Carter Cheves will join the Western Carolina men’s golf team as an assistant coach beginning in March.
A native of Apex, N.C., Cheves attended North Carolina State University as a member of the men’s golf team where he played two years under veteran Wolfpack head coach Richard Sykes, who is a member of the Coaches Association Hall of Fame. While at N.C. State, Cheves was a Caterpillar Scholar-Athlete.
He later transferred to UNC Wilmington where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Operations in 2008.
As a high school junior, Cheves helped Apex HS to third place finishes at the NCHSAA 4-A state championship as a junior and senior. Cheves was a two-time all-Tri-7 Conference selection and a three-time Tri-7 Academic Scholar athlete.
He was the 2002 Lake Hickory Junior champion, the 2004 Western North Carolina Junior champion and he is a three-time Mimosa Hills CC (Morganton, NC) junior club champion. His amateur career includes a made-cut and high finish at the 2005 North Carolina Amateur championship played at the CC of Asheville. He was a 2005 semifinalist at the Herald-Sun Amateur Championship in Durham, and he fired 67-73 at U.S. Amateur qualifying in 2003 to finish inside the Top 25.
“Hiring an assistant coach at the NCAA Division I level really shows the commitment that our department has made towards building a top collegiate program,” said head golf coach Gorham Bradley, who guided WCU to its first-ever NCAA team appearance a season ago. “Carter brings a wealth of experience from college golf which will really help provide a positive influence to both our younger players, as well as our upperclassmen.”
He added, “Carter has had an immediate impact on our program in the short time he has been in Cullowhee and his extensive ties to the Southeast will play a major role in our recruiting. I am excited about having him on my staff.”
Cheves comes from a golf family as his grandfather – the late Joe Cheves – was a PGA Life Member for 70 years. He is a member of the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame, as well as the Carolina’s Golf Hall of Fame and the Carolina’s PGA Hall of Fame, finishing first in the 1978 PGA Seniors Championship, but losing in the ensuing playoff. The elder Cheves also owns the world record for shooting the most strokes under someone’s age, shooting 64 at age 81 and 70 at age 87 to go 17 shots under his age.
In 2008, Cheves served as the USGA P.J. Boatwright summer intern for the Carolinas Golf Association. His long list of responsibilities included tournament coordination, rules, and course set-up.
The Catamount men’s golf team returns to the links on March 2-3 at the Argonaut Invitational, hosted by the Univ. of West Florida at the Pensacola Country Club.
