By Rahul Banerji
Indian-Americans Natalie Srinivasan and Sahith Theegala have been adjudged the top US collegiate golfers of the year, winning the Annika Award and the Fred Haskins Award.
Srinivasan, from Furman University in South Carolina, was last month named Women’s Golf Coaches Association player of the year last month.
That suggested she was in line for the Annika Award, decided on a vote-based system by her peers, plus coaches and golf media.
Theegala, who played for California’s Pepperdine University, was one of three finalists for the Haskins Award. Past winners of the award include Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson (thrice) and Justin Thomas, to name just a few.
Clear goal
“Ever since I started college I had a goal to be one of the top college players when I was done with school,” Theegala told Golfweek.
“I look at the guys that have won the Haskins Award. … all these guys are winners on Tour and legends of the game.
“I went through the list and literally recognized every one of them. The thought of being on a list with names like that means the world to me.”
“Annika’s name, it’s her award and she’s the greatest player in women’s golf, ever,” Srinivasan told Julie Williams, writing in Golfweek.
“It’s just an honour to be associated with that. All the other girls who have won have gone on to become awesome leaders and role models in this game.”
Wins aplenty
Srinivasan won three times from six starts in a senior season cut short by the Covid pandemic that has halted golf worldwide. Theegala had two wins from eight starts with four other top-10 finishes.
The Annika Award was first presented in 2014, making Srinivasan the seventh recipient (sixth individually since Maria Fassi won it twice in a row in 2018 and 2019).
Theegala is the 50th winner of the Haskins honour and the first from Pepperdine University.
Srinivasan also was the first from her university to win the women’s honour, though Brad Faxon took the Fred Haskins Award back in 1983.
“It’s just awesome to put Furman back on the map,” Srinivasan told Golfweek. “It’s been a little while since we had this recognition.”
Srinivasan has the second-rung Symetra Tour status and is focussed on the LPGA Q-School next. As an awardee, she has also earned exemption into the Evian Championship, one of the five majors on the LPGA tour.
Theegala too is set on turning professional this year.
List of Annika Award winners
2020 – Natalie Srinivasan, Furman
2019 – Maria Fassi, Arkansas
2018 – Maria Fassi, Arkansas
2017 – Leona Maguire, Duke
2016 – Bronte Law, UCLA
2015 – Leona Maguire, Duke
2014 – Alison Lee, UCLA
Noted Haskins Award winners
2020 – Sahith Theegala, Pepperdine
2019 – Matthew Wolff, Oklahoma State
2016 – Beau Hossler, Texas
2013 – Michael Kim, California
2012 – Justin Thomas, Alabama
2011 – Patrick Cantlay, UCLA
2005 – Ryan Moore, UNLV
2004 – Bill Haas, Wake Forest
2003 – Hunter Mahan, Oklahoma State
2002 – Graeme McDowell, Alabama-Birmingham
1999 – Luke Donald, Northwestern
1998 – Matt Kuchar, Georgia Tech
1996 – Tiger Woods, Stanford
1995 – Stewart Cink, Georgia Tech
1994 – Justin Leonard, Texas
1993 – David Duval, Georgia Tech
1992 – Phil Mickelson, Arizona State
1991 – Phil Mickelson, Arizona State
1990 – Phil Mickelson, Arizona State
1989 – Robert Gamez, Arizona
1988 – Bob Estes, Texas
1987 – Billy Mayfair, Arizona State
1986 – Scott Verplank, Oklahoma State
1983 – Brad Faxon, Furman
1981 – Bob Tway, Oklahoma State
1975 – Jay Haas, Wake Forest
1974 – Curtis Strange, Wake Forest
1973 – Ben Crenshaw, Texas
1972 – Ben Crenshaw, Texas
1971 – Ben Crenshaw, Texas
Also read: Srinivasan, Theegala in running for top US collegiate golf honours
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