BIRMINGHAM, AL (September 19, 2018) – Cole Hammer, a freshman at the University of Texas, has been named Amateur of the Month for August 2018 by the Southern Golf Association (SGA).
Hammer, a native of Houston, TX, played an incredible stretch of golf during the month. He won the Western Amateur at Sunset Ridge Country Club in Northfield, IL with a 1 up victory over Davis Riley of Hattiesburg, MS. Hammer was also co-medalist during stroke play qualifying with a 23-under 261 that was matched by Sam Stevens of Wichita, KS.
Two weeks later at the U.S. Amateur played at Pebble Beach; Hammer continued his hot play sharing stroke play medalist honors with Daniel Hillier of New Zealand at six-under 137. He advanced to the semifinals of match play falling to eventual champion Viktor Hovland of Norway by a 3 and 2 score.
Hammer was named to the United States World Amateur Team that competed in Ireland earlier in September. He helped Team USA to a second place team finish, placing one stroke behind Norway for the Eisenhower Trophy.
He is currently the No. 9 ranked Amateur in the World by Scratch Players and by the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
Winners of the SGA’s monthly award are determined by an international panel of golf officials, coaches and journalists. Now in its 14th season, notable recipients have been Bill Haas, Michelle Wie, Hunter Mahan, Ryan Moore, J. B. Holmes, Webb Simpson, Rhys Davies, Kyle Stanley, Kevin Fortin-Simard, Rickie Fowler, Danny Lee, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Alice Hewson, and more recently Doc Redman & Doug Ghim.
The SGA supports amateur golf at the highest level, including staging of the storied Southern Amateur, as well as the Southern Junior Championship.
About the Southern Golf Association:
The Southern Golf Association, founded in 1902, is one of the oldest golf organizations and serves member clubs over a 15 state area. Recognized by the United States Golf Association (USGA) and Regional Golf Associations as one of the leaders in the promotion of Amateur Golf, SGA championships are selected for inclusion as criteria for selecting players for USGA and State team competitions. Through the years, SGA Champions have been chosen to represent various state golf associations in selected team competitions, including the Walker Cup and World Amateur. The SGA is host to the Southern Junior Championship as well as the Southern Amateur Championship and hosts the international award, the “Amateur of the Month”, to a deserving amateur golfer on a monthly basis.
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