Mercer Women’s Golf Adds Austin, Harris

MACON, Georgia (Mercer Sports)– Mercer women’s golf coach Gary Guyer announced the signing of Haley Austin and Katy Harris to National Letters of Intent on Wednesday.  Both Austin and Harris are Georgia natives who are set to graduate in the spring and will join the team as freshmen in the fall of 2013.

“It is a privilege to welcome Haley and Katy to our team,” Guyer said. “These are two amazing golfers and could have gone and played anywhere. They bought in to our vision that we have for the Mercer women’s golf program. They will make an immediate impact on the success of our team and this is a great day for our program.”

Harris is a senior at Glynn Academy in St. Simons Island, Georgia, where she carries a +.9 USGA handicap.  During her career under coach Steve Waters are Glynn Academy, Harris has been a three-time Class AAAA All-Region and All-State selection, powered by state tournament medalist honors in 2011 and state medalist runner-up honors in 2010 and 2012.

“Katy can flat out play some golf,” Guyer said. “As I have watched her compete over the past couple years, I would say that her best attribute is her focus. When she gets going then you better look out. She can close the deal. She has finished strong and won many top junior events; shooting sub-par rounds. I am looking forward to watching her compete for us.”

Harris’ other high school highlights include the 2AAAA Regional Championship in 2010, two individual tournament championships and two individual runner-up placements.  During her time at Glynn, her efforts helped the team capture back-to-back state championships in 2010 and 2011.

On the junior tour circuit, Harris has piled up 12 victories, 23 top-five placements and 34 top-10 finishes over the past three years.

“Growing up at Sea Island and working with the best instructors in the country has paid huge dividends for Katy,” Guyer continued. “She has a wonderful family that supports her and they have a lot of fun together. This is going to be fun.”

Junior Golf Scoreboard ranks Katy and Haley as the No. 6 and No. 7 players in the state of Georgia, respectively.

Austin, a native of McDonough, checks in at No. 13 on the same list, with a 77.9 rating in seven junior events played.  Among her high school accolades include three All-Region selections and a pair of All-State nods while competing at Ola High School for head coach Steve Sewell.

“I have been watching Haley compete in junior tournaments for a couple of years,” Guyer said. “She is tenacious and works hard to improve her scoring. She is an excellent listener and has a solid grasp of how to play the game at the highest level. She has won many prestigious tournaments and shot in the 60’s several times,”

In recent American Junior Golf Association tournaments, Austin carded a third place finish with scores of 74, 74 and 72 at the Under Armour/Jeff Overton Championship on July 16, 2012.  On June 11, 2012, she landed a tie for sixth place at the 2012 Burgett H. Mooney, Jr. Rome Classic presented by State Mutual Insurance Company, fueled by an opening round 73.

“Haley is a well-rounded student-athlete with great personality and a confident persona,” Guyer said. “She comes from a solid family whom I have gotten to know very well. It is going to be a fun four years with her.”

At the 2012 Georgia Girls Championship, Austin took home runner up honors and qualified for the Georgia-South Carolina Challenge.