Amateur Golf

Former Team Canada member, Albin Choi, of Toronto, Ont., and current member Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., have recently been placed on the prestigious Ben Hogan Award watch list.

The award is the most cherished honour in men’s collegiate golf and is presented annually to the top men’s NCAA Division I, II or III, NAIA or NJCAA college golfer.

Choi, a junior at NC State, currently sits 18th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings and has six victories while playing for the Wolfpack. In the fall of 2012, he won the season-opening Tar Heel Intercollegiate and also the Warrior Wave Intercollegiate. His six NCAA victories rank second to Canadian, Matt Hill, in NC State history.

Conners, a junior at Kent State, won his season opening tournament the Gopher Invitational this fall. At the 2012 NCAA Championships, he finished in a tie for fourth. He’s currently the 39th ranked player in the World Amateur Golf Rankings and recently represented Canada alongside Choi at the Copa de las Americas tournament, where they captured the overall team title.

Past recipients of the Ben Hogan award have included PGA Tour players such as; Hunter Mahan, Bill Haas, Rickie Fowler, Ryan Moore, Ricky Barnes, Kyle Stanley and D.J. Trahan. The last Canadian to capture the honour was Abbotsford, B.C., native, Nick Taylor in 2010.

On Thursday April 18th, a list of 10 semifinalists will be revealed and could include individuals who are not currently on the list. Three finalists will then be determined on May 8th. The winner will be crowned on May 20th at the Colonial Country Club prior to the PGA Tour’s Crowne Plaza Invitational.