GREENSBORO, N.C. — Our state will be the center of the golf universe next week when the U.S. Open tees off on the historic Pinehurst No. 2. A bit closer to home, a 10-year-old boy has already captured attention from all over the world, and we recently talked to the boy who's turned into an internet sensation.
At just 10 years old, Greensboro's William Ratchford has taken social media by storm with his electrifying golf game and infectious personality. So it was only right we took William out to the course to find out just how good the kid is.
According to young William Ratchford, golf is a very easy game.
"The thing about golf is, I like to hit the ball straight, and then hit my second shot on the green and then putt for birdie," Willaim said as we stood off the edge of the green on hole number 9 at the Greensboro Country Club Farm Course.
But only if the game was truly as simple as young William makes it look and sound.
"I like to hit the middle of the face because if I hit the side, it'll go left or right. But if I hit the middle, it's going straight," William went on to say.
William has been playing golf for just about three years now, and according to his father, Craig, he's a natural, just like he is with most sports.
"I knew it early. I still have a video of him when he was like two years old dribbling this basketball left-handed through the gym at the sports center in High Point. If you look at those old videos on social media, anything with a ball, he gravitates towards it immediately", William's father Craig said.
Now, if you check out Craig's social media pages, they're filled with hundreds of videos of William doing what he loves, and he's starting to get a lot of attention.
"I've been on TikTok since COVID, as an escape a bit from the reality of the global pandemic", said Craig Ratchford, "So I've had a thousand or so followers maybe since then. But the past 10 days, something happened on TikTok, and now I'm approaching 6K followers. I mean, that's how you found us".
The Ratchford Family may not look like your traditional family at first glance, but if you spend any amount of time with William and his father, Craig, you know that their love for one another is infinite.
"His attitude is the best; he's so coachable and a true joy to be around. He's a blessing to the family, and I wouldn't change a thing", Craig Ratchford said.