Nov. 16, 2005
ATLANTA – Georgia Tech golf coach Bruce Heppler announced the signing of four golfers to national letters-of-intent Wednesday, including a pair of junior golf All-Americans in Paul Haley of Dallas, Texas, and Chesson Hadley of Raleigh, N.C.
Also signing letters-of-intent with Tech were Daniel Bowden of Easley, S.C., and John-Tyler Griffin of Wilson, N.C. Griffin, Haley and Hadley are all ranked among the nation’s top 100 players by the Junior Golf Scoreboard.
Haley, a first-team All-American by the American Junior Golf Association in 2004, is ranked No. 20. Hadley, who was a second-team All-American this year, is No. 41, and Griffin is No. 88 in the most recent rankings issued by the Junior Golf Scoreboard.
“Our objective was to build quality depth in our program, and to create a situation that when (juniors) Roberto Castro and Kevin Larsen leave, their spots can be filled by players with college experience already under their belts,” said Heppler. “This class creates a similar situation to what we had when Kris Mikkelsen, Matt Weibring, Troy Matteson and Adam Cranford joined a team that already had Matt Kuchar and Bryce Molder. That class created a lot of competition at home and tremendous results in tournaments.”
Haley, twice a first-team all-state performer in Texas, led his Highland Park High School team to three state championships. Among his top junior golf performances were victories in two 2004 events, including the AJGA Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail Junior, and the AJGA Dunlop Carolina. He earned two other top-10 finishes in 2004, and five top-10s in 2005.
Hadley won two junior events in 2005, including the AJGA Golf Pride Junior Classic, the AJGA Hargray Junior Classic, and also captured the Palmetto High School Championship. He also won the Blue Devil Junior Golf Classic in 2004, and has earned four other top-10 finishes in the last two years.
Griffin, who had two top-10 finishes and another top-20 in 2005 junior events, also qualified for the 2004 and 2005 U.S. Amateur championship and won the 2004 North Carolina state high school title. On the junior circuit, he finished third in the 2005 Sea Island Junior Golf Classic and seventh at the Golf Price Junior Classic.
Bowden, who led his Easley High School team to the South Carolina state high school championship in 2005 and won medalist honors, has seven top-10 finishes on his junior resume.
