Young golfers like Nate Horne, Walker Worth IV, Hughes McCarthy, Charlie Horne, and Ryan Hedgecoe have no fear when it comes to those lengthy par 4s or those breaking sidehill putts in the throes of competition.
Call it, if you will, the sweet bird of youth.
And they never were better in leading Terry Sanford High School to the 2026 PGA High School Boys Golf National Invitational title on July 18-19 at the No. 5 and No. 6 courses at Pinehurst Resort.
“Our team has some really good chemistry,” said Nate Horne, a 15-year-old first-year student who led the way with an opening round 65 on the 7,053-yard No. 6 and a closing 72 on the 6,828-yard No. 5 for a 137 total and a solo fifth place finish. “We put together two solid rounds.”
Terry Sanford finished at 554, 22 strokes under par, for a 12-stroke victory over Riverside Preparatory Academy from Gainesville, Georgia. Teams from all 50 states competed along with a from China.
And Coach Jeff Morehead’s golfers did it without Taft Courie, who qualified to compete in the U.S. Junior Amateur at Saucon Valley Country Club in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
“Having him would have helped,” Nate Horne said. “But we still had five solid guys.”
Worth posted rounds of 69 on both courses to share sixth place with McCarthy, who opened with an even par 72 on No. 6 and a 66 on No. 5. Both at 138, they were behind individual champion Kenny Klelin Orange County Virtual School in Orlando, Florida, with rounds 66 on No. 5 and a closing 68 on No. 6 for a 134.
“Walker stepped up and did his job and shot three under both days,” Horne said. “And Hughes shot 66 the second day at Pinehurst No. 5. I felt like every day somebody stepped up.”
Worth’s consistency came as no revelation to Morehead.
“Walker really stepped up over the weekend,” Morehead said, “but his great play was no surprise to me or his teammates.”
Worth welcomed the opportunity to compete at Pinehurst after failing to qualify to compete for the state title.
“I was disappointed I couldn’t play in the state,” Worth, 18, said. “I had a bad round in the regionals, so, I wanted to play well and show I deserved to be there” for the national invitational championship. “I was just trying to play one shot at a time, play for pars and get a birdie when I could.”
McCarthy, 17, brought home that closing 66, which included a 20-foot eagle at the par 5 15th.hole.
“Just playing with my buddies every day is always fun, and going to Pinehurst was something special,” the 17-year-old sophomore said. “The championship was something pretty special to us. Without Coach Morehead, we wouldn’t have been able to do that. And we hope to win another state championship next season. That’s our goal.”
‘One of the Greatest Seasons’
Charlie Horne, with a 71 on No. 6 and a closing 73 on No. 5, and Hedgecoe with a 69 on No. 6 and a 75 on No. 5, tied for 37th to round out the Terry Sanford victory.
PGA High School Boys Golf National Invitational trophy is the exclamation point on what has been a remarkable year for Morehead’s golfers, which includes winning the N.C. High School Athletic Association 6A crown for the third time in four years and this year was honored as No. 1 in the final North Carolina HighSchoolOT (Overtime) state rankings.
“The National Invitation title capped off one of the greatest seasons in North Carolina high school golf history,” said Morehead, 45, who is in his ninth season as the school golf coach. “We return nine members from this year’s team next year. We have a very deep team and fully expect to be in the mix for a state championship next year.”
Charlie Horne is the only senior on the team.
Epilogue
Nate Horne, Walker Worth IV, Hughes McCarthy, Charlie Horne, Taft Courie, and Ryan Hedgecoe find themselves following in the golfing footsteps of Terry Sanford High School and old Fayetteville High School standouts from Ray Floyd, David Canipe, Robert Wilson, David Chung, Chip Beck, and so many others.
And what they accomplished is not lost on Beck, a 1974 Terry Sanford graduate who went on to enjoy a stellar career on the PGA tour from 1978 until the late 1990s. In those years, hee won four tour events, narrowly missing out on three of the game’s major titles, earned the 1988 Vardon Trophy for low-stroke average, and represented the United States on three consecutive Ryder Cups teams.
“I’m awed and inspired by those young men and looking forward to following their golfing careers,” Beck, 70, said Friday from his home in Bonita Spring, Florida. “I’m impressed with their youth and their love of the game, and to know they are such good people. The high school golf experience is something you will carry the rest of your life, and they will remember it. I’m very happy for the school, the city and that they are carrying on the tradition of Terry Sanford High School golf.”
Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961.
