DUBLIN, OH:  Texas Wesleyan University’s Nathan Anderson has received the 2012 Jack Nicklaus Award as the Golf Coaches Association of America’s NAIA Men’s Golf Player of the Year.  Anderson received the award from Mr. Nicklaus at the Memorial on Sunday.
 
The Nicklaus Award recognizes the top players at the NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA, and NJCAA levels.  Since 1988, the award for the GCAA Collegiate Players of the Year has been named after Jack Nicklaus, a Big Ten and NCAA Champion at The Ohio State University.  Mr. Nicklaus annually recognizes the recipients during the final round of the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance at Muirfield Golf Club in Dublin, OH, just outside of his hometown of Columbus.
 
Anderson, a junior out of Burleson, TX, impressed in his first season with the Rams after spending two PING All-American seasons at McClennan College.  He was a 1st-team NAIA All-American selection after finishing as the individual runner-up, one shot off the lead, at the 61st-Annual NAIA National Championship.  Anderson also finished tied for first at the Dallas Baptist Patriot Invitational before falling in a playoff this season.  In total, he notched four top-five and five top-ten finishes in nine events, while setting a Texas Wesleyan record for single-season scoring average at 72.08.
 
Anderson is the first Ram to receive the award.  Texas Wesleyan is the most storied men’s golf program in the NAIA.  The Rams have made 51 appearances at the NAIA National Championship in 58 years of membership, winning six national championships and finishing as the national runner-up on nine occasions.  The program also boasts an NAIA record nine individual medalists at the national championship and four NAIA Hall of Fame inductees.
 
Justin Thomas from Alabama, Nova Southeastern’s Ben Taylor, Noah Ratner from Guilford, and Jimmy Kozikowski from South Mountain Community College took the award at the NCAA Division I, II, III, and NJCAA levels.