VALDOSTA — Padgett Chitty quit playing soccer in the sixth grade and began thinking about a new sport to pursue.

While she watched the Olympic Games on TV, she was drawn to two sports in particular: fencing and golf.

“I said, ‘Dad, I want to do fencing or golf, mostly fencing.’ He said, ‘We’re not going to find a fencing facility anywhere around Valdosta, Georgia, so golf it is,’” Chitty said. “I’m glad fencing didn’t work out, because golf ended up being really good.”

Golf was so good it earned Chitty a Division I scholarship. She signed a letter of intent with Central Michigan University at Valdosta High School on Wednesday morning, becoming the school’s first female golfer to sign a Division I scholarship since LPGA professional Dori Carter signed with Ole Miss in 2005.

“I’m so excited. It was really, really fun,” Chitty said between bouts of laughter. “I’m so glad everyone got to come. I’ve had the best time. This is a good morning.”

She joined a room full of family and friends in the gym lobby, signing her letter of intent in front of the school’s trophy case where she had a hand in adding to the collection. She wore a Central Michigan sweater and her celebratory cake was frosted with the university’s logo.

Chitty played against golfers from Valdosta’s feeder schools during her middle school days. She wanted to be a part of the golf program Valdosta was building. She also wanted to follow the path of someone she admired in the sport.

“I looked up to Dori Carter and I wanted to go where she went,” Chitty said.

The senior golfer said she wrestled with her collegiate choice — it was between Central Michigan and Occidental College, a liberal arts college in Los Angeles. But a trip to Central Michigan was all it took before the welcoming environment made her decision easy.

She wanted to join the Chippewas.

“Everyone was so nice and coach (Jim) Earle was amazing and so were all the players. They are so friendly and I don’t think I could go anywhere else and be happier,” she said.

Through three seasons at Valdosta, Chitty has helped the golf program soar. She helped Valdosta win the Area 1-6A championship and qualify for the state tournament last season. She earned all-state honors from both the GHSA and the Georgia High School Coaches Association as a junior, among other achievements.

She’s a two-time defending champion at Valdosta’s Dynamite Goodloe Invitational and made the all-sectional team two years in a row. She finished fourth at the GHSA Class 6A state tournament as a sophomore and was one of four players named to the all-state team.

“When I saw her on the driving range and could hear the ball explode off the tee, I knew she was special,” said coach Stacey Duckworth, who is in his fourth year at the school. “Since I’ve been here she’s always played our No. 1 spot. We compete every week at practice and, unfortunately, we haven’t had but five or six girls on our golf team. We always carry the top four scorers and she’s always been the top scorer every week.”

Said coach Thomas Berry: “The first thing I noticed about Padgett was she’s a hard worker. She’s going to do everything in her power to get better. If there’s something she did bad that day, she’s always going to work on it. After a tournament, after practice, she’s always going to try and get better every day.”

Both coaches noted an improvement in Chitty’s short game through the years. Berry said there was a time when she would have tough outings putting, but said her putting showed great progression by the end of last year. She was making more pars and birdies and having fewer three-putts.

But Duckworth still sees Chitty’s biggest strength in driving the ball off the tee, the same highlight he saw from her from the beginning.

“That’s what gets everybody’s attention. The other kids who play with her notice when she tees off that she’s a force to be reckoned with,” the coach said.