Tag: Player of the Week

College Performers of the Week powered by Rapsodo: Kieron van Wyk, College of Charleston

College of Charleston’s Kieron van Wyk notched his first victory as a collegian on March 20 at the Schenkel Invitational.

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College of Charleston’s Kieron van Wyk notched his first victory as a collegian on March 20 at the Schenkel Invitational. The freshman from Ruimsig, South Africa, fired rounds of 66-68-70 at Forest Heights Country Club in Statesboro, Georgia, and edged a pair of players from the host team, Georgia Southern.

Van Wyk led the Cougars to third place as a team.

Before arriving in Charleston, van Wyk competed primarily in South Africa. But he took to college golf quickly, ending his fall season with a runner-up finish at the Daniel Island Collegiate. He represented his country at the Spirit International Amateur over the winter break and started the spring with a fourth-place finish at the Sea Best Invitational.

Key in van Wyk’s Schenkel victory was an opening bogey-free round of 66. He also led the field with 17 birdies.

Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings: Men’s team | Men’s individual
College golf blog: The Road to Grayhawk

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College Performers of the Week presented by Rapsodo: Rachel Kuehn, Wake Forest

Chalk up a fourth career college title for Wake Forest junior Rachel Kuehn. And this time she earns an LPGA start right along with it.

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Chalk up a fourth career college title for Wake Forest junior Rachel Kuehn. And this time she earns an LPGA start right along with it.

Kuehn, the No. 4-ranked player in the Golfweek/Sagarin College Rankings, won the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge on March 15 with a 10-under 203 total that left her five shots ahead of Virginia fifth year Beth Lillie. Now she’ll play on a sponsor exemption at next month’s LPGA’s JTBC Championship at Palos Verdes.

Kuehn will join a 144-player field April 28-May 1, televised live on Golf Channel. World No. 2 Nelly Korda, Lydia Ko (3), Minjee Lee (4), Danielle Kang (5), Inbee Park (6), Sei Young Kim (7) and Nasa Hataoka (8) headline the early commitments.

Kuehn had rounds of 67-67-69 and helped Wake Forest finish second in the team race.

“This week has been incredible,” Kuehn said in a release, “and I feel fortunate to have won on such an amazing course. To receive a sponsor’s exemption into the LPGA tournament here in a couple weeks is a dream come true.”

Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings: Women’s team | Women’s individual
College golf blog: The Road to Grayhawk

Boston’s Jayson Tatum wins East Player of the Week for a 3rd time in 2021-22

Only he and Larry Bird have won that honor more than twice in a season.

Boston Celtics All-Star forward Jayson Tatum has been named Eastern Conference Player of the Week by the NBA for games played March 14 – 20 according to a press release circulated by the Celtics, the second time this month and third time this season Tatum has won the honor.

It is the seventh time he has received the award in his career, the second-highest number for any player in franchise history according to the release. Only he and Hall of Fame Boston small forward Larry Bird have won the honor three times or more in a single season since the Celtics’ inaugural season of 1946-47.

The St. Louis native is putting up career highs in points (26.9), rebounds (8.2), and assists (4.3) so far this season, and averaged 29.3 points, 7.7 boards, and 5 assists per game over the stretch of games for which he is being honored.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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LSU baseball’s Jacob Berry named National Player of the Week

Berry has been on an absolute tear the last week.

Expectations, Effort, Execution.

Jacob Berry arrived in Baton Rouge this year after an incredible year playing for Arizona in which he had a .352 batting average with 17 home runs and 70 RBI. He’s listed by mlb.com as the No. 1 prospect in college baseball.

The expectations for the sophomore from Queen Creek, Arizona, could not have been any higher. After getting off to somewhat of a slow start to the year offensively, Berry has caught fire since his 2-for-5 performance against the Texas Longhorns. He went 2 for 4 the next day against Baylor and then went on an absolute tear this week as the Tigers had a 4-0 homestand against McNeese State and Bethune-Cookman.

Berry was named the National Player of the Week by the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper after going 9 for 18 with three home runs, a double, seven RBI, and seven runs scored.

Head coach Jay Johnson has moved him around in the top of the lineup a few times trying to find the spot Berry fits in the best. It seems as though the three-hole is where he is best suited.

