There have been times in the past when talented junior golfers from the state of North Carolina immediately placed N.C . State on the back burner.
Times, along with the golf programs at State, have changed.
After signing three new North Carolina products during the early signing period, Wolfpack head coach Richard Sykes has now brought in six consecutive in-state juniors dating back to what is now the current freshmen class. Chad Cox (Charlotte), Stanhope Johnson (Greensboro) and Carter Page ( Waynesville ) will be set to join next year’s team which will feature current freshmen Wilson Day (Raleigh), Andrew Decker (Greenville) and Billy Herring ( Lillington ).
Cox’s arrival to Raleigh will be a highly-anticipated one for the Pack – the two-time high school state champion is currently ranked No. 25 by the American Junior Golf Association for all players graduating in 2012. Although Cox is considered the best junior golfer in the state, the winner of the prestigious North & South Championship in Pinehurst will not be alone next fall.
Johnson, the second ranked junior golfer in North Carolina for 2012 graduates, also brings a sparkling resume right across on I-40. Last year’s 1-A state champion won the Carolinas Golf Association title at the N.C . Junior Boys’ Championship and was a star at Bishop McGuinness High School. Page, the third recruit, signed during the early period, is a top-20 golfer in the state and chose the Pack over Carolina, Georgia, Northwestern, Virginia and Oklahoma State.
After 41 seasons at the University, Sykes said he understands the value of finding great in-state talent.
“They distinguished themselves in junior golf and I expect them to flourish in college,” Sykes said. “Every time you move up another level, things change a little bit.
“But these guys have a lot of talent.”
By bringing in three in-state freshmen this past year, Sykes said he had a great selling point to convince the three recruits to sign for next season.
“Some of the [incoming recruits] followed the guys who are here now,” Sykes said. “This year’s freshman class of Billy Herring, Andrew Decker and Wilson Day are all familiar with these guys. They were probably just as much of a calling card to get these other guys here.”
While attracting talented golfers to State is a major step forward in building upon Wolfpack golf, having an on-campus golf course has been the vital selling point.
“We’ve built a very nice golf course, will hopefully start construction of the clubhouse in the near future, and we have a great short game facility,” Sykes said. “So the kids in the state have options. In years past, they would look at schools like North Carolina and Duke who had their own golf courses. We were about the only ones who didn’t have a golf course.”
And after all the years of Sykes having to make arrangements for his teams to practice and play at other courses in Raleigh, it’s only fitting that North Carolina’s best junior golfers are making arrangements to spend four years at State.
Alt:
N.C . State Men’s Golf – Spring Schedule
2/19-21 Puerto Rico Classic (Rio Grande, P.R .)
3/5-6 Louisiana Classics Invitational (Lafayette, LA)
3/16-18 Schenkel Invitational ( Statesboro , GA)
3/25-27 Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate ( Awendaw , SC)
4/6-7 River Landing Intercollegiate (Wallace, NC)
4/14-15 Wolfpack Spring Open (Raleigh, NC)
4/20-22 ACC Championship (London, NC)
5/17-19 NCAA Regionals (TBA)
5/30-6/3 NCAA Championship (Pacific Palisades, CA)
