Sam Horsfield defeated five of the Ben Hogan Award semifinalists en route to his victory at the Southern Highlands Collegiate.
Sam Horsfield Named Ben Hogan Award Semifinalist
Wednesday, April 13, 2016 | Men's Golf
FORT WORTH, Texas -- University of Florida freshman men's golfer Sam Horsfield was named a semifinalist for the 2016 Ben Hogan Award, the Colonial Country Club, Friends of Golf (FOG) and Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) announced Wednesday. Horsfield is the only freshman among the 10 semifinalists.
The Ben Hogan Award, presented by Konica Minolta, is awarded annually to the top men's college golfer. A 25-member selection committee votes to determine the honoree based on his performance in collegiate and amateur tournaments in the past year. The committee will narrow the group down to three finalists on May 3. The finalists will attend an awards banquet on May 23 at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, where the 2016 Ben Hogan Award winner will be crowned.
Only one Gator has won the trophy in the award's 26-year history, as UF alum Matt Every earned the honor in 2006. Since then, Billy Horschel made the cut to 10 semifinalists in 2007 and 2009, and Andres Echavarria did the same in 2011.
Horsfield has utilized a strong spring season to fuel his campaign, complete with three individual titles in the past five tournaments. He won the Sea Best Invitational, the Mason Rudolph Championship and the Southern Highlands Collegiate, a contest in which he defeated five other semifinalists to cruise to a four-stroke victory. His efforts helped the Gators collect two team titles, a 42-stroke win at the Florida Gulf Coast University Classic and a 23-shot victory at the Sea Best Invitational.
He competed in all 10 of Florida's regular-season tournaments, placing in the top five seven times and finishing outside of the top 20 only once. He owns a team-best stroke average of 70.30, the lowest among all SEC freshmen. His season-low score, 63, broke the school record for the lowest freshmen round.
Horsfield ranks No. 3 in Golfweek's Men's Collegiate Individual Ranking, No. 4 in Golfstat's Head-to-Head Standings, No. 9 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) and No. 12 in the Scratch Players World Amateur Ranking. The Davenport, Fla., native won four SEC weekly accolades in five spring tournaments, including one SEC Golfer of the Week Award and three SEC Freshman Golfer of the Week honors.
In amateur play this year, Horsfield earned a bid to compete in the U.S. Open and advanced to the Round of 32 in the U.S. Amateur. He tied for fifth at the Terra Cotta Invitational, tied for fourth at the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley Golf Club and advanced to the quarterfinals at the Western Amateur.
For more information on The Ben Hogan Award, visit the award's website or follow it on Twitter.
2016 Ben Hogan Award Semifinalists
Charlie Danielson – Illinois, Sr.
Sam Horsfield – FLORIDA, Fr.
Beau Hossler – Texas, Jr.
Michael Johnson – Auburn, Sr.
Lee McCoy – Georgia, Sr.
Maverick McNealy – Stanford, Jr.
Matt NeSmith – South Carolina, Sr.
Jon Rahm – Arizona State, Sr.
Robby Shelton – Alabama, Jr.
Aaron Wise – Oregon, So.
Follow the Gators:
Official Website: FloridaGators.com
Facebook: Florida Gators Men's Golf
Twitter: @GatorsGolf
Instagram: @GatorsMGolf
The Ben Hogan Award, presented by Konica Minolta, is awarded annually to the top men's college golfer. A 25-member selection committee votes to determine the honoree based on his performance in collegiate and amateur tournaments in the past year. The committee will narrow the group down to three finalists on May 3. The finalists will attend an awards banquet on May 23 at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, where the 2016 Ben Hogan Award winner will be crowned.
Only one Gator has won the trophy in the award's 26-year history, as UF alum Matt Every earned the honor in 2006. Since then, Billy Horschel made the cut to 10 semifinalists in 2007 and 2009, and Andres Echavarria did the same in 2011.
Horsfield has utilized a strong spring season to fuel his campaign, complete with three individual titles in the past five tournaments. He won the Sea Best Invitational, the Mason Rudolph Championship and the Southern Highlands Collegiate, a contest in which he defeated five other semifinalists to cruise to a four-stroke victory. His efforts helped the Gators collect two team titles, a 42-stroke win at the Florida Gulf Coast University Classic and a 23-shot victory at the Sea Best Invitational.
He competed in all 10 of Florida's regular-season tournaments, placing in the top five seven times and finishing outside of the top 20 only once. He owns a team-best stroke average of 70.30, the lowest among all SEC freshmen. His season-low score, 63, broke the school record for the lowest freshmen round.
Horsfield ranks No. 3 in Golfweek's Men's Collegiate Individual Ranking, No. 4 in Golfstat's Head-to-Head Standings, No. 9 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) and No. 12 in the Scratch Players World Amateur Ranking. The Davenport, Fla., native won four SEC weekly accolades in five spring tournaments, including one SEC Golfer of the Week Award and three SEC Freshman Golfer of the Week honors.
In amateur play this year, Horsfield earned a bid to compete in the U.S. Open and advanced to the Round of 32 in the U.S. Amateur. He tied for fifth at the Terra Cotta Invitational, tied for fourth at the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley Golf Club and advanced to the quarterfinals at the Western Amateur.
For more information on The Ben Hogan Award, visit the award's website or follow it on Twitter.
2016 Ben Hogan Award Semifinalists
Charlie Danielson – Illinois, Sr.
Sam Horsfield – FLORIDA, Fr.
Beau Hossler – Texas, Jr.
Michael Johnson – Auburn, Sr.
Lee McCoy – Georgia, Sr.
Maverick McNealy – Stanford, Jr.
Matt NeSmith – South Carolina, Sr.
Jon Rahm – Arizona State, Sr.
Robby Shelton – Alabama, Jr.
Aaron Wise – Oregon, So.
Follow the Gators:
Official Website: FloridaGators.com
Facebook: Florida Gators Men's Golf
Twitter: @GatorsGolf
Instagram: @GatorsMGolf
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