Recent University of Florida graduate Billy Horschel (Grant, Fla.) was named to the 2009 All-Nicklaus Team, announced by the Golf Coaches Asso­ciation of America. The 20 honorees from Division I, II, III and the NAIA were recognized for their outstanding play during the past collegiate season.

 

The All-Nicklaus Team was created in 2008, and is not only named for history’s greatest player but also a long-time supporter of collegiate and amateur golf. Jack Nicklaus, a Big Ten and NCAA Champion at The Ohio State University, helped inspire and create the Jack Nicklaus Award in 1988. The Nicklaus Award is annually given to the top collegiate men’s golfer in Division I, II, III and the NAIA.

 

After the NCAA Championship in May, Horshel was named a first-team All-American for the third time, marking the fourth year in a row that he was named an All-American. He became the fifth Gator golfer to be named an All-American four times. Matt Every, Gary Koch and Camilo Villegas are the only other UF alumni to earn First Team honors three times, and Horschel is the only Gator to earn three First Team honors and a Second Team honor.

 

Horschel was also named the SEC Golfer of the Year and was a unanimous first-team All-SEC selection in the coaches’ voting. Horschel joined Koch as the only two players in Florida golf history to earn first-team All-SEC honors four times.

 

Horschel led the SEC in scoring average this season, averaging 71.28 strokes per round.  He placed in the top seven in eight of 11 tournaments this season.  He shot par-or-better in 21 of his 32 rounds and he finished the season ranked ninth in the nation in the Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index Ratings.  He was the individual medalist at the SEC Championships and was the runner-up at the NCAA Southwest Regional in Austin, Texas. Horschel was also a semifinalist for the 2009 Ben Hogan Award, college golf’s most prestigious award.

 

2009 All-Nicklaus Team

Bennett Blakeman, Illinois Wesleyan

Jorge Campillo, Indiana

Bud Cauley, Alabama

Sam Cyr, Point Loma Nazarene

Matt Ewald, Washburn

Mitchell Fedorka, La Verne

Rickie Fowler, Oklahoma State

Matthew Giles, Southern California

Matt Hill, NC State

Morgan Hoffmann, Oklahoma State

Billy Horschel, Florida

Jake Koppenberg, Western Washington

Anthony Michael, Oklahoma City

Cory Renfrew, British Columbia

Josh Schrader, Methodist

Kyle Stanley, Clemson

Nick Taylor, Washington

Cameron Tringale, Georgia Tech

Mike Van Sickle, Marquette

Brent Witcher, Valdosta State

 

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