Chris Williams becomes second Husky to win Hogan

FORT WORTH, Texas – Chris Williams was named recipient of the 2013 Ben Hogan Award on Monday in a black-tie ceremony at Colonial Country Club.

Williams is the second Washington Husky, joining Nick Taylor in 2010, to be honored with college golf’s most prestigious award.

The Ben Hogan Award is presented annually to the top men’s NCAA Division I, II or III, NAIA or NJCAA college golfer taking into account all collegiate and amateur competitions during the 12-month period dating from the previous award’s banquet.

The Ben Hogan Award selection committee is made up of 23 leaders and experts in amateur, college and professional golf.

As the 2013 The Ben Hogan Award recipient, Williams will receive an exemption into the PGA Tour’s 2014 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, as well as earn a $50,000 grant for the UW men’s golf scholarship program, $25,000 of which will be donated under his name.

“This is pretty surreal for me,” Williams told a full-house crowd at Colonial Country Club after accepting the award. “I grew up in Moscow, Idaho. I never thought I’d be here today.

“Our golf season is about three weeks long,” he joked. “We don’t get a lot of time to play, but I took advantage of it.”

Williams is the world’s No.1-ranked amateur in both the World Amateur Golf Rankings and the Scratch Players World Rankings. He was the 2012 recipient of the Mark H. McMormack Medal as the world’s top-ranked amateur to clinch berths into the 2013 U.S. Open and the Open Championship.