Paths were crossed in another decade, back before they had even reached teenage years. They carried around color-coded clubs made by U.S. Kids Golf. Likely, they looked around the Pinehurst Resort with a sense of awe.
They were just kids, for goodness sakes.
So, if while walking past the iconic statue of Payne Stewart, Ben James bumped into Caleb Surratt or perhaps got to speak with Michael Thorbjornsen, imagine if these kids had talked about golf 10 to 12 years in the future and the possibility they’d be involved in the 2023 Walker Cup at the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland.
Crazy, right?
But guess what? James, of Milford, Conn., and his longtime friend Surratt, who grew up in North Carolina, were indeed members of Team USA for the ’23 Walker Cup in St. Andrews, and Thorbjornsen, of Wellesley, Mass., would have been there, too, if not for a back injury.
Which isn’t to suggest that U.S. Kids Golf is a gateway to future success, like playing on a Walker Cup team. But you’ve got to start somewhere and it tells you there are options.