Captain - Wayne Hunt

The Hunt Club Captain - Wayne Hunt

The Big Daddy Classic. The Triad Golf Association. The King Invitational. Each of these events and organizations has its own unique place as a Triad golf tradition. Despite each event having the ability to stand on its own, they are each also intertwined with the others. Together they have helped create a niche among local golfers that is difficult to duplicate.

One of the common denominators for the BDC, the TGA & the K.I. is the participation of Wayne Hunt in the development of each entity. An early player in the Big Daddy Classic, Hunt also organized and caddied in numerous events before the tournament was disbanded in the late 90's. As a co-founder of the TGA, one of Hunt's first objectives was to bring back the Big Daddy Classic. In doing so, he not only re-launched the annual event at Lexington Golf Club but he helped fuel an entire monthly tour of local courses.

Just as the rebirth of the Big Daddy Classic was a byproduct of the creation of the TGA, the TGA's history is squarely rooted in the development and success of the King Invitational. Hunt was formerly the assistant director of the King Invitational. In his current position as Chief Negotiator for Player Personnel, Hunt is relishing his role in player recruitment and acquisition for the King Invitational.

With direct participation in gathering a balanced draft pool for the sixth edition of the K.I., it seems only fitting that Hunt would be named one of the two captains for 2009. Today, Hunt met with TGA staff and discussed his role in the K.I. and the team he has drafted, aptly named The Hunt Club.

"I have always had a behind the scenes hand in the King Invitational. Years ago when this event was merely a concept, Jackie approached me and inquired about my interest in assisting him with getting this thing off the ground. I was honored to have helped and would have never imagined that it would be as strong as ever six years later."

"In the past I've helped recruit some very influential players to this event. Jackie has recognized that and this year named me to the post of Chief Negotiator of Player Personnel. I couldn't be more excited about my expanded role and specifically the honor of being named a team captain."

"When assembling my potential draft list, I knew that I would be after players who know how to win. If you look down our roster from the captain all the way to our fourth round pick, we all have one thing in common. We were all a part of Team Hedrick that walked away from the 2008 event $100 richer. It's not every year you get a chance to keep five players from the winning squad together. But my staff and I have managed to do that with The Hunt Club."

"Chad and Tom clinched the win for our team last year on the last day. Both of those guys were unbeaten for the weekend. Chris and I both won twice last year. Randy and Turtle each won once. Turtle putting his team on the back of his shell and carrying them on the last day in '08 was one of the reasons I drafted him. I expect similar results this year for all of our guys and I believe that with the addition of Uncle Wes and "The Kid", we've established the best array of talent from top to bottom that the King Invitational has ever seen."

Hunt has appeared in every King Invitational.

• Role on The Hunt Club: Captain
• School: East Davidson High School, UNC-Greensboro
• Personal: Daughter, Chloe. Girlfriend, Teresa
• Other notable player/managers: Hall-of-Famers Bill Russell, Ty Cobb, Joe Torre and all-time baseball hits leader, Pete Rose
• Hobbies: Writing, bowling
• Favorite teams: UNC Tar Heels, Philadelphia Phillies, Carolina Panthers
• Did you know? Wayne has never lost in match play at the King Invitational and owns three match play victories over the King's Court captain, Jackie King
• Who would play Wayne in the sports movie version of the King Invitational: WWE-Superstar and actor, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson