Harrison Grad Wins National Golf Award

alumnus James White was named the co-winner of the 2012 Byron Nelson Award on Thursday.

White, a member of the Georgia Tech golf team, shares the award with Dylan Frittelli of Texas.

The award goes to a college senior—or, in this case, two college seniors—based on academics, golf career, character and integrity. Good citizenship is a key factor because the winner must emulate Byron Nelson, according to the announcement from the Golf Coaches Association of America.

The GCAA hands out the Nelson Award with Cleveland Golf/Srixon, the Four Seasons Resort and Club Las Colinas, the Salesmanship Club of Dallas and Friends of Golf.

"I'm extremely excited to be one of the winners of the Byron Nelson Award this year," White said in a news release from Georgia Tech. "I couldn't be happier to share it with a guy like Dylan Frittelli. I couldn't be more excited or honored to be a part of this award.”

The 22-year-old Acworth resident also won Georgia Tech’s Bobby Dodd Award as the school’s most outstanding student-athlete.

Georgia Tech is ranked eighth in the nation, and White is leading the team in pursuit of its fourth consecutive ACC championship this weekend at the Old North State Club in New London, NC. The Yellow Jackets are scheduled to hit the course just after 10 a.m. today.

White won the individual AAAAA Georgia High School Association golf championship as a sophomore in 2006 and a senior in 2008 at Harrison and was part of the state championship team in 2008.

At Georgia Tech, he has twice been All-ACC and was the ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year in golf last year, when he also was a Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholar. He was a first-team All-America and All-Nicklaus Team member as a junior.

He’s the third Yellow Jacket to win the Nelson Award, after Troy Matteson in 2003 and Roberto Castro in 2007.

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