Horschel Named to 2009 All-Nicklaus Team
Tuesday, June 16, 2009 | Men's Golf
Recent University of Florida graduate Billy Horschel (Grant, Fla.) was named to the 2009 All-Nicklaus Team, announced by the Golf Coaches Asso?ciation of America. The 20 honorees from Division I, II, III and the NAIA were recognized for their outstanding play during the past collegiate season.
The All-Nicklaus Team was created in 2008, and is not only named for history's greatest player but also a long-time supporter of collegiate and amateur golf. Jack Nicklaus, a Big Ten and NCAA Champion at The Ohio State University, helped inspire and create the Jack Nicklaus Award in 1988. The Nicklaus Award is annually given to the top collegiate men's golfer in Division I, II, III and the NAIA.
After the NCAA Championship in May, Horshel was named a first-team All-American for the third time, marking the fourth year in a row that he was named an All-American. He became the fifth Gator golfer to be named an All-American four times. Matt Every, Gary Koch and Camilo Villegas are the only other UF alumni to earn First Team honors three times, and Horschel is the only Gator to earn three First Team honors and a Second Team honor.
Horschel was also named the SEC Golfer of the Year and was a unanimous first-team All-SEC selection in the coaches' voting. Horschel joined Koch as the only two players in Florida golf history to earn first-team All-SEC honors four times.
Horschel led the SEC in scoring average this season, averaging 71.28 strokes per round. He placed in the top seven in eight of 11 tournaments this season. He shot par-or-better in 21 of his 32 rounds and he finished the season ranked ninth in the nation in the Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index Ratings. He was the individual medalist at the SEC Championships and was the runner-up at the NCAA Southwest Regional in Austin, Texas. Horschel was also a semifinalist for the 2009 Ben Hogan Award, college golf's most prestigious award.
2009 All-Nicklaus Team
Bennett Blakeman, Illinois Wesleyan
Jorge Campillo, Indiana
Bud Cauley, Alabama
Sam Cyr, Point Loma Nazarene
Matt Ewald, Washburn
Mitchell Fedorka, La Verne
Rickie Fowler, Oklahoma State
Matthew Giles, Southern California
Matt Hill, NC State
Morgan Hoffmann, Oklahoma State
Billy Horschel, Florida
Jake Koppenberg, Western Washington
Anthony Michael, Oklahoma City
Cory Renfrew, British Columbia
Josh Schrader, Methodist
Kyle Stanley, Clemson
Nick Taylor, Washington
Cameron Tringale, Georgia Tech
Mike Van Sickle, Marquette
Brent Witcher, Valdosta State
-UF-
