Nation’s top four amateur golfers given exemptions
The top four players in the recent World Amateur Golf Ranking — No. 1 Viktor Hovland, No. 2 Justin Suh, No. 3 Collin Morikawa and No. 4 Matthew Wolff — have accepted exemptions to play in the Travelers Championship June 20-23.
Hovland and Wolff will make their professional debut at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, while Suh and Morikawa recently turned professional.
“Giving some of the best young players in golf an opportunity to play in our event has helped us build a relationship with them as they wrap up their amateur careers and turn pro,” said Travelers Championship Tournament Director Nathan Grube in a statement. “What Viktor, Justin, Collin and Matthew have been able to accomplish at the amateur level is impressive, and we’re looking forward to seeing what they can do as professionals at TPC River Highlands.”
Hovland is the reigning U.S. Amateur champion who recently won the Ben Hogan Award, which recognizes the top men’s college golfer while also factoring in amateur competitions. Hovland is a native of Oslo, Norway, who just finished his junior season at Oklahoma State University. He was low amateur at the Masters and tied for 32nd place overall.
Suh helped lead the University of Southern California to the NCAA Championship this season, which ended with him being named a first-team AllAmerican for the second straight year. Suh tied for fourth in the individual competition at the NCAA Championship. Morikawa was a four-time All-American at the University of California. He was named Pac-12 Player of the Year as a senior, has qualified for next week’s U.S. Open, and is playing in this week’s RBC Canadian Open as a professional.
Wolff won the individual title at the NCAA Championship last week for his sixth individual victory of the season, setting a school record at Oklahoma State. Wolff was named the winner of the Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Award, received the Haskins Award as the most outstanding collegiate golfer in the United States and was a first-team All-American for both of his seasons at Oklahoma State.