Gotterup is the first Sooner to win the Haskins Award as the best player in men’s college golf.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — When Chris Gotterup transferred from Rutgers to Oklahoma at the end of last season, he wasn’t guaranteed a spot in the lineup for the Sooners, who had just finished runner-up to Pepperdine at the national championship.
So the Little Silver, New Jersey, native did what he does bet: get to work. And he kept working and improving all season long. His coaches noticed, his teammates noticed, and his peers noticed, too. Despite finishing just one shot out of a playoff for the individual title at this year’s NCAA Div. I Men’s Golf Championship, Gotterup had done enough to impress the voters and earn the 2022 Haskins Award, given annually to the player of the year in men’s college golf.
In 12 starts this season, Gotterup has two wins at the East Lake Cup and Puerto Rico Classic and finished in the top five in six events, including a second-place showing at the Big 12 Championship and T-5 at the NCAA Championship.
Meet the finalists in the running for men’s college player of the year.
The postseason is underway in college golf, and after last week’s NCAA Regionals, the NCAA Division I Men’s Championship field is set for May 27-June 1 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.
With that championship field set, the race for the Haskins Award is wide open and white-hot. A handful of players have shone throughout the season as front-runners for the Haskins Award, which honors the player of the year in men’s college golf, as selected by college golfers, coaches and members of the college golf media.
The players are listed alphabetically. Players on the Haskins Award Watch List were selected by a panel of Golfweek and Golf Channel writers.
Check out who’s in the running for men’s college golfer of the year.
As the fall season winds to a close, it’s time to recognize players who set themselves apart as frontrunners in men’s college golf over the past two and a half months. Perhaps none accomplished that quite like RJ Manke, the Pepperdine transfer who is running wild for his new Washington Huskies with two wins, two runners-up finishes and a T-3 in five events this fall. There are plenty of talented men, however, on his heels.
The Haskins Award honors the player of the year in college men’s golf, as selected by college golfers, coaches and members of the college golf media. The players are listed alphabetically. Players on the Haskins Award Watch List were selected by a panel of Golfweek and Golf Channel writers.
The Travelers Championship has a history of showcasing stars of the future. John Pak appears ready to continue the tradition.
CROMWELL, Conn. – More than any other tournament on the PGA Tour, the Travelers Championship is where you go if you want to see future stars of the game. Two years ago at TPC River Highlands, Collin Morikawa, Matthew Wolff and Viktor Hovland (all PGA Tour winners now) accepted sponsor exemptions and played here as new pros.
Jon Rahm, the 2021 U.S. Open winner and new world No. 1, played here on a sponsor exemption in 2015 and a first-year pro named Rickie Fowler, who is now a five-time PGA Tour winner and expectant father, played here on a sponsor exemption in 2009.
This year, the young stud to watch is John Pak, and he has loads of pedigree. If you haven’t been following college golf, Pak, who is 22, just graduated from Florida State and is this year’s winner of the Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan and Fred Haskins awards. That made him the consensus player of the year. In addition, he finished with the lowest scoring average in Florida State history (better than Brooks Koepka or Daniel Berger), won eight times while playing for the Seminoles and was a member of the winning 2019 and 2021 Walker Cup teams.
Making his second PGA Tour start, Pak birdied three of his first six holes Thursday morning in perfect scoring conditions. Then, he cooled off and was 1 over the rest of the way before signing for a 68 on the par-70 course.
“It got a little windy on the back nine and started swirling, so I struggled hitting the right shots,” he said. “I’ll work on that for tomorrow.”
Pak is from Scotch Plains, New Jersey, which is only about 130 miles southwest of TPC River Highlands, but this week marks the first time he’s ever played this course. He feels comfortable on the tree-lined layout but admits that the last few months have been dizzying and that he is looking forward to getting into a routine, having structure and starting to practice more regularly.
