Williams signs letter of intent to play golf at Utah Tech University

 Weiser High School senior Carter Williams signed a National Letter of Intent on Wednesday, April 12 to play golf at Utah Tech University.

 Carter earned consecutive Idaho 3A high school state individual runner-up finishes each of the past two seasons.

 “We are excited to add Carter to our very talented 2023 class,” said Utah Tech Golf Coach Brad Sutterfield in a statement. “Carter has immense talent and is an incredibly hard worker, both in the classroom and on the golf course. Carter has a great deal of tournament experience, athleticism, and competitiveness that I believe will be a great addition to our program. I am looking forward to seeing all the great things he can do here at Utah Tech.”

 Utah Tech has offered Carter both an academic and athletic full-ride scholarship.

 “I want to thank everyone here,” he said, addressing the crowd of friends, family, coaches, and school administrators that attended the signing on Wednesday. “Without you guys, none of this would be possible; the support and the love from Weiser – it’s awesome.”

 Utah Tech is located in St. George, Utah, just a few miles from the Arizona border.

 Carter said he looks forward to a warmer climate that will allow him more quality training opportunities.

 “I think the location is great and the coach is awesome,” he said prior to the signing. “It’s going to be a place where I can really improve my golf game and that’s what is important to me.”

 Carter, who plans to major in Business Administration, began playing at an early age thanks to a family member who introduced him to the sport.

 “I started playing when I was nine and … competitively when I was 11,” he said. “I had a cousin, Brooks Boyer, who was in high school. She was a senior and took me out. I just knew right then that this is what I wanted to do. I went home and bought a set of five clubs for a hundred dollars and the rest is history. I practice pretty much 90 percent of all days since then.”

 Early on, Carter competed through the Idaho Junior Golf Association.

 “I started with little nine-hole events and just grew from there; I started traveling the country,” he said.

 Carter has done much of his training at Rolling Hills Golf Course in Weiser, but has also spent a lot of time at Scotch Pines Golf Course in Payette, as well as TimberStone Golf Course in Caldwell where one of his coaches, Tad Holloway, is a PGA Head Professional.

 He said the course he most enjoyed playing was Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina where he competed in the National High School Golf Championship two years ago. It is one of the most celebrated courses in the world.

 “It was a really cool experience,” Carter said. “The course is just pure; it’s very well-manicured and maintained. The grass is perfect, and it has a really cool layout. I’ve seen it on TV, and I just always dreamed about playing Pinehurst.”

 Among others, Carter credited his parents, Brandon and Andrea, as well as his grandparents, Terry and Terri Fritts, for his success.

 “My parents have been huge and my swing coach, Tad Holloway … without them, none of this would be possible,” he said. “My grandparents also – they are golfers – they helped me out a bunch, too.”

 He said that his ultimate goal is to win a major tournament and, possibly, one day play in a U.S. Masters Tournament. In the end, he said that what he ultimately wants is to, “leave an impact on the game of golf.”