Nov. 8, 2010
Birmingham, Ala. – Georgia Tech junior James White and Abilene-Christian sophomore Alex Carpenter have been named co-winners of the Southern Golf Association’s National Amateur of the Month award. For only the second time in the history of the award, two winners were accorded the honor for October after the selection panel dead-locked its votes.
White won the U.S. Collegiate at the Golf Club of Georgia by five shots over a strong field. He posted a 12-under-par total of 204 to win the event, closing with a course-record, 10-under-par 62 that his coach, Bruce Heppler, called “perhaps the best round by a collegian this year.” White’s heroics led Tech to an impressive 27-stroke team title in the event over top-ranked UCLA.
Carpenter, who vaulted into prominence by winning the Southern Amateur last summer, rattled off a remarkable four straight NCAA Division II victories through the Queens Invitational at TPC Sawgrass which stretched into the first two days in November. Prior to that, the Little Rock native posted successive wins in the Oklahoma Collegiate at Lawton, OK; the NCAA Division II Preview at Ford City, AL; and the Bruce Williams Invitational at San Antonio’s Dominion C.C. During his 4-victory run, Carpenter was a combined 26-under-par for the 11 rounds.
The SGA March-through-October award is in its eighth season. The monthly winners are picked by a blue-ribbon national panel of golf journalists, officials and coaches. Earlier winners this year were U.S. Amateur champ Peter Uihlein, collegiate stars Tyson Alexander of Florida, Scott Langley of Illinois and Russell Henley of Georgia, Dallas schoolboy Jordan Spieth, recent Mobile high school grad Bobby “57” Wyatt and repeat U.S. Mid-Am champ Nathan Smith of Pittsburgh.
The SGA is active in the promotion of amateur golf in a number of ways, including its storied Southern Amateur Championship, the 105th edition scheduled at Innisbrook Resort near Tampa next July, and the 36th Southern Junior at Dallas Athletic Club in June.
