The AJGA is known for fostering some of the best college
golfers in the nation, but the Association also produces top collegiate
student-athletes. AJGA alum Cory
Whitsett of Houston was named the recipient of the Elite 89 Award for the 2012
NCAA Division I Mens Golf Championships.
The sophomore received this honor due to his 3.94 grade
point average in management at the University of Alabama. (The Elite 89 Award recognizes the student-athlete
with the highest cumulative GPA participating at the finals site for each of
the NCAAs championships.)
At the age of 15, Whitsett won the 2007 U.S. Junior
Amateur Championship. A three-time Rolex
Junior All-American, he compiled four career AJGA wins and 25 top-15
finishes. Whitsett joined the company of
Phil Mickelson, David Duval, Webb Simpson and Charles Howell III when he won
the 2008 Rolex Tournament of Champions.
This is Whitsetts second NCAA Championship
appearance. Second on the Crimson Tide Golf
Team with a 71.44, he has collected two tournament victories this season and
three for his collegiate career.
Past recipients of the Elite 89 Award include AJGA
alumni Ben Greene (Kennesaw State University), DJ Milligan (California State
University, Monterey Bay), Jack Dukeminier (University of Oregon), Brooke
Pancake (University of Alabama) and Melanie Walsh (Washington University,
Missouri).