Wayne Grandy/The Moultrie ObserverSeated between his parents Tony and Diane Wright, Coluqitt County's Lee Wright signs to continue his golf career at Abraham Baldwin College. At back are, from left, ABAC coach Herb Hendrix, Colquitt County coach Donald Dale and Lee's grandparents Bunker and Sidney Newsome.

After Abraham Baldwin College assistant coach Sonny Hawkins played a round of golf with Colquitt County’s Lee Wright last week at the River Pointe Golf Club in Albany, he called Stallions head golf coach Herb Hendrix.

“This dude is good,” Hawkins told Hendrix after Wright shot a 74. “Sign him up.”

And on Wednesday at the Colquitt County High media center, that is exactly what Hendrix did.

Hendrix called Wright one of the top players in the area.

The big Colquitt County left-hander is the fourth player Hendrix has signed for next season and each was a low medalist in a tournament last season. Wright took his low medalist plaque home from the Blue Devil Invitational at Spring Hill Country Club in Tifton after firing a 71.

Wright said his play impressed Hawkins during the River Pointe round.

“He thought my swing was good and I had good mechanics,” Wright said Wednesday while surrounded by family during the signing ceremony at the high school.

And while polite, outgoing and accommodating, it was clear Wright was eager to head out to Sunset Country Club and get some practice time in.

Colquitt County coach Donald Dale said he believes ABAC is getting an outstanding player.

“He’s got a lot of talent,” Dale said. “Maybe as much talent as any kid we’ve had. He is just a natural talent.”

Wright, a 6-foot-6, 250-pounder, did not play golf his sophomore year, electing to give football a try.

He also had wrist surgery before his junior season and did not play for eight months.

But when he joined the Packers again, he qualified as the team’s No. 3 player and remained in the starting lineup his junior and senior seasons.

This year, he lost 50 pounds, down from a high of about 320, and it showed in his endurance.

“It helped me finish off a round when I needed to,” Wright said.

He had a stroke average of 75 and helped lead the Packers to a Region 1-AAAAA championship and an eighth-place finish in the state tournament.

Wright has received instruction from Sunset Country Club golf professional Bob Windom and from Bill Connelly in Thomasville.

And he is looking forward to a busy summer of practice, practice, practice.

“I’ll be practicing a lot,” Wright said. “There are a lot of things I can improve, like by short game, especially my chipping.”

Wright is the second member of the Region 1-AAAAA champion Packers to sign to continue to play golf at the next level. Von Stripling has signed to play at Darton College.

Wright said he likes the idea of playing close to home, with ABAC just over 30 minutes away. And he will see some familiar faces on the ABAC team. Former Packers Billy Edwards and Davis Edwards also are playing for the Stallions.

And while Wright will miss playing at Colquitt County, he did help leave a legacy of sorts for the 2013 Packers.

He and Stripling joined Dale and middle school golf coach Jack Hines in playing in the recent In The Game Magazine golf tournament at Kinderlou Forest Golf Club in Valdosta.

With Wright belting some prodigious drives, the Colquitt County foursome took first place in the tournament, winning $1,000 that goes into the golf team’s booster club account.