STEVE CARPENTER - Hutchinson CC Sports Information
For the second-straight season, Hutchinson Community College men's golfer Charlie Crockett has been named a finalist for the Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Award.
Announced on Thursday, Crockett, Trey Fessler of Mesa, Jon Hopkins of Mississippi Gulf Coast, Tom Matthews of Eastern Florida State, Jacob Skov Oleseon of Ranger and South Mountain's Gabriel Salvanera were named the 2020 finalists.
Recipients of the award – which will include all three divisions in the NJCAA, all three NCAA divisions and NAIA – will be announced during the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide, scheduled July 13-19.
Despite not having a full 2020 season and no national champion after the spring season was canceled because of the Coronavirus pandemic, Golfweek and the Golf Coaches Association of America decided to continue with their yearly awards, going off the fall season and a very partial spring season.
Crockett, from Surrey, England, helped the 2019-20 Blue Dragon men to rankings as high as No. 3 this season and No. 4 in the final Golfweek/Bushnell national rankings.
Crockett won three individual titles in six events played this past season, while also registering two top-25 finishes. The sophomore from totaled a 72.28 stroke average and had 10 rounds at par or below. Crockett finished the season ranked 12th in the final Golfstat NJCAA Division I Rankings.
Crockett is the first Blue Dragon to earn two PING All-America awards in program history. Those awards were announced on April 21.
In his freshman season in 2018-19, Crockett was a first-team PING All-American, a Nicklaus National Award finalist and the 2019 Phil Mickelson NJCAA Division I National Freshman of the Year.
Because all spring sports athletes in 2020 will not lose a season of eligibility because of the pandemic, Crockett has already announced that he will return to Hutchinson Community College for the 2020-21 academic/athletic season.