Texas Tech senior Fredrik Nilehn has been named the Big 12 Men’s Golfer of the Year, the league office announced Wednesday.
Nilehn, already a semifinalist for three national player of the year awards (Hogan, Haskins, Nicklaus), is the first Red Raider in school history to win this award on the men’s side.
The Goteborg, Sweden, native, ranked third in the nation according to Golfstat and fourth in the latest Golfweek national rankings, is the highest-ranked golfer in the Big 12. He has finished in the top 15 at each of Tech’s tournaments this season in which he has played, and holds a 69.38 stroke average through 21 rounds this season. His stroke average is on pace to be the single-season program record by a wide margin.
Nilehn has snagged two tournament wins this season, owns four top 10 finishes and has played 18 of his 21 rounds this season to par or better.
“Freddy has had an incredible year and no one is more deserving of this award,” Tech head coach Greg Sands said. He has put together one of the best seasons this program has ever seen. He came into this program a year ago and has had an immediate impact. I’m extremely proud of him and glad he is getting the recognition he deserves.”
Nilehn, who has missed the past three tournaments due to injury, is slated to return for the NCAA Columbus Regional, Tech’s 17th-straight NCAA postseason berth, a Texas Tech record for any program.
The regional will take place May 14-16, with 18 holes of golf being played each day. The top four individual scores of the five participants each day will count toward the overall team score. The top five teams from each region will advance to the NCAA Championships, which will be held May 25-30, at Karsten Creek, in Stillwater, Okla.
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(Courtesy: Texas Tech Sports Communications Department)
