UCLA sophomore Patrick Cantlay has won the 2012 Ben Hogan Award, college golf’s most prestigious honor.
Cantlay received the award, which is given based on a player’s performance over the last 12 months in college and amateur events, during a ceremony on Monday as part of tournament week activities at this week’s Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial.
The low amateur this year’s Masters and runner-up in the 2011 U.S. Amateur, Cantlay becomes the first sophomore ever to win the award and the second youngest winner after Oklahoma State freshman Rickie Fowler, who grew up in Murrieta.
“It’s nice to be linked to all the great accomplishments that Mr. Hogan had in his time. That’s a real honor for me,” Cantlay said.
The Los Alamitos native, currently the world’s No. 1-ranked amateur, has earned has exemptions to play in this summer’s U.S. Open and the Open Championship and will help lead UCLA at next week’s NCAA Division I Men’s Championship at Riviera Country Club
Previous winners of the Hogan Award, given annually to the top men’s player in college and amateur events over a 12-month period, include D.J. Trahan (Clemson, 2002), Ricky Barnes (Arizona, 2003), Hunter Mahan (Oklahoma State, 2003), Bill Haas (Wake Forest, 2004), Ryan Moore (UNLV, 2005), Matt Every (Florida, 2006), Chris Kirk (Georgia, 2007), Fowler (Oklahoma State, 2008), Kyle Stanley (Clemson, 2009), Nick Taylor (Washington, 2010) and Peter Uihlein (Oklahoma State, 2011).
