FORT WORTH, Texas (Feb. 8, 2017) – Twenty-eight collegiate golfers have been named to the 2017 Ben Hogan Award watch list, according to a joint announcement made by Colonial Country Club, the Friends of Golf (FOG) and the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA).
The Ben Hogan Award presented by Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. (Konica Minolta) is issued annually to the top men’s NCAA Division I, II or III, NAIA or NJCAA college golfer taking into account all collegiate and amateur competitions during the past 12-month period. The Ben Hogan Award Selection Committee, which votes during each stage of the process, is comprised of leaders in amateur, collegiate and professional golf.
The 2017 Ben Hogan Award watch list, as determined by the award’s subcommittee, includes: Sam Burns (LSU), Cameron Champ (Texas A&M), Wyndham Clark (Oregon), Sean Crocker (Southern California), Jared du Toit (Arizona State), Jorge Garcia (Florida), Doug Ghim (Texas), Gavin Hall (Texas), Nick Hardy (Illinois), Rico Hoey (Southern California), Sam Horsfield (Florida), Viktor Hovland (Oklahoma State), Will Long (Auburn), Patrick Martin (Vanderbilt), Maverick McNealy (Stanford), Dylan Meyer (Illinois), Collin Morikawa (California), John Oda (UNLV), Chandler Phillips (Texas A&M), Doc Redman (Clemson), Scottie Scheffler (Texas), Matthias Schwab (Vanderbilt), Greyson Sigg (Georgia), Jimmy Stanger (Virginia), Sam Stevens (Oklahoma State), Braden Thornberry (Ole Miss), Alejandro Tosti (Florida) and Will Zalatoris (Wake Forest).
Just seven players are repeat members of the watch list. Hoey, McNealy and Zalatoris are listed for the third straight season, while Crocker, Hardy, Horsfield and Schwab are members for the second consecutive year. McNealy is a two-time finalist (2015, 2016), while Horsfield was a 2016 semifinalist.
The list of 10 semifinalists, which could include individuals not on the watch list, will be unveiled on Wednesday, April 12. On Wednesday, May 3, that group will be pared down to three finalists. The finalists will attend a black-tie banquet at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, on Monday, May 22, prior to the start of the PGA TOUR’s Dean & DeLuca Invitational, where the winner will be crowned.
The award, which was first issued in 1990 and also included academic achievement in its original list of standards, revised its criteria for the 2001-02 collegiate season to its current standard of honoring the outstanding amateur collegiate golfer.
Since that time, the winners have been: D.J. Trahan (Clemson, 2002), Ricky Barnes (Arizona, 2003), Hunter Mahan (Oklahoma State, 2003), Bill Haas (Wake Forest, 2004), Ryan Moore (UNLV, 2005), Matt Every (Florida, 2006), Chris Kirk (Georgia, 2007), Rickie Fowler (Oklahoma State, 2008), Kyle Stanley (Clemson, 2009), Nick Taylor (Washington, 2010), Peter Uihlein (Oklahoma State, 2011), Patrick Cantlay (UCLA, 2012), Chris Williams (Washington, 2013), Patrick Rodgers (Stanford, 2014) and Jon Rahm (Arizona State, 2015, 2016).
To find the latest information on The Ben Hogan Award, its candidates and its previous winners, visit TheBenHoganAward.org and follow @BenHoganAward on Twitter.
About the Watch List
- The Ben Hogan Award watch list includes nine seniors, 10 juniors, seven sophomores and two freshmen.
- A total of 19 universities are represented on the watch list. Seven schools—Texas (3), Florida (3), Illinois (2), Oklahoma State (2), Southern California (2), Texas A&M (2) and Vanderbilt (2)—have multiple honorees.
- Six conferences are represented on the watch list, led by the SEC with a record 11. Other leagues with multiple honorees include the Pac-12 (6), Big 12 (5), ACC (3) and Big Ten (2).
- This is the 12th consecutive year that Stanford has had a player named to the watch list, the longest active streak by any school. The next longest active streak is owned by Illinois (8).
- Just seven of the players are on the repeat members of the watch list. Hoey, McNealy and Zalatoris are on for the third straight season, while Crocker, Hardy, Horsfield and Schwab are members for the second consecutive year.
- McNealy is a two-time finalist (2015, 2016) for the Ben Hogan Award, while Horsfield was a 2016 semifinalist.
- With Viktor Hovland and Doc Redman appearing on this year’s watch list, five freshmen have now been named over the past three years (2015-17).
Watch List Candidates
Sam Burns, LSU, So., Shreveport, La.
Cameron Champ, Texas A&M, Jr., Sacramento, Calif.
Wyndham Clark, Oregon, Sr., Denver, Colo.
Sean Crocker, Southern California, Jr., Westlake, Calif.
Jared du Toit, Arizona State, Sr., Kimberley, British Columbia
Jorge Garcia, Florida, So., Anaco, Venezuela
Doug Ghim, Texas, Jr., Arlington Heights, Ill.
Gavin Hall, Texas, Sr., Pittsford, N.Y.
Nick Hardy, Illinois, Jr., Northbrook, Ill.
Rico Hoey, Southern California, Sr., Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
Sam Horsfield, Florida, So., Davenport, Fla.
Viktor Hovland, Oklahoma State, Fr., Oslo, Norway
Will Long, Auburn, Sr., Gastonia, N.C.
Patrick Martin, Vanderbilt, So., Birmingham, Ala.
Maverick McNealy, Stanford, Sr., Portola Valley, Calif.
Dylan Meyer, Illinois, Jr., Evansville, Ind.
Collin Morikawa, California, So., La Canada Flintridge, Calif.
John Oda, UNLV, Jr., Honolulu, Hawaii
Chandler Phillips, Texas A&M, So., Huntsville, Texas
Doc Redman, Clemson, Fr., Raleigh, N.C.
Scottie Scheffler, Texas, Jr., Dallas, Texas
Matthias Schwab, Vanderbilt, Sr., Rohrmoos, Austria
Greyson Sigg, Georgia, Sr., Augusta, Ga.
Jimmy Stanger, Virginia, Sr., Tampa, Fla.
Sam Stevens, Oklahoma State, Jr., Wichita, Kan.
Braden Thornberry, Ole Miss, So., Olive Branch, Miss.
Alejandro Tosti, Florida, Jr., Rosario, Argentina
Will Zalatoris, Wake Forest, Jr., Plano, Texas
About Konica Minolta
Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. is reshaping and revolutionizing the Workplace of the Future™ (www.reshapework.com). With our comprehensive portfolio, we deliver solutions to leverage mobility, cloud services, and optimize business processes with workflow automation. Our All Covered IT Services division offers a range of IT strategy, support, and network security solutions across all verticals. Konica Minolta has been recognized as the #1 Brand for Customer Loyalty in the MFP Office Copier Market by Brand Keys for ten consecutive years and is proud to be ranked on the Forbes 2016 America’s Best Employers list. Konica Minolta, Inc. has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for five years in a row. We partner with our customers to give shape to ideas and work to bring value to our society. For more information, please visit: www.CountOnKonicaMinolta.com and follow Konica Minolta on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter @KonicaMinoltaUS.
