Hardy, Meyer named 2017 Ben Hogan Award semifinalists
Dylan Meyer takes a practice swing at the University’s outdoor facility April 6. Meyer and Nick Hardy were recently named semifinalists for the 2017 Ben Hogan Award.
April 12, 2017
Illinois golfers Nick Hardy and Dylan Meyer are used to winning awards.
Hardy earned Big Ten Golfer of the Week honors twice this season, was selected for the United States’ Arnold Palmer Cup team this coming June and has seven top-10 finishes in Illinois’ tournaments this year — not to mention four top-five finishes.
Meyer won the 3M Augusta Invitational and will compete on the PGA Tour’s Valspar Championship in the spring of 2018 as a result. He has placed in the top-five in five competitions and has placed among the top 25 individuals at each of Illinois’ tournaments.
These are just a few of Hardy’s and Meyer’s accomplishments. The pair continued their trend of achievements when each was named to the list of semifinalists for the 2017 Ben Hogan Award, an honor given annually to the top player in all of men’s college golf.
This is each player’s first time being a semifinalist for the award, although Hardy was named to the Ben Hogan Award Watch List last season. Illinois golf has been represented on the prestigious list for eight consecutive years, which is only behind Stanford’s streak of 12 for longest-running in the NCAA.
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Hardy has put together a 71.13 stroke average this year, with a 71.0 average for the spring season. Golfstat holds him in high regard, ranking him the No. 27 college player in the country. The World Amateur Golf Rankings reflect an even better image of Hardy, as it ranks him the No. 18 amateur in the world.
Golfstat has Meyer as the No. 12 player in the country, and the World Amateur Golf Rankings rank him as the No. 6 amateur in the world. He has the best stroke average in the Illinois’ program, shooting a season average of 70.58 and a spring average of 70.33.
The duo will find out if they make the three-man finalist list May 3, and if selected, they will travel to Fort Worth, Texas, on May 22 at Colonial Country Club, where the winner will be announced.
In the meantime, the two are preparing, along with the rest of the Illini, for the Robert Kepler Intercollegiate — hosted by Ohio State — in Columbus, Ohio, on April 22 and 23.
