The next steps of Trip Duke’s golf career will come on the campus of Mississippi State after the rising senior at Fairhope High School announced his commitment on Saturday fresh off his round at the Future Masters.

“First, I would like to thank God for the ability to play the game I love. A huge thanks to my family who have sacrificed so much for me and my friends for pushing me and holding me accountable,” Duke wrote in his social media announcement on June 24. “I would like to thank my coaches for all the work y’all have put into me. Lastly, thank you Coach Smith and Coach K for giving me this opportunity. Hail State!”

The all-state golfer was ranked No. 7 in the Alabama Golf Association rankings at the start of the month and added a fifth-place finish at the State Amateur Championship. At The Country Club of Mobile June 7-10, Duke recorded rounds of 70, 72, 66 and 67 to finish five under par at the 107th tournament.

This spring, the Mississippi State Bulldogs claimed their first NCAA Regional Championship at The Institute Golf Club in Morgan Hill, California to qualify for their first national tournament in 15 years. With head coach Dusty Smith at the helm, State has qualified for all five postseasons.

As a junior for the Fairhope Pirates, Duke qualified for his second consecutive Alabama High School Athletic Association state tournament and fired rounds of 71 and 73 to finish at even par and in a tie for fourth overall. His total of 144 was second-best out of Baldwin County’s 14 state representatives and trailed only Spanish Fort’s Jackson Spybey (138), who collected the Class 6A individual crown.

Duke was also recently named to the AHSAA North-South All-Star roster for the July 17 competition alongside his Pirate teammate Miles Miller. The Fairhope pair will be complemented in the girls’ competition by a trio of classmates in Addison Spears, Callie Henderson and Teal Gardner.

To close last calendar year, Duke collected three wins on the Southeastern Junior Golf Tour over the last two months of 2022 to earn the Player of the Year award.

After the Peninsula Junior Classic in early November (73-73-146), he won the SJGT tournament of Champions earlier in December (69-68-137). Duke finished it off with a win at the Allstate Sugar Bowl Tommy Moore Memorial at TPC Louisiana (69-73-142) thanks to a 15-foot birdie putt to seal the victory on the playoff hole.