Stanford’s Maverick McNealy Wins Haskins Award
June 2, 2015
Golf isn’t supposed to be easy, but Stanford sophomore and Junior Tour of Northern California alum Maverick McNealy made it look that way during an impressive stretch from April to May.
The Portola Valley resident got going by firing a bogey-free, 9-under 61 at the Pac-12 Championship to earn medalist honors and help the Cardinal capture their second straight conference title. The 61 not only set a course record at championship host Palouse Ridge (in Pullman, Wa.) but also matched Stanford’s 18-hole scoring record, previously achieved by Tiger Woods in 1996 and Cameron Wilson in 2012.
With a total score of 18-under 262, McNealy also set a record for the lowest 72-hole score in the Pac-12 Championship.
Flash forward to the NCAA Regionals in May, and McNealy was still red-hot. He’d win the Chapel Hill Regional with a score of 9-under 207, his sixth victory of the season, most among NCAA Division I players. The win also tied Patrick Rodgers for the second-most victories in a season at Stanford, two off of Woods’ record.
Thanks in part to his spring streak, McNealy, who led the nation with a 68.70 scoring average, was named the winner of the 2015 Haskins Award, which goes to college golf’s top player on Monday. He’s the second straight Cardinal to win the award, following Rodgers.
Past winners of the award include Ben Crenshaw, Phil Mickelson and Woods.
“It is so humbling to be in the same conversation with the list of winners,” said McNealy, a former member of the Junior Tour of Northern California. “It’s such an honor.”
With the award, McNealy earned an exemption into the 2015 PGA Tour Greenbrier Classic, to be held July 2-5.
–Jerry Stewart
