Saint Ignatius High School

Ted Smith ‘02 Named to the Athletic Hall of Fame

Ted joins his younger brother Ben '03 in the Athletic Hall of Fame after a successful golf career.

For Ted Smith '02, golf has been a family affair from an early age. His dad loves the sport and played for his high school and Purdue University. In their Westlake backyard, he built a nine-hole short course for Ted and his brothers, Nick '99 and Ben '03.  

By age nine, their mom was driving them to tournaments, and Ted had fallen in love with golf.

"I liked all sports but really took to golf. You didn't need someone else to go out and practice. You could play against the course. After school, I'd spend an hour just working on golf, and I enjoyed that."

When Ted joined the Saint Ignatius golf team as a freshman, it was a strong team of five seniors, including his brother Nick. "I went through the qualifying and think I actually won. That was a really fun year! The older guys bossed me around, but they all had my back." That year, the golf team became the school's first state runner-up squad.

When older brother Nick graduated, Ted's younger brother Ben joined the team, so every year, he had a brother on the team. Ted continued to improve his skills and became one of the most accomplished golfers in school history. He participated in the state tournament in four straight seasons and never finished below 15th place individually. Six of his eight rounds in the state tournament were in the 70s. During his senior year, he posted a nine-hole average of 36.6 strokes and an 18-hole average of 75 strokes.

Ted earned four letters and in his senior year led the Wildcats to their first-ever state championship. He finished second individually, representing the highest finish ever for a Saint Ignatius golfer at that time. He was a three-time Plain Dealer All-Scholastic selection and two-time winner of the Hudson invitational tournament. He earned First Team All-Ohio honors his senior year and Second Team All-Ohio his junior year. Ted joins his brother Ben, a 2022 inductee, in the Hall of Fame.

Former coach Brian Becker '77 called Ted a fierce competitor and felt that his presence at Saint Ignatius heightened expectations of the program going forward. That's high praise for a program that now has four state golf titles. 

In college, Ted had a solid career at the University of North Carolina where he was team captain in his senior year. He then played professionally on the Korn Ferry Tour, PGA Tour Canada and several developmental tours where he had multiple wins. 

Looking back, Ted is grateful for the formation at Saint Ignatius.

"They instilled in us a way to act, to treat others with respect, be generous, and have a strong work ethic. I still think about those lessons today, and they've become a big part of who I am." 

Ted continues to golf in tournaments and is starting a new position in medical device sales in Boynton Beach, Florida. 

Ted's family includes parents Bob and Susan Smith, brothers Nick '99 and Ben '03.

Saint Ignatius' annual Wildcats Roar celebration will take place on Saturday, August 17 at 5 p.m. where Ted and four others will be inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame. For more information and to register, please visit this link.