“It’s been a little overwhelming, to be honest,” he said. “I like to practice a lot, and I haven’t had time to practice and work on my game. I’m slowly starting to settle in to where I should be. I’m going to courses and don’t know where I should be, but I’m getting used to it.”
Koepka arranged for Pak and some Florida State staffers to ride on a private plane to Dublin, Ohio, in early June so Pak could pick up his Jack Nicklaus award from the Golden Bear himself during the Memorial Tournament.
However, Pak said he hasn’t talked with Koepka about what to expect from life on the PGA Tour. He played with Florida State alum Hank Lebioda two weeks ago, and Lebioda offered some advice. He also said that if Pak has questions, he should reach out for help.
“I thought that was cool and really nice of him,” Pak said.
It’s unfair to judge Pak’s game against the pros, statistically, based on just three rounds on the PGA Tour. However, from an eye-test perspective, he already chips and putts like a pro. He has touch around the greens and can make the ball dance with a wedge. Pak is not long by PGA Tour standards, but he is effective off the tee. What he needs is more power and more experience, especially on the courses he will be playing. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to get that.
For instance, Pak hit driver off the tee on the uphill second hole and found the left side of the fairway. Many pros play either a driving iron, hybrid or fairway wood. Unfortunately, Pak’s tee shot wound up too close to the green to make a full swing, and his half-swing wedge shot went long, leading to a bogey. However, he recovered on the next hole, hitting an approach shot from 134 yards to 17 feet and making the birdie putt.
College awards and honors won’t win John Pak this golf tournament. Birdies will, lots of them. He will start Friday seven shots off Kramer Hickok’s lead at 7 under, but Pak is mature, confident and already looks like someone who thinks he belongs on the big stage.
Two years ago, Morikawa, Wolff and Hovland had that look before the start of the Travelers Championship. We knew they would be good, probably soon. Pak appears to be the next young player poised to use the Travelers Championship as a springboard to stardom.
Check out the top 15 players currently contending for the Haskins Award, given annually to the best male collegiate golfer.
The COVID-19 pandemic rocked the 2020-21 college golf schedule, with some schools and conferences electing not to compete in the fall.
Play has largely returned across the nation this spring, and just like the weather outside, the race for the Haskins Award is starting to heat up. A handful of players have stood out as front-runners for the Haskins Award, which honors the player of the year in college men’s golf, as selected by college golfers, coaches and members of the college golf media.
The players are listed alphabetically. Players on the Haskins Award Watch List were selected by a panel of Golfweek and Golf Channel writers.
Check out the top 20 players currently contending for the Haskins Award, given annually to the best male collegiate golfer.
The COVID-19 pandemic rocked the 2020-21 college golf schedule, with some schools and conferences electing not to play in the fall.
Due to the unique season, this fall’s Haskins Award Watch List will feature players who competed in the fall and those who we project will contend for the award in the spring. The Haskins Award honors the player of the year in college men’s golf, as selected by college golfers, coaches and members of the college golf media.
The players are listed alphabetically. Those with an * did not compete this fall due to their school and/or conference’s pandemic protocols. Players on the Haskins Award Watch List were selected by a panel of Golfweek and Golf Channel writers.
The NCAA takes a big step toward allowing athletes to earn income, the LPGA pushes back its restart date and we celebrates All-Americans.
Tiger-Phil II has an official date, the last state in the United States announced golf may resume and a pro golfer steps away from her job on the course to help on the frontlines of the pandemic.
Take a look at the week’s top stories on the latest episode of Golfweek Rewind featured below.
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The Match, Part II
Champions for Charity, better known as Tiger-Phil II, is set for May 24 at Medalist Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Florida. It was already announced Peyton Manning and Tom Brady will be included in the event which will benefit COVID-19 relief efforts. Turner Sports will exclusively broadcast the event.
Golf returns
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker reopened the state for golf Thursday, making Massachusetts the last state to resume golf following stay-at-home orders. Baker laid out several rules golfers and courses must follow along with its reopening such as groups will be limited to four players maximum and no carts will be used.
