2011 King Invitational Draft

The 2011 King Invitational draft has concluded and teams are set for next week's annual foray to the South Carolina coast for what has become one of golf's preeminent team events.

Turtle's Troop, captained by Lane Moore was awarded the first pick of the draft and used it to promptly choose Greensboro's Brooks Roberts. Roberts, the most experienced player to ever participate in a King Invitational event, has played professionally all over the world, including a stint on the South American Tour. But, critics wonder if he's mentally prepared to handle the pressure of being the top overall pick and the competitiveness that has become a hallmark of the King Invitational. Roberts is sponsored by First Round Capital.



With the second pick of the draft, Broadway's Bombers, led by Lexington's Dru Broadway, chose Thomasville's Chad Hedrick, a player who has an extensive history as a sidekick to the top overall pick, Roberts. As youth golfers, Roberts dethroned Hedrick as the top-rated teen at famed Colonial Country Club and later Hedrick served as Roberts' caddie on the PGA Tour. For months rumors have swirled that Hedrick's sudden disappearance from the TGA Tour in the latter part of 2010 wasn't merely a coincidence; rather, unnamed sources within the Triad Golf Association have stated that when Roberts became a full-time member of the tour last year, Hedrick privately told friends and family that he was leaving the tour and likely would not return as long as he had to play second fiddle to Roberts.
Hedrick is sponsored in 2011 by, Always A Bridesmaid Boutique.




The Bombers were awarded the first pick of the second round and used it to select Thomasville's Ted Prestwood, a former King Invitational MVP who has also been the subject of controversy over the last couple years. Like one of his sports heroes, Brett Favre, Prestwood has repeatedly threatened to retire over the last several seasons, only to return to the K.I. at the last minute. Prestwood, having recently recovered from back surgery, sat out the 2010 season but is reportedly healthy and ready to make one final MVP run in 2011. For 2011, Prestwood is sponsored by the Social Security Administration.


With the second pick of the second round (4th overall), Turtle's Troop selected Winston-Salem's Dwight Clark, the reigning TGA Player of the Year. Clark was one of five players invited by the league to attend the 2011 draft but was seen angrily exiting the TGA green room when he wasn't chosen with the second overall pick. A high ranking TGA official, who refused to be named citing league confidentiality rules, told the TGA Press that Clark was seen beating his chest and repeatedly chanting, "Me Tarzan" in the hallway shortly after Hedrick was selected with the number two pick. Clark has secured Walt Disney Studios as a 2011 sponsor.




The third round of the 2011 draft saw The Bomber's take King's Randy Griffin, who enters the 2011 King Invitational with an unsettled game, after being sidelined for a large portion of 2010 by a rare, but severe, case of cantgetmyassoutofbedonsundays. The sometimes crippling condition, also known in medical circles as LAZY, isn't expected to prevent Griffin from missing any time at the 2011 King Invitational. However, Captain Brodway will need to ensure Griffin limits his consumption of alcohol while being treated for the condition, because that's often known to be a mitigating factor in cantgetmyassoutofbed patients. Griffin's sponsor for the 2011 King Invitational is Timex Audio.


With the sixth overall pick of the draft, the Troop selected Lexington's, Tony Fritts, one of the oldest players in the 2011 field. The 2010 King Invitational Rookie of the Year, Fritts leads all players in NYDBAOS (Number Years Difference Between Ages of Spouses). In fact, he's the only player in this year's field who qualifies for the statistical category, HNMG (He's Not My Grandpa). In addition to a wealth of experience, Fritts brings to the 2011 King Invitational, one of the league's most enduring sponsors, Viagra.