Justin Matthews And Ollie Smith Named Cobalt Golf All-America Scholars
Justin Matthews and Ollie Smith of the Charlotte men’s golf team were named to the 2023-24 Cobalt Golf All-America Scholars list, announced by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) on Thursday. 532 student-athletes from 180 schools earned the recognition.
Smith, a fifth-year senior from Brighton, England, graduated with a 3.43 GPA in political science after spending the first four years of his college career at Queens. He competed in seven tournaments this season with a 73.62 stroke average over 21 rounds. At the Rod Myers Invitational, he finished tied for sixth at -3 (213).
Matthews, a sophomore from Little Britain, Ontario, holds a 3.70 GPA in Accounting. He competed in five tournaments during his sophomore season holding a 72.93 stroke average in 15 rounds of play. His best performance came at the American Athletic Conference Championship where he finished tied for 14th at +1 (211). During the off season, Matthews won the first Ontario Regional Qualifier and qualified for the PGA Tour’s RBC Canadian Open.
“I am extremely proud of Ollie and Justin for being named Academic all Americans this season,” said head coach Ryan Cabbage. “Ollie and Justin are both tremendous representatives of our program and are both going to be extremely successful in life.”
To be eligible for Cobalt Golf All-America Scholar nomination, an individual must be a sophomore, junior or senior both academically and athletically in NCAA Division I, II, III, and NAIA, or receiving their associate’s degree and in their last year of athletic eligibility in the NJCAA. In addition, they must participate in 50% of their team’s competitive rounds, have a stroke average under 76.0 in NCAA Division I, under 78.0 in NCAA Division II, under 79.0 in NCAA Division III, under 78.0 in NAIA, and under 77.0 in NJCAA, and maintain a minimum cumulative career grade-point average of 3.2. A recipient must also be of high moral character and be in good standing at their college or university.