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Cathedral senior Chase Kaiser won his second career South State championship Wednesday on his home course of Beau Pre where he grew up. He said his house was on one of the holes. 

He said it was special because he grew up playing there every day. With the course so easily accessible, he just had to put in the time on the course to get better. Kaiser plans to play golf at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College next year.

“It has gotten me a long way, so I’m excited,” Kaiser said. “The major challenge is growing up. Coming into high school, (I had) different things to do and was trying to keep my priorities straight. I was trying to make sure I was putting in the work that I need to be putting in to take (golf) as far as I’m going to take it.”

Kaiser said he enjoys golf’s constant pressure and how you keep playing the game to get better. His success depends on the work that he puts in. Golf is only fun when you are playing well, and to play good you have to keep playing, he said.

He was burned out on travel baseball as a kid, so his dad took him golfing instead. Golf was the game they shared, and their outings created a strong bond that they have now, he said.

“I love going and playing golf with him whenever he gets off work,” Kaiser said. “It is definitely something that has brought us closer.”

He looked up to local golfers such as Tom Bryant, Jordan Farmer, and Casey Hamm at Beau Pre. He said it is cool to hang out and talk to the same players he watched play in tournaments as a kid.

Bryant is constantly helping him try to reach the next level, he said. Not one shot sticks out in his career as being the best, but having people watching him in the crowd was a memorable moment of his career, he said.

“I had a whole crew of people watching me. (They were) people who had helped me growing up, and helped me with my game,” Kaiser said. “For my last high school tournament in town and for them to all be there, it was special. I enjoyed it. They took their time to come out and follow me.”