Athlete Spotlight

H.B. Chavous has never had a golf lesson in his life.

The Evans senior is not a member of any country club. From his house, the nearest golf course is an 8-10 minute drive, and the course he plays most of the time is a 25-minute drive.

That hasn't stopped him from becoming possibly the best high school golfer in the county.

"If he keeps playing like this, he may have the best scoring average at Evans in the last 10 years," Evans golf coach Mike Bibee said.

At Evans, that's quite an accomplishment. The Knights have been crowned region champions each of the past three years. This past week, Chavous and the rest of the Knights defended their title in regular-season matches against both Greenbrier and Lakeside.

Chavous shot a 6-under par 30 in nine holes at Gordon Lakes to beat Greenbrier by one stroke on Wednesday, then helped the Knights beat Lakeside by three strokes on Thursday.

The rivalry sweep and top performance from Chavous was no surprise to Bibee. He said the senior has improved all four years he's been on the varsity golf team.

"On the last day of tryouts he shot a 30," Bibee said. "The only time I've seen a card like that was on TV."

Chavous got his start at age 9 when his dad bought a set of clubs for him. He's been playing since then but is almost exclusively a self-taught golfer.

The game's individual competition is what draws him to the sport, Chavous said.

"You don't have to rely on anybody else," he said. "But if you mess up, you can't blame it on anybody else, either."

Chavous said he practices three or four times per week and plays on the weekends. In the summer, his schedule is all golf, all the time. In June 2005, he was at home a total of five days. The rest of the time he spent either on the road or on the golf course.

No matter how far he travels, Chavous said he hopes he ends up right back in his home town at the Masters Tournament. For now, he's attending at least one practice round this week as a patron.

"When I see the Masters, I always think that could be me," he said. "It's been a dream for a long time."

Before then, Chavous said he hopes to win a fourth straight region title and continue to the state tournament. The senior also has college in his sights.

"I want to stay close to home," he said. "I'd like to go to Georgia Southern. I've already talked to them about playing golf."

Chavous said he's also talked to golf coaches at Berry College in Rome, Ga. and local golf powerhouse USC Aiken.