June 23, 2011
Norman, Okla. – For the first time since 2005 and for only the second time in Georgia Tech’s golf history, three Yellow Jacket players have been named first- or second-team All-Americans by the Golf Coaches Association. The GCAA announced the PING All-America teams Thursday, and James White is on the first team, while graduating seniors John-Tyler Griffin and Kyle Scott made the second team.
The selection of White, a junior from Acworth, Ga., was announced following the conclusion of stroke play at the NCAA Golf Championships on June 2. He and Scott were both named first-team All-Americans by Golfweek magazine on Monday.
Scott and Griffin, also a second-team choice by Golfweek, give the Yellow Jackets three players on the first or second teams for the first time since Roberto Castro, Chan Song and Nicholas Thompson did so in 2005.
The three players all finished the spring ranked among the nation’s top 11 players both in the Golfstat rankings and the Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index. They, along with senior Paul Haley, the ACC Champion, led Georgia Tech to three tournament victories in 2010-11, including the ACC title for the third straight year, and a final ranking of No. 2 in Golfweek and No. 3 in Golfstat.
The Yellow Jackets finished second in medal play at the NCAA Championship and second at the NCAA East Regional, while finishing lower than fourth only twice in 11 stroke-play events.
White won two of college golf’s most prestigious events this year, the United States Collegiate Championship in the fall and the Puerto Rico Classic in the spring. Griffin and Scott, though they did not win an event, posted nine top-5 finishes and 13 top-10 showings between them. Each posted stroke averages under 72, only the second time that has happened in Tech history.
Joining White on the PING All-America first team were Patrick Cantlay of UCLA, Alabama’s Bud Cauley, Luke Guthrie of Illinois, Oklahoma State’s Morgan Hoffmann, Kevin Tway and Peter Uihlein, LSU’s John Peterson, Patrick Reed of Augusta State, Florida’s Bank Vongvanij and Andrew Yun of Stanford.
Auburn’s Blayne Barber, Phillip Choi of Florida, Georgia’s Harris English, Kennesaw State’s Jeff Karlsson, Henrik Norlander of Augusta State, Texas A&M’s Jordan Russell, Alabama’s Cory Whitsett and Washington’s Chris Williams join Griffin and Scott on the second team.
Third-team honorees include Andres Echavarria of Florida, Texas A&M’s Ignacio Elvira, Nils Floren of Texas Tech, Texas’ Dylan Frittelli, Vince India of Iowa, Michigan’s Lion Kim, Ben Kohles of Virginia, UCLA’s Gregor Main, Jason Millard of Middle Tennessee and San Diego State’s J.J. Spaun.
A total of 26 golfers were named honorable mention All-America.
PING All-America Teams
First-TeamPatrick Cantlay, UCLABud Cauley, AlabamaLuke Guthrie, IllinoisMorgan Hoffmann, Oklahoma StateJohn Peterson, LSUPatrick Reed, Augusta StateKevin Tway, Oklahoma StatePeter Uihlein, Oklahoma StateBank Vongvanij, FloridaJames White, Georgia TechAndrew Yun, Stanford
Second-Team Blayne Barber, Auburn Phillip Choi, Florida Harris English, Georgia J.T. Griffin, Georgia Tech Jeff Karlsson, Kennesaw State Henrik Norlander, Augusta State Jordan Russell, Texas A&M Kyle Scott, Georgia Tech Cory Whitsett, Alabama Chris Williams, Washington
Third-Team Andres Echavarria, Florida Ignacio Elvira, Texas A&M Nils Floren, Texas Tech Dylan Frittelli, Texas Vince India, Iowa Lion Kim, Michigan Ben Kohles, Virginia Gregor Main, UCLA Jason Millard, Middle Tennessee J.J. Spaun, San Diego State
Honorable Mention Abraham Ancer, Oklahoma Todd Baek, San Diego State Evan Beck, Wake Forest Lee Bedford, Wake Forest Chris Brant, Iowa Sebastian Cappelen, Arkansas Albin Choi, NC State Austin Cook, Arkansas Chris DeForest, Illinois John Hahn, Kent State Matt Hansen, UC Davis Russell Henley, Georgia Kelly Kraft, SMU Scott Langley, Missouri David Lipsky, Northwestern Jace Long, Missouri Andrew Loupe, LSU Alex Moore, Oregon State Brinson Paolini, Duke Cameron Peck, Texas A&M Andrew Putnam, Pepperdine Mitchell Sutton, NC State Hudson Swafford, Georgia Michael Weaver, California Pontus Widegren, UCLA Robin Wingardh, Tennessee
