Augusta University freshman Chloe Holder teed it up on the first hole of the Mercedes-Benz Intercollegiate and felt, as she puts it, no stress. Three rounds later, she hoisted the trophy.
The Anderson, S.C. native coupled her Jaguar debut with a win at Cherokee County Club in Knoxville Tenn., on Sept. 21.
“It was so exciting and so cool. I was trying to go out there and not have many expectations and just play the best I could,” Holder said. “I understand that I’m a freshman, so I just tell myself, ‘Hey, if I play great, awesome. If not, it’s no big deal.’ It was a stress-free kind of tournament and I happened to come out with a win.”
Holder shot under par every round, including the low round 2 score of 67 (-4). Her performance helped boost AU to a tie for third.
The freshman credits her putter and her mental strength for helping her secure the win.
“I gave myself opportunities with my short game and my putter was hot. That’s really the name of the game. You can hit greens but if you don’t make the putts, you can’t win,” Holder said. “And in the past few months, I’ve grown a little bit with my mentality. I’ve learned a lot in college so far about attitude and carrying myself with confidence. I tried to keep a cool head and stay positive.”
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Holder said that if she made a mistake, she didn’t let the little hiccups bother her.
“If I make bogey, I just tried to tell myself to go make a birdie right after,” she said. “Mistakes are gonna happen, but I just tell myself, ‘Hey, let’s go make birdie.'”
The freshman enjoyed a successful career at Wren High School in Anderson, S.C., before taking her game to the college ranks.
In 2019, she won the individual Region 1-AAAA championship and was also selected Region Golfer of the Year. She placed second at the Upper State Championship before clinching the Class-AAAA state title by four strokes.
“I grew up playing all around the east coast,” she said. “My dad is my biggest supporter. He got me started, and none of it would be possible without him. He used to take me out playing all over the place, and it’s just what I love to do since I was three or four.”
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Holder said the decision to take her talents to Augusta University came after searching the region for solid college programs.
“Augusta wasn’t number one on my radar but someone brought the school to my attention. The golfers are really well-respected here,” she said. “I’m from around Clemson and the biggest thing there is the football. In Augusta, people look at the golfers like they look at the football players in Clemson.”
Going forward, Holder said she wants to be contending every time she tees it up.
“I know you can’t win every time but I want to be contending,” she said. “I want to get my game more consistent and well-rounded while also keeping up academically.”
She’s currently working on a business administration degree with a minor in finance, but there are other aspirations beyond college.
“Playing professionally has always been a dream of mine,” Holder said. “I know that’s going to be a lot of work but that’s definitely the goal.”
Tyler Strong is the Business Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach him at tyler@theaugustapress.com
