and lots of time. I’m getting there, and I can’t wait to play every day.”

While Starr and Kaiser both see golf in their long-term futures, they each have hopes of accomplishing the smaller things, too.

Starr’s goal for 2017 is to shoot within the 70s, and Kaiser is working to score under par by the end of the summer.

“Right now, they just have to trust the process, because at some point both of them will roll over,” Russ said. “I truly expect that both of them will play college golf.”