Sherrill Austin and Norman Flynn, two veteran golf professionals who have spent their lives helping others enjoy the game, were honored with induction into the Carolinas PGA Hall of Fame at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club Friday.

The Carolinas Golf Hall of Fame also inducted two new members: former professional golfer Johnny Bulla and one of the game’s most prominent promoters, Bill Hensley. They were elected by members of the Carolinas Golf Reporters Association.

The hall of fame inductions were the highlight of the annual Carolinas Golf Night, which is held annually at Pine Needles. Both halls also have their wall plaques housed in the Pine Needles Reception Center.

Also honored were the Carolinas Golf Association Players of the Year, U.S. Women’s Amateur champion Marcy Newton of High Point and USGA Public Links champion D.J. Trahan, a member of the Clemson University golf team.

The CPGA honored Tim Dunlavey of Spartanburg, S.C., as its Player of the Year, Vic Lipscomb of Spartanburg as its Senior Player of the Year, and Reid Hill of Wilson Country Club as Golf Professional of the Year.

Matt McWilliams of Southern Pines, winner of the Carolinas Amateur, was among CGA champions recognized.

The Carolinas Golf Reporters Association presented awards to Leo Derrick of Asheboro for first place in non-daily feature writing for an article in Triad Golf Today. Howard Ward of The Pilot won a second-place award in that category.

Reid Spencer of Metrolina Golf won awards for non-daily column writing and non-daily news, while Bryan Strickland of the Durham Herald-Sun won awards for daily column and daily feature.

Austin, a native of Morganton, began playing golf in 1953 at age 11. “I shot 70 for the first nine holes,” he recalled, “and six months later I shot 106 in the Donald Ross Junior Championship on Pinehurst No. 4 and won a travel bag.

“I liked the game and it got in my blood, but I never really made a mark with my playing ability.”

Austin credits Joe Cheves of Morganton with teaching him how to be a successful club professional. “I have to pay tribute to him,” Austin said. “He’s responsible for me being here.”

Austin has been a head professional for 35 years and is now head pro at the exclusive Wade Hampton Golf Club in Cashiers. He has held several offices with the CPGA, including a two-year term as president.

Flynn has been head professional at Country Club of Lexington (S.C.) since 1967 and was Professional of the Year in both the South Carolina Chapter of the CPGA and the CPGA. He was president of the CPGA in 1978-79.

“My golf goes back to when I was a 12-year-old caddie,” Flynn said. “I asked some of the Little League baseball players on my team where they were getting money, and they said from carrying bags for golfers at the country club.

“I worked hard on my game and got a scholarship to the University of South Carolina, where I learned I didn’t know nearly as much about the game as I thought. After school, I tried the PGA Tour, and I found again that I wasn’t as good as I thought I was.

“The people in Lexington knew me from my playing career, and the Tour had beaten me down pretty good. I had lost all that cockiness I had, so they gave me a job, and I’ve been there for 35 years.”

Bulla played during the era of Sam Snead and Ben Hogan and had two second-place finishes in the British Open and one in the Masters. One of the British Open seconds and the Masters runner-up were to Snead.

Bulla grew up in Burlington but now lives in Chandler, Ariz. He was unable to attend the induction because of his age, 85.

Hensley was entering into his second hall of fame, having been inducted into the North Carolina Public Relations Journalist Hall in 1992.

“If I’ve contributed anything, it has been longevity,” Hensley said. “This is my 51st year in public relations. I did begin a national advertising campaign on golf for the state and started the first golf guide in the state.

“My golf game always takes a bad rap, but I’m a scratch player in my mind.”

Nike Winternational: Brett Carpenter of Polkton won the Junior-Senior Division of the Nike Winternational Junior Series of Golf held on Pinehurst Country Club’s No. 1 Course last weekend.

But Adam Riggsbee of Southern Pines grabbed the spotlight with a spectacular double eagle.

Carpenter shot 75-74—149 to beat second-place Stephen Allen of Jamesburg, N.J., and Jeff Parry of Columbia, Md., by four shots.

Perry Seifert of Southern Pines finished 10th at 159, while Riggsbee shot 163 to finish 11th. Riggsbee holed a second-shot 5-wood from 200 yards to make double-eagle on the 17th hole, a par 5.

Robby Walizer, a Nike All-American and divisional player of the year in 2000, used a hot 71 Saturday to take the lead in the Freshman-Sophomore Division and won by five shots despite shooting 75 on Sunday.

Another All-American, Jason Kokrak of Warren, Ohio, was second at 151. Blair Miller of Southern Pines shot 153 to finish third.

Sara Ann Palmer of Dublin, Ohio, made birdies on four of her first five holes for a 32 on the front nine and then hung on for a one-shot win in the girls’ division with 73-83—146. Erin Bradford of Lexington, Ky., was second at 147.

Josie Shinn, a two-time Nike winner from Pinehurst, took third with 162. Emily Hughes of Pinehurst was seventh with 180.