UA Frosh Golfer Makes Nicklaus Squad

After one of the most successful freshman seasons in The University of Alabama’s golf history, Bud Cauley received yet another honor on Tuesday when the Golf Coaches Association of America named him to the 2009 All-Nicklaus Team.

The All-Nicklaus team is comprised of the best 20 golfers from Division I, II, III and NAIA competition. Cauley and Oklahoma State’s Morgan Hoffmann were the only two freshmen to make the squad. The UA newcomer finished the season ranked 10th in the Golfweek Sagarin Performance Index and led Alabama in scoring with a 72.13 average, the sixth lowest total in team history.

Cauley also became the first true freshman to earn All-America honors after being named to PING’s second team. He was named the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year and was also selected first-team All-SEC. The rookie was a semifinalist for The Hogan Award, given to the nation’s top golfer,

Cauley played for the American team at the Palmer Cup. He won his first collegiate tournament in early April with an impressive performance at the United States Collegiate Championship. Cauley finished in the top five in five of the 10 events he played for the Crimson Tide this past season and landed in the top 20 in nine out of 10.

The All-Nicklaus Team was created in 2008 to accompany the Nicklaus Award given out to the top collegiate player in Division I, II, III and the NAIA. Both are named for Jack Nicklaus, the all-time leader with 18 major championships on the PGA Tour. Nicklaus is also a long-time supporter of collegiate golf and won both the Big Ten and NCAA Championships during his college career at The Ohio State University.