For more on what Tiger Woods is auctioning for the All-In Challenge and why Symetra Tour player Sarah Hoffman is our Hero of the Week, watch the latest episode of Golfweek Rewind featured above.
Pepperdine senior Sahith Theegala, the nation’s top-ranked player, won the 2020 Haskins Award, given to the best men’s collegiate golfer.
It didn’t take long for Pepperdine men’s golf coach Michael Beard to realize he had something special in Sahith Theegala, maybe a few practices.
He remembers telling him as a freshman that he thought he could be an All-American.
“I knew he was really good,” remembers Beard, adding Theegala had traits you can’t teach. “Most of the things I did that freshman year was look for opportunities to encourage him and let him know how good he really was.”
Over the next five years, Theegala took the reigns of the Pepperdine program and showed the nation his talent. To those who follow college golf, it comes as no surprise Theegala has been named the 2020 winner of the Haskins Award, given annually to the player of the year in men’s college golf.
“Ever since I started college I had a goal to be one of the top college players when I was done with school,” Theegala told Golfweek.
“I look at the guys that have won the Haskins Award. … all these guys are winners on Tour and legends of the game,” he continued. “I went through the list and literally recognized every one of them. The thought of being on a list with names like that means the world to me.”
Names like: Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Justin Thomas, David Duval, Matt Kuchar, Patrick Cantlay and Matthew Wolff. Ever heard of them?
The Haskins Award was supposed to come with an exemption to the 2020 Military Tribute at the Greenbrier before the event was removed from the PGA Tour schedule. The Haskins Commission is working to find a new exemption for Theegala.
The Chino Hills, California, native was one of three finalists this year, besting Georgia junior Davis Thompson and 2019 U.S. Amateur runner-up, Vanderbilt senior John Augenstein.
He’s the 50th winner of the award, and Pepperdine’s first.
Pepperdine’s Sahith Thegala. (Photo: Jeff Golden via Pepperdine)
In a shortened redshirt senior year, Theegala earned two wins at the Alister Mackenzie Invitational in October and the Waves’ Southwestern Invitational in January. In eight events he logged six top-10s, finishing inside the top 20 in the other two tournaments. A 69.04 scoring average and 101 birdies (fourth in the country) helped Theegala finish his college career as a first-team All-American the No. 1 ranked player in both the Golfweek/Sagarin and Golfstat rankings.
Iron sharpens irons
Theegala and the Waves’ rising star, freshman William Mouw, are similar in the fact that they’re both a force to be reckoned with on the course. Like north and south, east and west, their respective demeanor and how they entered school couldn’t be more different.
“(Mouw) came in as a freshman and said ‘I’m the guy, and everyone’s going to know I’m the guy,’ he just had that way about him,” explained Beard. “Sahith did not have that way about him. He was just a normal guy with a funny looking swing and great short game.”
Mouw pushed Theegala a lot in the shortened 2019-20 season. The two led Pepperdine to three team wins and kept the Waves consistently ranked as one of the nation’s best teams.
Earlier this spring, after the Amer Ari Invitational in Hawaii (where Mouw won with Theegala’s putter), Theegala asked his coach if he was still going to be in the lineup’s No. 1 spot. Beard told him he was thinking of putting Mouw in the top spot, and his redshirt senior star agreed.
“He said ‘okay good, I want to be at No. 2. I want to have that edge,’” Beard said with a smile and chuckle. “I think Mouw made him elevate his game a little bit more.”
‘Cold-blooded killer’
When you talk to Theegala, he’s so genuine and personable it seems like an act. But it’s not, he’s that nice of a kid.
Until you get on the golf course.
On the first tee he’ll disarm you with a smile and handshake, followed by some nice pleasantries. And then he kicks your ass for 18 holes.
