NORMAN, Okla. — Paul Esnault of the Catawba College men's golf team secured a spot on the PING Division II All-America Team as an honorable mention, the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) announced Friday.
Esnault was recognized in the second batch of PING All-Americans that included Second Team, Third Team and Honorable Mention winners. The First Team was released at the conclusion of the NCAA Division II Men's Golf Championship. Eight student-athletes were placed on each numbered team, while an additional 28 earned Honorable Mention tags.
The Caen, France, native finished his junior season as the 44th-ranked player in the nation per Clippd. He used a 72.58 stroke average to lead Catawba to its first NCAA team berth since 2008, marking his second consecutive trip to the regional tournament. Esnault recorded a team-high 14 rounds under par and notched four podiums, highlighted by his individual medalist honor at the Griffin Invitational.
Esnault is the fourth All-American in program history and the first in the 21st century; the last honoree was Nick Sabol in 1998.
About PING All-Americans
The GCAA began naming NCAA Division II All-Americans in 1975, with PING sponsoring the award since at least 1991. For Division II, the First Team consists of eight golfers (nine if the individual national champion wasn't already named to the First Team), eight on the Second Team, eight on the Third Team, and at least 16 earn Honorable Mention All-America honors. Automatic additions from GCAA member schools to Honorable Mention if not previously named include top-15 finishers at the NCAA Division II Men's Golf Championship, the top two players in each All-Region ballot, and NCAA Division II Regional Medalists.
About PING
PING designs, manufactures and markets a complete line of golf equipment including metal woods, irons, wedges, putters and golf bags. The family-owned company was founded in 1959 in the garage of the late Karsten Solheim, a mechanical engineer with an extensive background in the aerospace and computer industries. His frustration with his putting inspired him to design his own putter, which created a "pinging" sound when striking a golf ball. This sound was the source of the name now synonymous with innovation, quality and service throughout the world of golf. Solheim and his company are credited with numerous innovations that became industry standards, including perimeter weighting, custom fitting and the use of investment casting in the manufacturing of golf clubs. His insistence on adhering to strict engineering principles and tight manufacturing tolerances raised the level of product performance and quality throughout the golf industry. Solheim is the only person to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame as a golf club manufacturer. Today, the Phoenix-based company is under the direction of Solheim's grandson, John K. Solheim, who leads a team of more than 800 dedicated employees committed to helping improve the games of golfers around the world.
