By Derrick Smith

Every high school athlete has the dream of competing in their sport at the collegiate level. Whether it is football, baseball, soccer, softball, or another sport, the ability to play at the next level is a type of validation that they did what they needed to be the best they could be. Rhett Hughes is a junior at Edmond Santa Fe and competes as a golfer for the Wolves. He says that while he loves to play the game, there is a bigger motivation for him.

“Golf is a game that I love to play,” he stated. “But the biggest motivation for me would have to be the possibility of playing golf for the University of Nebraska. That is my dream school that I recently received an offer from. That has proven to me that all the hard work that I put in has paid off.”

Earning the opportunity to play golf at the next level required a lot from Hughes, but he says that he could not have done it alone. 

“To be successful in golf it has taken hard work and extra hours of practice,” he said. “Making sure I’m doing everything correctly to build up confidence for my next tournament. A lot of the reasons I am where I am is because of my mom. She has been the person who has pushed me the most and wanted me to be good throughout my career.”

Like most high school students, Rhett enjoys cruising through his social media apps. While he follows a lot of people from different walks of life, he says that his favorite person to follow is a guy that has similar interests to him.

“There are a lot of people on social media,” he said. “But I think my favorite person to follow is PGA golfer Cameron Champ. I enjoy watching him compete and he has a great swing.”

Hughes and his teammates compete against a number of different schools throughout the season. But out of all of them, he says that there is one team that he enjoys winning against. 

“The team I like beating the most is Deer Creek,” he stated. “Our teams are very evenly matched so it’s always a close competition. CJ Phillips is a teammate that challenges me the most in practice. Although he doesn’t hit the ball far his short game keeps him in it. “