Two-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection who played his way into the lineup for post-season as a sophomore by playing solid golf on some of the more difficult courses the Jackets played … Played as a counting member of Tech[apos]s travel team in 38 of 39 events, from the 2008 Southern Highlands Collegiate through the end of his senior year … Career stroke average of 72.94 over 122 rounds ranks 12th in Tech history … Had 15 career top-10 finishes in 42 events … Graduated in May, 2011 with his bachelor[apos]s degree in Management … Red-shirted in 2006-07 after failing to qualify for the travel squad.
2010-11: All-ACC selection who finished the spring ranked No. 11 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index, No. 16 in the Golfstat Cup … Led the team and ranked second in the ACC with a 71.54 stroke average for 35 rounds … Average average was a half-stroke better than his junior year mark … Had seven top-10 finishes and four others in the top 20 … Best finishes – T2 at the Western Refining College All-American and 3rd at the ACC Championship … Finished T7 at the USCC, T8 in Puerto Rico … Had a 788-114 record against all opposition, 55-41-7 against players ranked in the top 50 nationally … Had 22 rounds of par or better, nine under 70.
2009-10: Honorable mention All-American by the GCAA, third-team by Golfweek …Ranked No. 28 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index, No. 38 in the Golfstat Cup … All-ACC selection who led team and ranked third in the ACC with a 71.94 stroke average for 31 rounds … Stroke average was nearly 2.5 strokes per round better than his sophomore mark, and his last-round average was more than two shots better … Had six top-10 finishes and one other in the top 20 … Best was a T2 at the Brickyard Collegiate, has a T3 at the NCAA Southeast Regional and three other T4[apos]s … Had a 832-172-45 heat-to-head record against Division I opposition, 106-79-16 against players ranked in the top 100 nationally … Ranked fourth nationally in birdie conversion, 16th in subpar strokes per round, 38th in par-5 scoring average (4.65) and 38th in putting par … Last-round average of 71.50 ranked 55th nationally … Had 20 rounds of par or better, 10 under 70, both of which led the team.
2008-09: Posted two top-10 finishes as a sophomore, a tie for third at the Brickyard Collegiate and a tie for fourth at the United States Collegiate … Had team[apos]s second-best stroke average at 74.00, including a 74.42 norm in 21 spring rounds … Eight rounds of par or better in the spring … Ranked No. 118 in most recent Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index … Had a 536-369-40 head-to-head record against the 22nd-most difficult opposition.
2007-08: Played six events total, including the ACC Championship and the NCAA regional … Averaged 75.35 strokes in 20 rounds … Tied for 40th at the Isleworth-UCF Collegiate, tied for 33rd at the United States Collegiate … Counted for the team in 12 of 17 team rounds … Closed well, pacing Tech on the final day of the NCAA Central Regional with a 74 … Averaged 73.57 in final rounds.
ACC Championship experience: T43 in 2008, T27 in 2009, T23 in 2010 and 3rd in 2011 … Has averaged 72.58 in 12 rounds.
NCAA Championship experience: Finished T4, T11 and T17 in his last three regionals, best NCAA Finals finish was T17 in 2011 … 72.95 stroke average in 21 regional and Finals rounds … Went 1-1 in NCAA match play.
Amateur: 2011: Finished second in the Azalea Invitational amateur event in Charleston in March … T7 (7-under 137) in the U.S. Open sectional qualifier at Hawks Ridge Golf Club … 2010: Medalist at U.S. Amateur Public Links, T5 at Dogwood Invitational, 23rd at Northeast Amateur, T24 at Sunnehanna Amateur … 2009: Qualified for U.S. Amateur by winning sectional at Vienna, Va. … T-3rd at Players Amateur (3-under 285) … 2008: T12 at Dogwood Amateur, closing with 65-67 … T17 at the Players Amateur (6-under-par) … 2007: Qualified for the U.S. Amateur, but did not advance from stroke play … 2005: Missed the cut at the 2005 U.S. Amateur at Merion … Reached the quarterfinals of match play as the 2005 Carolinas Amateur … 2004: Lost in the first round of match play at the 2004 U.S. Amateur at Winged Foot.
High School: Four-year all-state player at Fike High School, where he helped the school win region championships in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 … Won the North Carolina AAA state title in 2004, as well as region titles in 2003, 2004 and 2005 … Also lettered one year as a guard in basketball.
Junior Golf: Ranked No. 41 by the Junior Golf Scoreboard … Third at the 2005 Sea Island Junior Golf Classic, seventh at the 2005 AJGA Golf Pride Junior Classic … 13th at the 2005 MCI Junior Heritage.
Personal: Full name is John Tyler Griffin, goes by [quote]J.T.[quote] … Born May 8, 1987 in Wilson, N.C. … Son of John and Julie Griffin … Graduated in May, 2011 with his bachelor[apos]s degree in Management.
