Days after Oregon men’s golfer Aaron Wise made news on Monday with a career-low round at the Western Invitational, he received additional praise away from the course.
Wise was named one of 10 semifinalists for the 2016 Ben Hogan Award on Wednesday. The annual award is given to the most outstanding collegiate golfer.
Although Oregon has seen ups and downs as a team, Wise has been remarkably consistent. In five of nine tournaments this season, he has finished in the top three or better. This includes two individual wins on the season: first at the Jackrabbit last fall and most recently, the Amer Ari Invitational in February.
Only a sophomore, Wise’s four wins is already second all-time in school history, trailing only Daniel Miernicki’s five wins.
Outside of Oregon, Wise is currently the No. 6-ranked amateur in the world. Wise won the Australian Master of the Amateurs at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in January, as well as the Pacific Coast Amateur last July. According to GoDucks.com, the award takes into account both collegiate and amateur tournaments in the last 12 months.
Other semifinalists include Pac-12 golfers Jon Rahm of Arizona State and Stanford’s Maverick McNealy, and No. 1-ranked Auburn senior Michael Johnson.
The list of 10 Ben Hogan Award semifinalists will be narrowed to three finalists on May 3. The winner will be announced at the Colonial Country Club banquet in Fort Worth, Texas on May 23.
Follow Will Denner on Twitter @Will_Denner