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NATCHEZ — Chase Kaiser is playing his most consistent golf right now as he won his fifth tournament of the season last week. The Natchez native and Cathedral grad returns to play his home course of Beau Pré Country Club next week for the Gulf District Championship on April 20-21. 

Part of his success has been thanks to scoring well throughout the season. Kaiser has 114 birdies on the year and could set a school record for tournament wins at Beau Pré next week. Individual success is not the only thing on the line. 

Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College has a shot of making a deep run in the NJCAA championships, as the team has won 10 events this year. A top two finish at Beau Pré for the team would send them to the NJCAA National Championship. 

“It has been a wild ride this year. We have a really good team and our team is really young. Everyone practices hard and it is competitive. We will have a great shot at nationals, we just have to stay focused and patient,” Kaiser said. “It is always a little harder for you to play at your home course in a tournament. I don’t know if it is the pressure, but it always seems harder. I’m ready and I’m excited. I had a lot of people tell me they would be out there. I always seem to play better when people are watching. I think it makes me focus a little more. Having support would mean a lot to me.” 

Kaiser has been a key part to the team’s success. His worst finish this season was a tie for 11th. Chase was selected to the All-Tournament team, the All-MACCC First Team and won the Tommy Snell award and shot his lowest round score of 65 checking off all of his pre-season goals. There is still one more pre-season goal left: to win the national championship with the team. 

One of the reasons behind Kaiser’s success this year has been time management. He figured out how to better manage his time and thus can get more out of his practices. Once he started playing well in competition golf it became easier to maintain. 

Confidence is another part of Kaiser’s success. He said it plays a “role for sure” in the five tournament wins and multiple top 10 finishes. 

Golf additionally pivots on the little things. Kaiser had struggled with the putter going into the MACCC tournament when he made one adjustment and figured things out. He had just 11 putts on the first nine holes. Crowd support could make a difference for Kaiser at Beau Pré. 

“I always want to give a good performance for the home crowd,” Kaiser said.

Once the golf season ends, Kaiser will move on to a four-year university to finish out his degree in civil engineering and hopes to play golf for a school. Head coach Brad Thornton has worked with Kaiser to get his school work and golf practices done. 

“I have managed to keep my grades up. I have learned a lot about time management in balancing school work and practice,” Kaiser said. “I’m also keeping my options open for next year. I have a few options but I’m waiting until I find somewhere that feels like home. I feel at home here. It has been a quick ride.”