“He can be a sweet, kind, thoughtful person, and at the same time he’s a cold-blooded killer on the golf course,” said Beard, noting that despite the fact Theegala was the top-ranked player in the country, he never tried to prove it.
“He’s not out there to play to prove that he belongs, he already knows he does,” added Beard. “He knows who he is enough where his identity isn’t in how he performs. It’s been so neat to see how he’s come in and how he’s leaving (school), both in golf and how he is as a person.”
After a shortened college golf season, both the Haskins and ANNIKA Awards will still be presented to the top men’s and women’s college players. Players, coaches, sports information directors and golf media were eligible to vote for the awards. After the voting period, three finalists remain on each side. Haskins finalists include Vanderbilt senior John Augenstein, Pepperdine senior Sahith Theegala and Georgia junior Davis Thompson. Augenstein notched a victory at the Desert Mountain Intercollegiate and had two other top-five finishes, including a runner-up showing at the Nike Golf Collegiate. Theegala finished an abbreviated season as the top-ranked college player in both the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings and the Golfstat individual rankings. Thompson won the Jim Rivers Invitational in the fall for one of four top-10 finishes on the season. ANNIKA finalists are Arizona freshman Vivian Hou, LSU freshman Ingrid Lindblad and Furman senior Natalie Srinivasan. Hou was a collective 17 under in 16 competitive rounds during her freshman year at Arizona. Lindblad won two times in an abbreviated season at LSU. Srinivasan’s season included three individual titles and ended with a runner-up at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate. Award winners for both the Haskins and ANNIKA will be announced May 8.
After a shortened college golf season, both the Haskins and ANNIKA Awards will still be presented to the top men’s and women’s college players. Players, coaches, sports information directors and golf media were eligible to vote for the awards. After the voting period, three finalists remain on each side. Haskins finalists include Vanderbilt senior John Augenstein, Pepperdine senior Sahith Theegala and Georgia junior Davis Thompson. Augenstein notched a victory at the Desert Mountain Intercollegiate and had two other top-five finishes, including a runner-up showing at the Nike Golf Collegiate. Theegala finished an abbreviated season as the top-ranked college player in both the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings and the Golfstat individual rankings. Thompson won the Jim Rivers Invitational in the fall for one of four top-10 finishes on the season. ANNIKA finalists are Arizona freshman Vivian Hou, LSU freshman Ingrid Lindblad and Furman senior Natalie Srinivasan. Hou was a collective 17 under in 16 competitive rounds during her freshman year at Arizona. Lindblad won two times in an abbreviated season at LSU. Srinivasan’s season included three individual titles and ended with a runner-up at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate. Award winners for both the Haskins and ANNIKA will be announced May 8.
After the voting period for the Haskins Award and ANNIKA Award, three finalists remain on each side.
It means something different to be put on the top of your sport by a vote from your peers. That’s the beauty of the Haskins and ANNIKA Awards. After a shortened college golf season, both awards will still be presented to the top men’s and women’s college players.
Players, coaches, sports information directors and golf media were eligible to vote for the awards. After the voting period, three finalists remain on each side.
Haskins finalists include Vanderbilt senior John Augenstein, Pepperdine senior Sahith Theegala and Georgia junior Davis Thompson.
ANNIKA finalists are Arizona freshman Vivian Hou, LSU freshman Ingrid Lindblad and Furman senior Natalie Srinivasan.
Hou was a collective 17 under in 16 competitive rounds while classmate Lindblad won two times in an abbreviated season. Srinivasan’s season included three individual titles and ended with a runner-up at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate.
As for the men, Theegala finished an abbreviated season as the top-ranked college player in both the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings and the Golfstat individual rankings. Augenstein notched a victory at the Desert Mountain Intercollegiate and had two other top-five finishes, including a runner-up showing at the Nike Golf Collegiate. Thompson, meanwhile, won the Jim Rivers Invitational in the fall for one of four top-10 finishes on the season.
