June 8, 2004
ATLANTA – Junior Nicholas Thompson was named to the third team, and junior Chan Wongluekiet and freshman Roberto Castro earned honorable mention Monday when the Golf Coaches Association of America announced its PING All-America teams for 2004.
The GCAA also announced its annual Cleveland Golf All-America Scholars, and Thompson and Wongluekiet both were named to that list. Thompson previously was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District III team and is on the ballot for the All-America team.
Georgia Tech, which finished fifth in the NCAA Men’s Golf Championship last week in Hot Springs, Va., has had at least one third-team – or higher – All-America selection in 13 of the last 14 years. Each team is comprised of 10 players, putting Thompson among the nation’s 30 best.
Thompson finished the season ranked No. 18 in the nation according to the Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index. An All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection this year for the second time, the junior from Coral Springs, Fla., ranked third in the Atlantic Coast Conference with a 71.17 stroke average and finished in a tie for 17th at the NCAA Championship.
Wongluekiet, from Bradenton, Fla., and Castro, from Alpharetta, Ga., finished the year ranked 85th and 39th, respectively, in the Golfweek/Sagarin Index, and both were named to the All-ACC team. Wongluekiet tied for 24th at the NCAA Championship and ranked ninth in the ACC with a 72.64 stroke average. Castro, the ACC Rookie of the Year, tied for 44th at the NCAA’s and ranked sixth in the ACC in stroke average at 71.86.
Thompson is competing Tuesday in a sectional qualifying tournament for next week’s U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y. Thompson is playing for one of two qualifying spots at Settindown Creek in Roswell, Ga. Wongluekiet failed to qualify Monday in Columbus, Ohio, for one of 33 positions up for grabs there.
Matt Every and Camilo Villegas of Florida, Wake Forest’s Bill Haas, Jason Hartwick of Texas, Kentucky’s John Holmes, Brock Mackenzie of Washington, UNLV’s Ryan Moore, Chris Nallen of Arizona, Lamar’s Chris Stroud and Peter Tomasulo of California were named to the PING All-America first team.
Second team selections included Jack Ferguson and Matt Hendrix of Clemson, Brad Heaven of Toledo, UCLA’s Travis Johnson, Anthony Kim of Oklahoma, New Mexico’s Spencer Levin, Jeff Overton of Indiana, Pepperdine’s Michael Putnam, Chez Reavie of Arizona State and Oklahoma State’s Casey Wittenberg.
UTEP’s Chris Baryla, Alejandro Canizares of Arizona State, Colorado State’s Martin Laird and Nolan Martin, Luke List of Vanderbilt, TCU’s Adam Meyer, Aron Price of Georgia Southern, Duke’s Nathan Smith, and Colorado’s Kane Webber were named to the third team along with Thompson.
A total of 39 golfers were named to the honorable mention team.
To be eligible for Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar status, an individual must be a junior or senior academically and competed in at least two full years at the collegiate level, participate in 70 percent of his teams competitive rounds, have a stroke average under 76.0 and maintain a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.2. A recipient must also be of high moral character and in good standing at his college or university.
For the entire list of GCAA All-Americans and All-America Scholars, go to the official site of the Golf Coaches Association of America.
