From Newcastle to Statesboro: Sewell and Blythe Reunite on Georgia Southern Golf Team

STATESBORO, Ga. — Nearly 4,000 miles from home, two Georgia Southern men’s golfers find themselves in a place they never quite expected: on the same team, playing side by side in Statesboro.

For Newcastle, England, natives Harrison Sewell and Morgan Blythe, the journey to Georgia Southern is as winding as it is unlikely. Growing up in the same city in the northeast of England, they honed their games at many of the same courses and junior tournaments. Yet, when it came time to take their talents to college, their paths diverged.

Blythe signed with Miami (Ohio), where he spent two seasons in the Mid-American Conference. As a freshman, he was named MAC Freshman of the Year with a 71.93 stroke average and earned first-team all-conference honors as a sophomore. Sewell, meanwhile, took a different route, competing last year at Midland College in Texas — one of the nation’s top junior college programs. He was named an NJCAA Division I PING Second-Team All-American and the NJCAA Division I Phil Mickelson Outstanding Freshman Award runner-up, helping lead Midland to the NJCAA DI Men’s National Championship.

Now, after detours that carried them through the heartland of America, the two childhood acquaintances have reunited in the pine forests of southeast Georgia.

“Me and Harrison have known each other for a long time — probably almost the entire time we’ve played golf competitively,” Blythe said. “We met when we were probably 12 or 13, playing on the same county team for Northumberland as 14- and 15-year-olds, and we’ve been close ever since.

“We had weekend-long practice sessions with our England Regional Squad, matches for Northumberland, winter meetups in the freezing cold snow and wind — really everything for the length of our junior careers and beyond. So it’s been very cool to see how we’ve both developed and grown over that time into what we are today: college golfers at a very prestigious school.

“We know each other’s golf game inside and out, despite them being totally different, and we know each other’s character inside and out, despite again being totally different. We’re just two really good friends who are extremely grateful to be somewhere like this together.”

Newcastle, a bustling city of more than 300,000 along the River Tyne, is better known for its soccer club and industrial heritage than its golf. But the region’s rugged coastline and rolling countryside offer a surprising number of links-style courses that shaped both players’ early games.

“For me, golf back home is more of a links-style game, even on the parkland courses,” Sewell said. “The courses are generally a lot firmer, meaning it’s difficult to always judge the bounce. Coming to the U.S., I find everything is softer, meaning hitting approach shots that don’t take much of a bounce is nice. The ball also goes a little farther out here, which takes some adjustment — but once you’ve got it, it’s very nice.”

“Being able to adapt to different grasses, weather and courses is a huge asset that will stay with us for as long as we live,” Blythe added. “I think it’s one that’s almost impossible to achieve unless you do what we did — move to a different country. It definitely feels like we have an edge in that regard.”

That shared background gives them a unique connection in a Georgia Southern locker room filled with players from across the globe. The Eagles’ roster features golfers from the United States, Europe and beyond, but having someone from the same hometown provides a comfort that’s hard to find so far from home.

“We talk a bit about what’s going on in the golfing world back home and how our county is doing,” Sewell said. “But it’s also nice to have another English — and Geordie — lad around who understands you and can relate to some of the challenges an international student-athlete can experience.”

“It’s bizarre,” Blythe simply stated. “It really is — I can’t quite put it into words. For the whole time I’ve been in America, I tried to get him to come join me where I was, as I know he’s a good friend of mine but also a great competitor.

“And for it to have actually happened is incredible. We keep having moments together where we both take a step back and say something like, ‘How weird is it that we’re here right now — us two Geordie boys?’ Whether it’s when we were winning in Hilton Head at the Golfweek Challenge, in the mountains of Utah, or sitting by the pool in our apartment complex relaxing in the sun — if somebody told us back in our junior golf days that we’d be doing these things together, you’d have been called completely and utterly mad.”

For head coach Carter Collins, the reunion benefits not just team chemistry, but also competition.

“Both Harrison and Morgan have as strong a desire to be successful as individuals as they do as part of a team,” Collins said. “They are very competitive and make everyone around them better. They both communicate very well and are very coachable.”

Reunited after two years apart, the duo has had a hot start to the 2025-26 season. Sewell won his first Division I tournament when he took home medalist honors at the Golfweek Fall Challenge, and Blythe is averaging 70.00 through three tournaments with two top-five finishes.

From the River Tyne to the banks of the Ogeechee, the road has been long for Sewell and Blythe. But in Statesboro — a small Southern town far removed from Newcastle’s bustling city center — they’ve found themselves right back where it all began: competing alongside each other.

“I couldn’t imagine being from Claxton, Georgia, and playing golf for a university in England while being away from all of my family, friends and routine,” Collins joked. “I would want someone familiar with me to help push me, celebrate the successes and get through the tough times. They definitely do that for each other, and it’s great to see.”

The two lean on each other and use memories of home to take the focus off the fact they are 4,000 miles away from their loved ones.

“Every day we talk about home,” Blythe said. “We both have the same coach, Andy Paisley, so we often talk about what he has to say for each of us. We talk about what people at home are up to and funny stories from the past, especially from when we were younger and slightly less dumb than what we are now. It’s also a lot of fun to include the rest of our team in these conversations, and tell them stories about each other growing up from the other's perspective. But I most enjoy talking about football (soccer…). We support different teams but to be able to rant or rave about that regularly is really refreshing and liberating. It’s a big part of my life that I can’t bottle up, and Americans couldn't care less about how Newcastle do on Saturdays. So it’s great to be able to talk about that, even if Harrison comes out with some horrific takes every once in a while.”

Fans can catch Blythe, Sewell and the rest of the Georgia Southern men’s golf team in action Monday and Tuesday as they host the Bash in the Boro at the Georgia Southern University Golf Course. Play begins both days at 8:15 a.m. with a shotgun start, and fans are welcome to come out and support the team. There is no admission fee.