By TIM GUERCIO

THE NATCHEZ DEMOCRAT

NATCHEZ — Cathedral Green Wave sophomore golfer Chase Kaiser shot 1 under par 71 at the MAIS AAA State High School Championships at Cleveland Country Club in Cleveland on May 6.

Kaiser, playing as an individual, posted a score good enough to tie for low medalist honors with Silliman Institute’s senior Brett Baker.

The two headed for the first tee for a playoff to determine a winner. The two players went five sudden death holes before Baker made a 30-foot putt that won him the title.

“Hats off to him, I enjoyed the competition between us for the past two years,” Kaiser said, adding he felt good about his game, having played poorly in a previous tournament on May 2, for South State honors.

“I shot 85 at South State, at Laurel Country Club, and for some reason I lost my competitive mindset on that day,” Kaiser said. “I want to give credit to coach Kurt (Russ) for bringing my focus back the day before the State tournament.”

Kaiser is the 16-year-old son of Hayden Jr. and Michelle Kaiser of Natchez

Chase Kaiser said he will be busy with golf this summer.

Besides beating balls on the driving range at Beau Pre Country Club working on his game, Chase Kaiser said he would play in a series of tournaments run by the Southeast Junior Golf Tour.

Kaiser will play in Athens Georgia this weekend. Also on his schedule this season are tournaments in Montgomery and Opelika, Alabama, and West Point (Mississippi) as well as the Mississippi State Amateur and State Junior Amateur tournaments.

Chase Kaiser said every other week he visits teaching pro Blake Thomas in Baton Rouge.

“I have been with him for about a year,” Chase Kaiser said. “We spend a lot of time looking at numbers. I have been working on shaping my shots and swing plane.”