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Amateur Jeff Knox among four 2017 Georgia Golf Hall of Fame Inductees
30 Apr 2016
by Georgia State Golf Association

see also: Jeff Knox Rankings

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Jeff Knox
Jeff Knox

MARIETTA, GA (April 30, 2016) - The Georgia State Golf Association is pleased to announce the 2017 inductees into the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame:

-Stewart E. Cink of Duluth, Ga., is former standout of the Georgia Tech golf program and a major champion on the PGA TOUR who has brought honor to the game both as an amateur and as a professional.

-Joseph Cooper (Joe) Inman, Jr., of Marietta, Ga., is the head coach of the Georgia State University men's program and a longtime professional golfer with success on the PGA and Champions Tours.

-Jefferson B. A. (Jeff) Knox of Augusta, Ga., is an accomplished lifelong amateur golfer on the state and national levels and has made an impact in the community on and off the course.

-James W. (Jim) Stamps (posthumous induction) was a head golf professional and teacher of the game in Georgia with a distinguished playing career as an amateur and professional.

The Georgia Golf Hall of Fame Induction Banquet and Ceremony will take place on Saturday, January 21, 2017, at the Atlanta Athletic Club in Johns Creek.

The Atlanta Athletic Club holds a long and storied place in the history of golf in the state of Georgia, as the home club of the greatest amateur golfer of them all, Bobby Jones, along with no less than 14 other members of the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame. The club hosted its third PGA Championship in 2011, and most recently hosted the U.S. Amateur Championship, its sixth USGA national championship, in 2014.

Chuck Palmer, chairman of the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame Committee, said, "The Hall of Fame Committee, along with Kim Cox, director of the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame, thoroughly vetted the nominations for the Hall of Fame, and we are elated to announce the Class of 2017 who will be inducted into the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame. I appreciate all the committee members who contributed their time and efforts in selecting this terrific class. We look forward to celebrating the accomplishments of these worthy individuals."

Biographical information on the four inductees:

Stewart E. Cink of Duluth, Ga., is a former standout of the Georgia Tech golf program and a major champion on the PGA TOUR who has brought honor to the game both as an amateur and as a professional.

Born in Huntsville, Ala., Cink attended Bradshaw High School in Huntsville. He moved to Atlanta and played golf at Georgia Tech from 1992-1995. He was an All-American in 1993, 1994 and 1995, and was an All- Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) selection those years as well. Cink was named ACC Player of the Year in 1995 and was on its academic honor roll in 1992 and 1993.

Cink played in 38 team events while at Georgia Tech with a career stroke average of 72.47. He was the recipient of the Fred Haskins Award in 1995, given to the most outstanding collegiate golfer in NCAA Division I, and the Jack Nicklaus Player of the Year award. He was inducted into the Georgia Tech Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005. After a successful collegiate and amateur career, Cink turned professional in 1995.

Cink is enjoying a professional career that includes six PGA TOUR victories, highlighted most recently by The Open Championship in 2009 at Turnberry Resort in Scotland. He also won the 2008 Travelers Championship, 2004 MCI Heritage, 2004 World Golf Championships-NEC Invitational, 2000 MCI Classic and the 1997 Canon Greater Hartford Open. He was named PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year in 1997.

In international events, Cink was selected to the Ryder Cup team five times (2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010) and the President's Cup four times (2000, 2005, 2007, 2009).

He founded Cink Charities in 2011, and the Cink It Challenge was developed to raise funds for two Atlanta area charities.

Cink and his wife Lisa reside in Duluth, Ga., and have two sons - Connor and Reagan.

Joseph Cooper (Joe) Inman, Jr., of Marietta, Ga., is the head coach of the Georgia State University men's program and a longtime professional golfer with success on the PGA and Champions Tours.