Collegiate Tournament Results
| 2007-08 | ||
| T49# | Brickyard Collegiate (+10) | 78-76-72 – 226 |
| T40 | Isleworth-UCF Collegiate (+6) | 73-74-75 – 232 |
| na | Callaway Golf Collegiate Match Play | 0-3 |
| 67 | Southern Highlands Collegiate (+21) | 80-80-77 – 237 |
| T33 | United States Collegiate Championship (+7) | 77-72-74 – 223 |
| T38 | Administaff Augusta State Invitational (+2) | 73-72 – 146 |
| T43 | Atlantic Coast Conference Championship (+8) | 77-76-71 – 224 |
| T65 | NCAA Central Regional (+16) | 78-77-74 – 229 |
| 2008-09 | ||
| T71 | Carpet Capital Collegiate (+12) | 79-77-72 – 228 |
| T38 | PING/Golfweek Preview Invitational (+10) | 77-71-75 – 223 |
| T3 | Brickyard Collegiate (+5) | 69-74-72 – 215 |
| T35 | Isleworth-UCF Collegiate Invitational (+11) | 76-73-78 – 227 |
| T39 | UH Hilo Invitational (+8) | 76-75-73 – 224 |
| T21 | Puerto Rico Classic (-1) | 71-72-72 – 215 |
| T71 | Southern Highlands Collegiate (+19) | 78-76-81 – 235 |
| T4 | United States Collegiate Championship (E) | 72-74-70 – 216 |
| T27 | Atlantic Coast Conference Championship (+4) | 72-74-74 – 220 |
| T11 | NCAA Central Regional (+1) | 74-72-71 – 217 |
| T60 | NCAA Championship (+9) | 76-74-72 – 222 |
| 2009-10 | ||
| T20 | Carpet Capital Collegiate (+2) | 79-69-70 – 218 |
| T4 | Mason Rudolph Intercollegiate (-5) | 69-68 – 137 |
| T2# | Brickyard Collegiate (-5) | 69-70 – 139 |
| T4 | UNCG Bridgestone Collegiate (-8) | 68-68-72 – 208 |
| T10 | Mauna Lani Invitational (+1) | 74-71-72 – 217 |
| T4 | Puerto Rico Classic (-11) | 70-65-70 – 205 |
| T37 | Southern Highlands Collegiate (+18) | 76-83-75 – 234 |
| T30 | Linger Longer Invitational (+9) | 76-76-73 – 225 |
| T22 | Wolfpack Intercollegiate (+8) | 74-75-72 – 221 |
| T23 | ACC Championship (+2) | 68-74-76 – 218 |
| T3 | NCAA Southeast Regional (-1) | 68-73-68 – 209 |
| T25 | NCAA Championship (-1) | 71-72-72 – 215 |
| L | NCAA Match Play Championship (Henrik Norlander, Augusta State) | 1-up |
| 2010-11 | ||
| T9 | Carpet Capital Collegiate (-2) | 72-72-70 – 214 |
| T13 | PING/Golfweek Preview Invitational (+6) | 75-70-77 – 222 |
| T8 | Brickyard Collegiate (-3) | 75-69-69 – 213 |
| T7 | United States Collegiate Championship (-1) | 69-76-70 – 215 |
| T2 | Western Refining College All-American (-9) | 71-65-68 – 204 |
| T14 | Amer Ari Invitational (-6) | 67-74-69 – 210 |
| T8 | Puerto Rico Classic (-4) | 70-72-70 – 212 |
| T25 | Southern Highlands Collegiate Masters (+8) | 71-74-79 – 224 |
| – | Callaway Collegiate Match Play Championship | 0-3-1 |
| 3 | Yellow Jacket Classic (-3) | 69-72 – 141 |
| 3 | Atlantic Coast Conference Championship (-7) | 73-70-66 – 209 |
| T17 | NCAA East Regional (+5) | 74-74-73 – 221 |
| T17 | NCAA Championship (+3) | 73-72-74 – 219 |
| W | NCAA Match Play Championship (Henrik Norlander, Augusta State) | 3&2 |
#played as an individual
| Career Statistics | ||||||||||
| Year | Trn | T10 | T20 | Rnds/Cnt | Strk | Avg. | Lo | Hi | Par | 60s |
| 2007-08 | 7 | 0 | 0 | #20/12 | 1507 | 75.35 | 71 | 80 | 4 | 0 |
| 2008-09 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 33/29 | 2442 | 74.00 | 69 | 81 | 11 | 1 |
| 2009-10 | 12 | 6 | 7 | #34/29 | 2446 | 71.94 | 65 | 83 | 20 | 10 |
| 2010-11 | 12 | 7 | 11 | #36/32 | 2504 | 71.54 | 65 | 79 | 22 | 9 |
| Total | 42 | 15 | 21 | #123/102 | 8899 | 72.35 | 65 | 83 | 57 | 20 |
#includes rounds played as an individual
Low round: 65 (-6), Western Refining College All-American, 2010
Low tournament score: 204 (-9), Western Refining College All-American, 2010
Best finish: T2, Brickyard Collegiate, 2009; Western Refining College All-American, 2010