Chip has played golf tournaments in 38 states and seven countries including three years in South Africa. He has won over 80 tournaments as a professional (including the Carolina's PGA Section Championship (98’) and a 3-time winner of the Middle Atlantic PGA Section Championship (96’, 02’, 06’) and the Maryland Open (02’, 04’, 06’). He is currently the reigning Middle Atlantic PGA Player of the Year for the second straight year.

In 1999, Chip qualified for the Nike Tour (now Nationwide Tour) but decided to pass it up to come back to the Roanoke area and become the Head Golf Professional at Ashley Plantation Country Club in Daleville.

How did you get introduced to the game?
At the age of 5, we moved from Albany, N.Y. to a country club in Covington, LA. At that time my parents (avid golfers) took me out to the golf course and I immediately took a liking to the sport. I played all the country club sports growing up but as soon as I won my first trophy at age 7 I was hooked to golf.

What is your greatest achievement in golf?
Finishing third at the final stage of PGA Tour Qualifying School in 1996 and being fully exempt on the PGA Tour for 1997. This accomplishment is a rarity for an assistant professional to not only attempt Q-School but winning the first and second stage and then finishing one shot back of the winners Jimmy Johnson and Allen Doyle at the final stage.

What is your most memorable golf story:
One of the most amazing experiences of my life dramatically intertwined my family and the sport of golf. In 2004, I qualified for the 86th PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, via a third place finish at the National Club Professional Championship. With my father-in-law as a caddy, I not only made the cut, but finished T31, earning a place in Golf History for the lowest finish by a club pro in over 30 years.

However, this was not the defining moment of the PGA for me. While at Whistling Straits, I received news that in New Orleans, my sister was losing her battle with a terminal illness. She was not expected to make it through the weekend. Her dying wish was to hang on and see me play "for her" on the weekend. Kerry Anne Sullivan watched me play on Sunday, and passed away the following morning.
At home in Virginia, my wife Kari was on bed rest and due to deliver our third child that same week. She encouraged me to play in the PGA and follow my dreams. I returned to Virginia the Sunday after my sister's funeral. Colby Walker Sullivan, our first son, entered the world the next day, one week to the day after my sister's death.

My heart went from high to low to high again, all whilst experiencing the whirlwind of my finish in the PGA. The players, media, and strangers from around the world expressed their support, and carried us though the ordeal with insurmountable compassion. We, as a family, will never be the same, and will never be able to express our gratitude to the international golfing community.

What do you think is the most interesting or unusual aspect of your life?
In today's world, golf professionals are faced with the quandary of mastering ever-changing technology, diverse cultural standards, and an influx in population, all while maintaining a personal level of hospitality, service, and charm. This is a daunting task for the true Hogan-defined PGA Professional, where the "pro" is not only the best player in the club, but also a promoter, manager, teacher, merchandiser, leader, and friend. Few TRUE "Hogan" professionals exist today. Players as club professionals are being replaced by shopping mall retailers. Fewer and fewer golf professionals share the original vision of the original "pro". I have attained an eclectic balance of these genres. I am an accomplished player who is consistently competitive on all levels of the game. At the same time, I run a first-rate golf club, managing and merchandising the number one golf course in my area. I strive to maintain this balance of "golf professional and professional golfer" always remembering the honor of the game.

Please tell us about your family (spouse, children, etc.):
After working through my PGA Apprenticeship at several first class clubs nationwide and playing all over the world, I was led to a Teaching Professional job in Roanoke, VA. My first contact in Roanoke was with an elementary school principal who was a skilled player and promoter of the game in the area. I contacted him to see about visiting "Career Days" to promote my upcoming junior programs in the schools. We hit it off right away and set up a tee time.
Across town, I met a beautiful college co-ed who just happened to be obsessed with the game of golf. Her father, she said, was a “Hall of Fame" golfer in the area. She also reveled in telling me tales of how she hung pictures of Payne Stewart in her school locker, and considered the '86 Masters to be one of the greatest tournaments she had ever watched. This tiny Virginia town was turning out better than expected!

The principal, I found out, was the father of the co-ed. Three years and six months later she was my wife, and he was my father-in-law. Six months after that, he was my caddie on the PGA Tour, and she was a member of the PGA Tour Wives Association.

My wife, Kari, and father-in-law, Tom, are amazing sources of support in my life. Additionally, I have three fabulous children; daughters Kalley and Camryn (8 and 5), and son Colby (2). My mother (a Hurricane Katrina survivor), father, sister, and mother-in law round out my circle of family. Living a life such as mine, one could not function without the presence of a strong family. I consider myself to be a very lucky man, and I desire to give back to them all I can in return.