Berry is wedged in the lineup between Dylan Crews and Cade Doughty which often gives him RBI opportunities and also gives him a chance to score a lot of runs himself. After a week of hitting .500, Berry hopes to carry that momentum into the game against Tulane tonight and as conference play starts against Texas A&M this weekend.

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College Performers of the Week powered by Rapsodo: Ingrid Lindblad, LSU

Ingrid Lindblad has now won seven times in her three and a half years on the LSU roster.

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Ingrid Lindblad is arguably among the most consistent players in women’s college golf, and she’s gradually becoming one of the winningest, too. Lindblad won her second title in three spring starts on March 13, claiming the individual crown at the Clover Cup.

Linblad, a junior from Sweden, has now won seven times as a Tiger. That leaves her tied with Jenny Lidback for the most individual victories in program history. Lidback played for LSU in the mid-1980s.

At the Clover Cup at Longbow Golf Club, Lindblad fired rounds of 65-70-68 for a 13-under total that left her with a five-shot victory.

In addition to all the individual titles, consider Lindblad’s body of work over the past three and a half years. She has 20 top-10 finishes in 25 starts and has only ever finished outside the top 25 in two starts.

“She doesn’t give anything away around the greens,” LSU head coach Garrett Runion told Golfweek after Lindblad’s previous win at the Moon Golf Invitational. “Whether she’s 5 under, 5 over, she never feels like she’s out of it and she’s just real efficient around the greens. She grinds and just seems like she never makes bogeys. She does, but she just grinds. She wills it in, I guess.”

Lindblad is ranked No. 3 in the Golfweek/Sagarin College Rankings.

Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings: Women’s team | Women’s individual
College golf blog: The Road to Grayhawk

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College Performers of the Week powered by Rapsodo: Rachel Heck, Stanford

The sophomore added an eighth title to her college resume and led Stanford to yet another team victory.

At the heart of a record-breaking team performance in the Gunrock Invitational was Rachel Heck, doing what she’s become known for: winning. Heck, a Stanford sophomore, won the eighth individual title of her career, edging teammate Rose Zhang by four shots to do it.

Heck, Golfweek’s player of the week for a second time this spring, went 18 under for 54 holes at Del Paso Country Club in Sacramento, California. That effort began with a flawless 9-under 63 in the opening round. She had only two bogeys for the week, and both came in the second round.

After going winless in two fall starts, Heck, ranked No. 4 by Golfweek, is now back in her groove and just one win shy of the Stanford record set by Andrea Lee.

“It’s great to see the Rachel Heck that we had here last spring,” head coach Anne Walker said in a release. “She’s so happy. She’s hitting every shot very loose and confident and relaxed. She’s having a great time with the game. To see her get her eighth win today, and I know there’s plenty more ahead, I’m excited to be part of this. ”

Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings: Women’s team | Women’s individual
College golf blog: The Road to Grayhawk

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College Performers of the Week powered by Rapsodo: Patrick Welch, Oklahoma

Oklahoma senior Patrick Welch won the Southern Highlands Intercollegiate and a PGA Tour exemption for next fall.

Oklahoma made its second consecutive start at an event with a PGA Tour exemption on the line, and for the second time, a Sooner left with the invitation. After fifth-year senior Chris Gotterup claimed the Puerto Rico Classic title last month (and an exemption into last week’s Puerto Rico Open, where he finished T-7), this time it was senior Patrick Welch’s turn. Welch went 14 under for 54 holes to win the Southern Highlands Collegiate and earn an invitation to the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, which will take place Oct. 6-9, 2022, at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas.

This is the second individual title for Welch, who won the 2020 East Lake Cup. Welch had a field-best 19 birdies for the week, which is also a personal best for the player from Aliso Viejo, California. He is ranked No. 66 in the Golfweek/Sagarin College Rankings.

Welch’s performance also helped Oklahoma win the team title. It’s the Sooners’ second win this spring and fourth win on the season.

“It’s just been an amazing job from all of our guys so far,” head coach Ryan Hybl said in a release. “Chris obviously went down to Puerto Rico and won and then for Patrick Welch to come out here and win is just phenomenal. Really proud of how he handled everything coming down the stretch today.”

Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings: Men’s team | Men’s individual
College golf blog: The Road to Grayhawk

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Boston’s Jayson Tatum named NBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week

The Celtics star earned his second such honor of the season on Monday.

It might not surprise Boston Celtics fans to learn that All-Star forward Jayson Tatum has been named the NBA’s East player of the week, but the St. Louis native has indeed been awarded that honor Monday, joining star big man Karl-Anthony Towns as the Western Conference honoree for the week. Tatum’s 54-point masterpiece in the Celtics’ 126 – 120 win over the Brooklyn Nets sealed the deal for Tatum, who had some pretty stiff competition for the honor this week despite strong showings against the Atlanta Hawks and Memphis Grizzlies as well.

Per the league, the NBA also considered giving the East award to Saddiq Bey of the Detroit Pistons, Darius Garland of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Tyler Herro of the Miami Heat, Jrue Holiday of the Milwaukee Bucks, Tyrese Maxey of the Philadelphia 76ers, Terry Rozier of the Charlotte Hornets, and Trae Young of the Hawks.

It is Tatum’s second such honor of the 2022 NBA season, and the sixth of his NBA career to date.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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College Performers of the Week powered by Rapsodo: Rachel Heck, Stanford

Rachel Heck won the Lamkin Invitational for a seventh career title to start the spring of her sophomore season.

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Rachel Heck is building on a body of work at Stanford that will be difficult to match. After winning the individual title at the Lamkin Invitational on Feb. 15, Heck now owns seven college titles despite being only a sophomore. All seven were collected in a mere 350 days, and she stands two wins shy of Andrea Lee’s school-record nine individual titles.

Heck closed with a 4-under 68 at The Farms Golf Club in Rancho Santa Fe, California, which was the best round of the day and left her three strokes ahead of runner-up Ashley Menne of Arizona State. Heck was 5 under for 54 holes.

“This win was really special,” Heck said in a release. “After not competing for a few months, winning individually was not even on my radar. I really just hoped to have a solid tournament to get the season started. I feel so blessed to have the most supportive teammates, and while we’re disappointed to come up just short of the team win, we’re more pumped than ever going into the rest of the season!”

Notably, Heck, ranked No. 4 in the Golfweek/Sagarin College Rankings, aced the par 3, 141-yard 14th hole en route to a first-round 70. Teammates Caroline Sturdza had an ace on the par-3, 181-yard fifth hole in the second round (both rounds were played on Feb. 14).

During her freshman season, Heck didn’t get to compete until the spring because the Pac-12 closed competition during the COVID-19 pandemic. But Heck then won six spring titles, including a postseason sweep of the Pac-12 individual title, NCAA Regional title and NCAA Championship. She was named the ANNIKA Award winner to end the season.

Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings: Women’s team | Women’s individual
College golf blog: The Road to Grayhawk

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College Performers of the Week powered by Rapsodo: Chris Gotterup, Oklahoma

Chris Gotterup went 20 under par to win the Puerto Rico Classic and lead Oklahoma to the team title.

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Chris Gotterup is the new No. 1 player in the Golfweek/Sagarin College Rankings after a 20-under performance at the Puerto Rico Classic that left him with his second consecutive individual title of the season. Gotterup closed out the fall by winning the East Lake Cup.

Gotterup, a fifth-year senior who transferred from Rutgers to Oklahoma for his final year of college eligibility, fired rounds of 66-64-66 at Grand Reserve Golf Club in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. That left him with a four-shot victory and also earned him a spot in the PGA Tour’s Puerto Rico Open in two weeks.

The New Jersey native is Oklahoma’s leading scorer, and his rounds went a long way in helping the Sooners secure the Puerto Rico team title at an impressive 59-under par.

Gotterup didn’t have a bogey over the course of his final two rounds. His 54-hole total is the second lowest in program history, trailing only Abe Ancer’s 21-under total at the 2011 Desert Shootout.

“Chris played amazing all week just like he has been back home,” Oklahoma head coach Ryan Hybl said in a release. “We’re so proud of him for winning this week and securing the PGA Tour spot in two weeks down here on this course.”

Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings: Men’s team | Men’s individual
College golf blog: The Road to Grayhawk

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