Caroline Blaylock is a true product of Darlington School. After attending the institution as a day student for 12 years and graduating from Furman University, Blaylock returned to her alma mater to work as a Head of House and raise a family. But not immediately…
“At Furman, I was a three-time NCAA All-American, so I was moderately successful and just thought I would give the LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) Tour a shot,” she said. “Who really wants a nine to five job when they are 21 anyway …
“It took me three times to make it through Tour School, but after I made it through in 1998, I played on the tour for six years before having my boys,” she continued. “When I missed making the tour in 1996 and 1997, I went and played in Europe for two years with the Women Professional Golfers’ European Tour (WPGET).”
Blaylock, a Health and Exercise Science major at Furman, fell in love with sports at an early age, but originally focused on playing tennis competitively. At the age of 13, she discovered her passion for golf, which would eventually win her a college scholarship and a spot on the LPGA Tour.
“For some reason, I just picked up the game fairly easily,” she said. “The first time I ever played, I shot 49 on nine holes. From that point on I was hooked and played almost every day for the next 15 years.”
An all-around good athlete, Blaylock was involved in softball, basketball, golf, track and tennis at the Upper School. She earned more than 15 varsity letters and was recruited by 40 colleges to play basketball, but only four to play golf.
At Furman, in addition to being named a three-time NCAA All-American, Blaylock was also a three-time NCAA long drive champion. She represented the United States in the U.S.A. versus Japan Goodwill Matches in 1994. After graduating in 1995, Blaylock turned professional.
In 1998, she led the LPGA Tour in driving distance with a 266.98-yard average. The next year, she posted a career-best finish with a tie for 10th at the LPGA Corning Classic and recorded a 66 in the second round of the Giant Eagle LPGA Classic, the lowest round of her LPGA career. In 2000, she again led the Tour in driving distance and tied for 10th at the Japan Airlines Big Apple Classic to tie her career-best finish from the previous year.
Blaylock returned to Darlington in 2002 to teach physical education at the Lower School and coach junior varsity girls basketball and middle school golf. This year, she serves as Head of the Blaylock House, which keeps her too busy to coach.
“I would not be here if it weren’t for David Rhodes,” said Blaylock. “He has been a special person in my life for a very long time. Eric and I named our second son after him … He made me see, at a young age, what I am capable of accomplishing with hard work and diligence, not only in the classroom, but on the golf course. More importantly, he showed me the importance of a personal relationship with God as well as our peers, family and friends.”
Rhodes, headmaster, considers Blaylock just as special.
“At Darlington, I coached football for six years, baseball for three, basketball for 17 and golf for 10. I have been fortunate to coach some very talented athletes – one of whom signed a professional contract with the White Sox out of high school and a number of Division I football and basketball players and golfers – but Caroline Blaylock is the best athlete, male or female, that I have coached in all of those years,” he said.
“Past athletics, she is a great person. When she came through Darlington, she babysat our kids who are now in college. My daughters always wanted her number when they played sports,” he continued. “And it is no greater honor than to have the Rhodes name as the middle name of Caroline and Eric’s second son, Stiles.”
There are two other key figures Blaylock credits with inspiring her.
“Allen Pinson, the golf professional at Stonebridge, taught me the fundamentals of the game and how to be confident and believe in my ability on the course,” she said. “Mic Potter, my golf coach at Furman, taught me how to take my game (mental and physical) to the next level. He was an amazing teacher and coach who saw more to me and my game than my scoring average when I was very young.”
Blaylock and her husband, Eric, have two sons, Jackson and Stiles. Her siblings are also Darlington alumni – Asa Peek (’88), Gardner Peek (’86), Julie Peek (’81) and Jule Peek (’81).
Blaylock's sports achievements have been featured on ESPN and in "Sports Illustrated," the "Atlanta Journal-Constitution" and local newspapers.
