THE FLATS – Georgia Tech’s Ross Steelman and Christo Lamprecht are among 37 of the nation’s most accomplished collegiate golfers across all levels who have been named to the watch list for the 2023 Ben Hogan Award presented by PNC Bank. The joint announcement was made Friday by the Hogan Trophy Award Foundation, the Friends of Golf (FOG) and the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA).
The Ben Hogan Award presented by PNC Bank annually awards the top men’s NCAA Division I, II or III, NAIA or NJCAA college golfer based on all collegiate, amateur and professional events over the previous 12 months. Three of the top 12 players in the Official World Golf Ranking—No. 3 Jon Rahm (2015, 2016), No. 5 Patrick Cantlay (2012) and No. 11 Viktor Hovland (2019) —are past recipients of the honor, while No. 8 Collin Morikawa (2018, 2019) was a two-time finalist.
Steelman and Lamprecht are both ranked among the top amateurs in the world, No. 22 and 23, respectively, in the latest World Amateur Golf Ranking. Both players competed in the U.S. Amateur Championship last summer, while Lamprecht represented South Africa in the World Amateur Team Championships, and Steelman was invited to the December practice of candidates for the U.S. Walker Cup team.
Lamprecht earned a victory in the Inverness Collegiate and tied for 10th place at the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate in the fall collegiate season, finishing the fall ranked No. at in the Golfstat individual rankings. Steelman is ranked No. 31 after tying for fifth place at the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate and 21st in the Maui Jim Intercollegiate, his only two fall events.
Christo Lamprecht (top photo) and Ross Steelman (above) are ranked No. 23 and 22, respectively, in the current World Amateur Golf Ranking.
The 2023 Ben Hogan Award watch list, as determined by the award’s subcommittee, also features Ludvig Aberg (Texas Tech), Leon Acikalin (Arizona Christian), Cole Anderson (Florida State), Sam Bennett (Texas A&M), Fred Biondi (Florida), Ryan Burnett (North Carolina), Dominic Clemons (Hutchinson Community College), Charles DeLong (Grand Valley State), Adrien Dumont de Chassart (Illinois), Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira (Arkansas), David Ford (North Carolina), Nick Gabrelcik (North Florida), Austin Greaser (North Carolina), Derek Hitchner (Pepperdine), Ben James (Virginia), Connor Jones (Colorado State), Tommy Kuhl (Illinois), Bryce Lewis (Tennessee), Yuxin Lin (Florida), Christiaan Maas (Texas), Dylan Menante (North Carolina), Maxwell Moldovan (Ohio State), William Mouw (Pepperdine), Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen (Oklahoma State), Greg Odom (Howard), Alex Price (Newport), Gordon Sargent (Vanderbilt), Calum Scott (Texas Tech), Herman Sekne (Purdue), Cole Sherwood (Vanderbilt), Garrison Smith (New Mexico State), Preston Summerhays (Arizona State), Caleb Surratt (Tennessee), Michael Thorbjornsen (Stanford) and Travis Vick (Texas).
The list includes 20 seniors, seven juniors, seven sophomores and three freshmen. Two award finalists from 2022 return with Aberg, the reigning Ben Hogan Award winner, and Bennett. In addition, Thorbjornsen was a semifinalist last year.
Nine schools have multiple golfers on the watch list, led by North Carolina with four. Programs with two players on the watch list are Florida, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Pepperdine, Tennessee, Texas, Texas Tech and Vanderbilt.
This year’s list of 10 semifinalists, which could include individuals not on the watch list, will be unveiled Friday, April 14. That group will be pared down to three finalists on Thursday, May 4. The finalists will attend a black-tie dinner Monday, May 22, at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, where the winner will be crowned.
An esteemed selection committee votes during each stage of the process. The selection committee is comprised of more than 30 leaders in collegiate, amateur and professional golf.
Award winners at Colonial have combined to accumulate 76 worldwide victories, including 54 PGA TOUR wins, and have amassed more than $365 million in prize money on the PGA TOUR and DP World Tour. More than $330 million has come on the PGA TOUR. Additionally, the group has appeared in 12 Ryder Cups and a dozen Presidents Cups.
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
ABOUT GEORGIA TECH GOLF
Georgia Tech’s golf team is in its 28th year under head coach Bruce Heppler, winning 70 tournaments in his tenure. The Yellow Jackets have won 18 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships, made 29 appearances in the NCAA Championship and been the national runner-up four times. Connect with Georgia Tech Golf on social media by liking their Facebook page, or following on Twitter (@GTGolf) and Instagram. For more information on Tech golf, visit Ramblinwreck.com.
