TIFTON – Whit Hayes, a sophomore golfer at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, will compete in the NJCAA Division II Men’s Golf Championship, which will be played May 21-24 at Twin Hills Golf & Country Club in Joplin, Mo.
A native of Thomasville, Hayes finished third in the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association Championship in April and followed that with a 10th place finish in the NJCAA Division II Southeast District tournament later that month. He feels like his game is peaking at the right time.
“I’m glad to be in this position and excited about the tournament,” he said. “This will be the biggest tournament I’ve played in with a lot of high-level players. I love playing against great competition and I’m looking forward to being there.”
Hayes said his sophomore season had a slow start. But after some consultation with ABAC golf coach Sonny Skinner, he made some adjustments to his swing that paid off with more consistency and longer distance off the tee.
“I was jumping out of my golf swing and it was frustrating,” Hayes said. “I couldn’t find a fairway. But Coach Skinner helped me and I started staying back a little more. Once I got my bearings straight, it straightened out. I started hitting it a lot better in February and now I feel like I can’t miss a fairway.”
“One of the best things about Whit’s game is that he is so consistent,” Skinner said. “He’s consistent in his play but also in how he approaches the game. You would never know if he is playing well or not because it doesn’t affect him. He’s competitive but he doesn’t allow a bad shot to affect the next one.”
Hayes played at Thomas County Central High School where he qualified for the GHSA state tournament as a sophomore and again as a junior, when he finished in the top 20. No state tournament was held during his senior year due to COVID-19, but he has found success again as a Stallion.
“He’s had a great year for us,” Skinner said, “and he’ll represent us well in this tournament.”