May 13, 2006
NORMAN, Okla. -- The Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) has announced the finalists for the 2006 Byron Nelson Award presented by Cleveland Golf, in cooperation with the Four Seasons Resort and Club Las Colinas and the Salesmanship Club of Dallas. Finalists for the 2006 Nelson include Michael Barbosa of Georgia Tech, Arizona State's Alejandro Canizares, Brian Carroll of George Washington, Pepperdine's Alex Coe, Andrew Dresser of Texas Tech and Oklahoma State's Zack Robinson. Candidates for the Nelson must be a graduating senior and the selection committee will consider equally a nominee's entire collegiate academic career, entire collegiate golf career and his character and integrity while in college. Particular consideration will be given to a nominee's good citizenship, as portrayed by Mr. Byron Nelson over the course of his life and golf career.
Recently named the 2006 Pac-10 Co-Player of the Year, Canizares has earned All-America honors three times and was named the 2005 Pac-10 Player of the Year. He has a 71.41 stroke average in 11 events this year with five top-five finishes and is the first player to earn the honor in back-to-back Pac-10 Player of the Year honors since Stanford's Tiger Woods (1995-96). He is a six-time winner in his career, winning the 2005 Puerto Rico Classic, 2005 Ping/Arizona Intercollegiate, 2004 Big Ten/Pac-10 Challenge, 2004 ASU Thunderbird Invitational, 2003 NCAA Championship and 2003 National Invitational. He tied for first at this year's Ping/Arizona Intercollegiate but lost in a playoff and also tied for second at the National Invitational Tournament. This year marks his third year of earning first-team All-Pac-10 after notching second-team honors in his first year (2002-03).
Off the course, Canizares excels as well. He is a three-time Pac-10 All-Academic first-team selection, a 2005 GCAA All-American Scholar, the 2005 ASU Male Scholar Athlete of the year and he graduated this week in three and a half years Magna Cum Laude with a 3.91. He will earn ASU's Pac-10 Medal of Honor winner (given to ASU senior athlete annually for top academic/athletic achievement), is a four-year Maroon and Gold Scholar and earned 2005 ESPN Magazine First-Team At-Large All-American. He also earned the 2006 Bill Kajikawa Award winner (given to ASU senior athlete annually for top academic achievement).
The Nelson recipient will be named prior to the NCAA Championships.
ASU next competes at the NCAA West Regional May 18-20 in Tucson. The NCAA Championships are May 31-June 3 in Sunriver, Ore.