Howard signs to William Peace

It was an exciting Wednesday afternoon at the home of the Dark Horses as a small proud group gathered in the auditorium to celebrate golf standout Finn Howard’s college signing.

Up on stage the spotlight was shining down on Howard who was surrounded by his loved ones, with his friends, teachers and teammates looking on from their seats. There was nothing but joy and anticipation circulating the room and each waited with baited breath for him to sign the dotted line for William Peace University.

“I started the whole golf thing pretty late, I started playing in my sophomore year and I grew up playing baseball,” Howard said about his signing. “So it means a lot to be able to get where I am as fast as I did. But now, obviously, I have a lot more potential I feel like and so the hope is to just keep working hard and to win. I really want to see just how much better I can get.”

As Howard pointed out he’s only been golfing since 10th grade and his love up until that point had always been baseball. After suffering from injuries he had to leave it all behind but thanks to a friend his love for golf was born.

“One of my friends actually got me into golf after I quit baseball because I started getting injured,” he said. “I eventually just fell out of love with the sport. Then my friend, he just brought me into golf and ever since then, I just loved it.”

While Howard choose to sign with William Peace he had other option lined up but it was the love of their coach and its closeness to home that won him over.

“I had some other schools that I was also interested in and had some offers for, but ultimately, it came down to the coach, seemed like a great guy,” he said. “I got a good amount of money from William Peace also and it was the closest one to home.”

Now that his future is set at the next level Howard took a brief pause to reflect over his time as a Dark Horses sharing his fondest moment. A memory centered around the bonds he built with those close to him.

“Honestly, just being at practice and just playing with the guys, being around my friends and just developing relationships, that’s what means a lot to me.”

Howard’s golf coach at Clinton High, Eddie Gray, was more than eager to share his thoughts on this moment for one of his players. While the signing to play at the college level made him proud it was the young golfers character that always stood out to him most.

“He is the hardest working kids and he deserves every bit of this,” Gray said. “I mean, the fact that he didn’t pick up golf until he was in the 10th grade, now this, he’s going to be able to play some high level golf despite having just started playing golf. Honestly though, he’s probably a better person than he is an athlete.

“He a gentleman man, he truly is a good kid, you can tell it just by how he interacts with everybody. He’s just a complete gentleman and I’m proud of him and I’m probably more proud of him for that than how he plays golf.

”I’ve been highly pleased to coach him, I can’t say enough how much of a good kid he is and I know that he’ll keep working.”

The only path left now for Howard in golf is his future one he said he’ll be grinding towards and aiming at no less than too be the best.

“Well, the hope is, to just get there first but after it’s to start grinding,” he said. “I also love winning and I just love being good at something, I can never get enough. I’m a perfectionist so I want to be the best.”