The Ben Hogan Award Finalists Named
Posted Wednesday, April 20, 2005 The Ben Hogan Award Finalists Named NORMAN, Okla. ? Bank of America, in cooperation with Colonial Country Club, The Friends of Golf and the Golf Coaches Association of America, has announced Spencer Levin of New Mexico, UNLV?s Ryan Moore and Georgia Southern?s Aron Price as finalists for The Ben Hogan Award. The most prestigious award in men?s college golf, The Hogan is presented annually to the top men?s NCAA Division I, II or III, NAIA or junior college golfer taking into account all collegiate and amateur competitions during the last 12 months.
A junior from Elk Grove, Calif., Levin has claimed three tournaments this season ? The Topy Cup, The Nelson and The Aggie Invitational. Currently ranked second nationally in stroke average at 69.73, he has also tallied three runner-up finishes to go along with three other top 10 showings. Levin was the low amateur at last summer?s U.S. Open Championship with a tie for 13
th place. He won the Porter Cup, Scratch Players Championship, the California State Amateur and the Northern California State Amateur. Additionally, Levin placed second at the Southern Amateur and Pacific Coast Amateur and advanced to the round of 16 at the U.S. Amateur. A second-team PING All-America selection last season, he competed on the U.S. World Team Amateur Championship and was named to represent the United States at this summer?s Palmer Cup presented by Monster.
The low amateur at the Masters with a tie for 13
th place finish, Moore was also a finalist for last year?s Hogan Award. The senior has won three tournaments this season ? the William H. Tucker, the John Burns Intercollegiate and the Hall of Fame Invitational ?finished no lower than sixth in a collegiate event this season and leads the nation in stroke average at 68.61. The defending NCAA Champion, Moore won the U.S. Public Links and U.S. Amateur, as wells as the Sahalee Players Championship and the Western Amateur. A member of the U.S. World Amateur team, he was low individual at the competition. The Puyallup, Wash., native was a 2004 first-team PING All-America selection and has competed in the Walker Cup and two Palmer Cups presented by Monster. Moore was named a Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar last season.
Price, a senior from Sydney, Australia, has won four collegiate events this season ? the Coca-Cola Tournament of Champions, the Ashworth Collegiate Invitational, the Hyatt Plantation Club Intercollegiate and the Courtyard by Marriott Intercollegiate ? and placed in the top 10 in three others. He claimed individual titles at last summer?s Rice Planters Amateur Championship and the Players Amateur. Price earned medalist honors at the Western Amateur before advancing to the semifinals of match play. He also advanced to the round of 16 at the U.S. Amateur. The three finalists are invited to attend The Hogan Award banquet on Saturday, May 14 at Colonial Country Club ? the Saturday prior to the Bank of America Colonial - with the recipient announced that evening.