BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Florida senior Billy Horschel of Grant was named the Southeastern Conference Golfer of the Year Monday. Teammate Tim McKenney was named to the All-SEC second team.
Horschel was a unanimous first-team All-SEC selection in a balloting of coaches. Horschel becomes only the second Gator golfer to gain first-team All-SEC honors four straight years. The first was Gary Koch.
“That’s pretty high praise, pretty aweseom to be just the second Gator to earn first-team honors four times,” Florida coach Buddy Alexander noted. “If the postseason goes well, Billy has a chance to be a three-time, first-team All-Amercan (he has been a second-team All-American once). He’s had a terrific career, he works really hard and he’s deserving of this.”
The medalist at the recent SEC Championships, Horschel led the SEC in scoring average at 71.15 strokes per round. He shot par or better in 19 of his 26 rounds this season. Currently ranked No. 11 in the nation in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index Ratings, Horschel also is a semifinalist for the 2009 Ben Hogan Award, college golf’s most prestigious award.
McKenney, a junior from Scottsdale, Ariz., was runner-up in the season-opening Duke Individual Collegiate. He tied for first in the Columbia Invitational and totaled five Top 5 finishes while averaging 72.81 strokes per round.
The Gators are waiting to hear their NCAA Regional assignment May 14-16. The NCAA Championships are being played May 27-30 at The Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio.