CHRIS KIRK PIPS RHYS DAVIES, PABLO
MARTIN FOR BEN HOGAN AWARD

Welsh Walker Cup player Rhys Davies, who will complete his four notable years at East Tennessee State University by leading the college squad into action in the season-ending NCAA Division 1 championship at the end of this month, has just failed to win the annual Ben Hogan Award.
The award, meant to acclaim the leading male player on the US college circuit, went to Chris Kirk (Georgia) at a formal banquet at the Colonial Country Club.
Pablo Martin (Oklahoma State), who is about to turn professional, having won a European Tour event recently as an amateur, and Edinburgh-born Davies, winner of 10 college individual titles over four years, were also on the short lee for the Ben Hogan Award.
Kirk won four events during the 2006-07 season but his college career total of seven is still three light of Rhys Davies' CV figure.
Kirk will remain an amateur until after this autumn's Walker Cup match at Royal County Down. He is presuming - quite rightly - that he will be in the American line-up.