Robby Shelton Selected as a Ben Hogan Award Semifinalist for Third Straight Year

Alabama men's golfer Robby Shelton has been named one of 10 semifinalists for the 2016 Ben Hogan Award presented by the Colonial Country Club, Friends of Golf (FOG) and the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA). This marks the third consecutive year Shelton has been a semifinalist (2014, 2015, 2016), and continues the Tide’s streak of having a semifinalist every year since 2008.

The junior from Wilmer, Ala., is currently ranked No. 6 in the Golfweek/Sagarin performance index entering this weekend’s Southeastern Conference Championships. He holds the school record with seven career tournament victories. After claiming three titles during the 2015-16 season alone, he is one off of matching the Alabama single-season tournament victories record of four set by Justin Thomas in 2011-12.

Shelton, who leads the Tide with a 70.08 per round stroke average this season, has captured medalist honors at the DICK’s Collegiate Challenge Cup, Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate and Puerto Rico Classic. He has finished among the top 20 in eight of the nine tournaments he has played in this season and now has 29 top-20 results in 31 career tournaments played at Alabama.

Last summer, Shelton competed for the United States Walker Cup team, becoming the sixth UA golfer to receive the honor since 2009. Furthermore, he helped the United States win the Palmer Cup, as he became one of 16 golfers to ever go undefeated during the event, winning all four of his rounds of match play. He also finished third in his first PGA event, competing as an amateur at the Barbasol Championship.

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 past 12-month period. The Ben Hogan Award Selection Committee, which votes during each stage of the process, is comprised of leaders in professional, amateur and collegiate golf.

Other semifinalists for this year’s award include Illinois’ Charlie Danielson, Florida’s Sam Horsfield, Texas’ Beau Hossler, Auburn’s Michael Johnson, Georgia’s Lee McCoy, Stanford’s Maverick McNealy, South Carolina’s Matt NeSmith, Arizona State’s Jon Rahm and Oregon’s Aaron Wise. Rahm is the reigning Ben Hogan Award winner and would be the first two-time recipient.

On Tuesday, May 3, the list of 10 semifinalists will be pared down to three finalists. The three finalists will attend a black-tie banquet at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, on Monday, May 23, where the winner will be crowned.

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Hogan Award Semifinalists
(in alphabetical order)
Charlie Danielson, Illinois
Sam Horsfield, Florida
Beau Hossler, Texas
Michael Johnson, Auburn
Lee McCoy, Georgia
Maverick McNealy, Stanford
Matt NeSmith, South Carolina
Jon Rahm, Arizona State
Robby Shelton, Alabama
Aaron Wise, Oregon