Harris English named SGA National Amateur for July
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (August 2, 2011) -- Recent University of Georgia graduate Harris English, who pulled off a spectacular, back-to-back summer double last month, has been named the Southern Golf Association’s National Amateur of the Month for July. English was picked in a rare move by the national selection panel, naming him by acclamation without the normal balloting among several nominees.
The remarkable July run by English began with a final four performance in the USGA Public Links Amateur Championship at Bandon Dunes in Oregon. Then the Thomasville, Ga., native broke out of a tightly-packed leaderboard with a 6-under-par closing 65 to win the 105th Southern Amateur by three strokes at Innisbrook Resort near Tampa. The very next week, he beat the pros to win a PGA Nationwide Tour event in Columbus, Ohio, sinking a clutch, 10-foot birdie putt on the final hole to win by one stroke over yet another top amateur, NCAA champ John Peterson of LSU.
Earlier winners of the award this year include Morgan Hoffmann, Alex Carpenter, Russell Henley and Patrick Cantlay.
Winners of the National Amateur of the Month award, now in its ninth season, are chosen by a panel of golf journalists, officials and coaches. The SGA supports amateur golf at the highest level, including staging of the storied Southern Amateur, which will be played for the 106th time next July at Chenault CC in Little Rock, Arkansas.