April 9, 2008
ATLANTA – Georgia Tech’s Chesson Hadley is among 20 Division I players named to the watch list for the 2008 Jack Nicklaus Award, the Golf Coaches Association of America has announced. The Nicklaus Award is presented to the Player of the Year in NCAA Divisions I, II and III, as well as the NAIA.
Hadley, a sophomore from Raleigh, N.C., is joined on the list by 2007 NCAA Champion Jamie Lovemark of Southern California, Jonas Blixt of Florida State and Webb Simpson of Wake Forest, among others. Hadley currently is rated the sixth-best player in the country according to the Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index, the highest of any Atlantic Coast Conference player, and he leads the ACC in stroke average at 70.73.
Hadley has eight top-20 finishes in nine events this year, five of those in the top 10, including a victory at the Carpet Capital Collegiate last fall. He also was named a Mid-Season All-American by Golf World magazine following the fall campaign.
The Nicklaus Award recipients will be named immediately following the final round of each respective national championship. All four Nicklaus Award honorees will be invited to Muirfield Village for the final round of the Memorial Tournament presented by Morgan Stanley at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, just outdside Nicklaus’ hometown of Columbus to receive their trophies from Mr. Nicklaus. Additionally, a 20-player All-Nicklaus Team – which will include outstanding players from NCAA Divisions I, II and III and the NAIA – will be named June 10.
2008 Jack Nicklaus Award Watch Lists
(in alphabetical order)
Division I
Jonas Blixt, Florida State Kevin Chappell, UCLA Jonas Enander Hedin, Charlotte Derek Fathauer, Louisville Rickie Fowler, Oklahoma State Aaron Goldberg, San Diego State Chesson Hadley, Georgia Tech Rory Hie, Southern California Russell Henley, Georgia Siwhan Kim, Stanford Jamie Lovemark, Southern California Adam Mitchell, Georgia Kevin O’Connell, North Carolina Andrew Putnam, Pepperdine Webb Simpson, Wake Forest Joel Sjoholm, Georgia State Ryan Spears, Wichita State Hudson Swafford, Georgia Matthew Swann, Alabama Michael Thompson, Alabama
Division II Roberto Diaz, USC-Aiken Luis Delgado, Chico State Judson Eustaquio, Florida Southern Matthew Galloway, West Florida Andrew Georgiou, Columbus State Kyle Hopkins, Sonoma State Justin Hueber, Indianapolis Jeff Goff, USC-Aiken Eric Justesen, CSU-Stanislaus Jake Koppenberg, WWU Tobias Rosendahl, West Florida Kyle Scott, West Florida Colby Shrum, Central Oklahoma J.P. Solis, USC-Aiken Jarin Todd, Sonoma State Will Wilcox, Clayton State Brent Witcher, Valdosta State Chris Wolfe, Armstrong Atlantic State
Division III Rizal Amin, LaVerne Matt Bova, Methodist Nick Bova, Methodist Josh Cummings, Greensboro Ross Canavan, Redlands Chris DeJohn, Skidmore Scott Harris Jr., St. John Fisher Nathaniel James, Washington & Lee Joe Schoolmeesters, Saint John’s Josh Schrader, Methodist E.J. Stenftenagel, Redlands Alex Timmons, Carnegie Mellon Taylor Urbanski, Oglethorpe A.J. Vesey, Texas Lutheran Pete Wendt, UW-Eau Claire
NAIA Bruno Buccolo, Oklahoma Christian Sam Cyr, Point Loma Nazarene Samuel Del Val, Berry Mitchell Evanecz, Victoria Rhein Gibson, Oklahoma Christian Mitch Hendon, Texas Wesleyan Clay Parks, Oklahoma City Cory Renfro, British Columbia Blake Rowe-Sleeman, British Columbia David Stewart, British Columbia Dave Tobon, Johnson & Wales Jarod Trammell, Berry Julian Valenciana, Oklahoma City David Vanegas, Johnson & Wales Hamilton Wheeler, Southern Nazarene
