Washington senior is second winner in school history
FORT WORTH, Texas (May 20, 2013) – The Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts brand, in conjunction with Colonial Country Club, The Friends of Golf (FOG) and the Golf Coaches Association of America, has announced that Washington senior Chris Williams is The Ben Hogan Award recipient for 2013.
Williams is the world’s No.1-ranked amateur in both the World Amateur Golf Rankings and the Scratch Players World Rankings. He was the 2012 recipient of the Mark H. McMormack Medal as the world’s top-ranked amateur, which allowed him to clinch berths into the 2013 U.S. Open and the Open Championship. A product of Moscow, Idaho, he swept the 2012 Western Amateur match play and stroke play titles. He also advanced to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Amateur last summer.
Additionally, he helped the United States claim the Eisenhower Trophy at the World Amateur Team Championships in the fall. He also competed for Team USA in the Palmer Cup and the Copa de las Americas. Collegiately, Williams has seven top-10 finishes in 11 events this year, including three runner-up showings. The first-team All-Pac-12 selection boasts a 71.06 season stroke average. Last weekend, he tied for 14th at the NCAA’s Tallahassee Regional, helping his squad advance to the NCAA Championships.
Williams is the second Husky ever to win the award, joining Nick Taylor (2010). He is the second straight winner from the Pac-12 Conference (Patrick Cantlay, UCLA) and the third in the last four years in the league.
By virtue of his win, Williams was presented with an exemption into the PGA TOUR’s 2014 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial by tournament director Bobby Patton. In addition, his university earned a record $25,000 grant for its men’s golf scholarship program. The other finalists, TCU’s Julien Brun and California’s Michael Kim, each earned their respective schools $12,500 grants. All three finalists were present for the announcement, which was made at a black-tie banquet at Colonial Country Club.
The Ben Hogan Award is presented 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 12-month period dating from the previous award’s banquet. The Ben Hogan Award selection committee is made up of 23 leaders and experts in amateur, college and professional golf.
This year marks the first year that the Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts brand is the official sponsor of The Ben Hogan Award. The Crowne Plaza brand is in its second year of sponsorship with PGA TOUR professional golfer Rickie Fowler, the 2008 winner of The Ben Hogan Award. The Crowne Plaza brand is the title sponsor of the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial through 2015. In addition, IHG®, the parent company of the Crowne Plaza brand, is the Official Hotel and Resort Partner of the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour and Web.com Tour. The 2013 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial will be held May 20-26 at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas. The Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial is the longest running PGA TOUR tournament still being held at the original site. Visit www.crowneplaza.com/golf for more.
The award, which was first issued in 1990 and 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 included: 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) and Patrick Cantlay (UCLA, 2012).
To find the latest information on The Ben Hogan Award, its candidates and its previous winners, visit the official web site www.TheBenHoganAward.org and follow @BenHoganAward on Twitter.
–TheBenHoganAward.org–
About Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts
Part of the IHG global portfolio, the Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts brand is a dynamic upscale hotel brand located in nearly 65 countries around the world in major urban centers, gateway cities and resort destinations. As the fourth largest upscale full-service hotel brand in the world and one of the fastest growing, the Crowne Plaza brand has a solid foundation for future growth. The portfolio has doubled since 2003 to nearly 400 hotels, and the global pipeline has increased fourfold to nearly 100 hotels. At Crowne Plaza hotels, we help our guests feel energized and productive, with 24-hour business services, wireless high speed Internet access in the lobby, and fitness and leisure facilities. Our Sleep Advantage® program ensures our guests get a great night’s sleep to power through their day. For reservations at Crowne Plaza properties, visit www.crowneplaza.com or call 1-800-2CROWNE. Connect with us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/crowneplaza or Facebook: www.Facebook.com/crowneplaza.