Born in Indianapolis, Ind., in 1947, Inman attended high school in Greensboro, N.C., and then played golf at Wake Forest University from 1965-1970. As a collegiate golfer, Inman was a three-time All-American, including first-team honors in 1969. Playing under the leadership of head coach Jesse Haddock, Inman helped his team win three-consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) titles and top-three finishes at the NCAA Championships in 1968 and 1969. After graduating with a degree in history, he turned professional in 1972.

Inman won four times as a professional - once on the PGA TOUR and three times on the Champions Tour. He won the 1976 Kemper Open on the PGA TOUR, and on the Champions Tour, he won the Pacific Bell Open in 1988 and 1999, and the SBC Open in 2000. He had nearly 100 top-25 finishes on each circuit and earned over $5 million.

Inman currently serves as the head coach of the men's golf team at Georgia State University, where he has raised the level of success expected by the program. In his first year, Inman led the Panthers to the NCAA Regionals in 2009. During the 2013-14 season, he guided his team to a school-record four wins, a second- place finish at the NCAA Regionals and a No. 43 ranking in the country.

Inman is active in the community, serving on the board of directors of the First Tee of Atlanta, and founded the Larry Nelson-Joe Inman Foundation, which supports youth golf initiatives.

Inman and his wife Nancy reside in Marietta, Ga., and have three children - Craig, Sally and Kate.

Jefferson B. A. (Jeff) Knox of Augusta, Ga., is an accomplished lifelong amateur golfer on the state and national levels and has made an impact in the community on and off the golf course.

Born in Augusta, Ga., Knox attended Thomson High School, and later the University of Georgia, earning a degree in Finance in 1984.

Knox has played in several Georgia State Golf Association competitions. He won the Georgia Mid- Amateur Championship in 2008 at Cuscowilla on Lake Oconee in Eatonton, and in 2009 at White Columns Country Club in Alpharetta. He finished runner-up in the Georgia Mid-Amateur four times (2001, 2003, 2004, 2005). In the Georgia Amateur Championship, Knox also earned runner-up honors in 1998, 2006 and 2007. He has won the Azalea Amateur Championship, Peach Blossom Invitational and is a two-time Charlie Coe champion.

On the national circuit, Knox has qualified for and competed in several USGA championships. He's played in four U.S. Mid-Amateur Championships (1999, 2002, 2004, 2006) and three U.S. Amateur Championships (1995, 1999, 2001). He represented Georgia at the USGA State Team Championship in 1999 and 2003. Knox oversees the Knox Foundation, and he is board member of the University of Georgia Foundation and the First Bank of Georgia.

Knox and his wife Catherine reside in Augusta, Ga., and have three sons - Jefferson, Lee and Austin.

James W. (Jim) Stamps was a head golf professional and teacher of the game in Georgia with a distinguished playing career as an amateur and professional.

Stamps was born in Coweta County, Ga., in 1921 and attended high school in College Park. Raised by his mother and older sisters, he picked up the game of golf by caddying at a local course in College Park. Stamps served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II. After serving and earning the rank of Sergeant, he was honorably discharged and continued his amateur golf career.

Stamps became the assistant professional at Fairyland Golf Club in Tennessee, then thereafter moved back to Georgia and became the head golf professional at Dalton Golf and Country Club in 1956. During his time in Dalton, he was recognized as one of Georgia's best golfers by his peers and developed a strong junior program, where he taught hundreds of juniors.

As a competitive player, Stamps was the winner of many tournaments in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s as an amateur and professional. He won the Georgia Open in 1958 and 1962, and the Georgia PGA Championship in 1961 and 1965. Stamps also won the PGA National Club Professional Championship in 1962.

Stamps passed away in 2011.

The Class of 2017 was selected by the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame Committee and approved by the GSGA Executive Committee. These four inductees will bring the total number of Georgia Golf Hall of Fame members to 111.

The Georgia Golf Hall of Fame, which came under the management of the Georgia State Golf Association in 2010, is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Georgia's golf traditions, heritage, achievements and excellence.

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