Greg Lesher, Class of 1986

Competing in tournaments from the age of 10, Greg Lesher ’86 already had an impressive golfing record when he arrived at Peddie in the fall of 1983 as a first-year sophomore. He led his previous high school with an 18-hole average of 75.7. His arrival at Peddie marked the beginning of an “intense rivalry” between Greg and established Peddie No. 1, Sam Del Presto ’85. Over the two years they played together for the Falcon golfers, their rivalry would be marked by county, state and national-level distinction.

During his sophomore year, Greg’s play and scoring average steadily gained on team star Del Presto, who would earn top medalist honors at the Mercer County Championship and win the Golf Award at Peddie in 1984. In the state tournament that same year, Greg found himself in a three-way tie with Sam and a Lawrenceville golfer after 18 holes. While Sam would win in the second playoff hole, Greg had clearly established himself as a challenger to Sam’s #1 status. During the following summer, Greg would defeat the field – that included his rival, Sam – winning the prestigious North-South Junior Championship played at the challenging Pinehurst #2. Past participants and winners have included Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Davis Love III.

Throughout his junior-year season, Greg was consistently the low-man ahead of senior-year captain Sam as the rivalry continued to grow. By season’s end, Greg had won both the Mercer County tournament and the State Prep Championship, and was ranked by Golf Magazine as the seventh-best junior (under 18) amateur in the United States. He repeated his winning ways as a senior completing the back-to-back double as medalist at both the Mercer County and State Prep tournaments. Greg capped his senior season by being honored as the “Athlete of the Term” by the Peddie News.

His Peddie career over, Greg took his talents to Louisiana State University as a member of the LSU golf team. During a very strong college career, Greg was a member of the 1987 NCAA champion team at LSU, individually placed 16th in the 1988 NCAA’s and was named to the All-SEC team three times.

Greg turned pro right after college, competing on the PGA, Nike and Asian Tours. He has gone on to have a successful career in business and, with his wife, Allison, has raised a beautiful family. We delight in honoring him today as a member of the Peddie School Sports Hall of Fame.