IRVING, Texas – SMU completed the sweep of major men’s golf player honors for the first time in program history as part of the 2021 American Athletic Conference awards that were announced on Tuesday. Both major player awards and league coach of the year were voted on by the conference’s nine men’s golf head coaches.
Noah Goodwin from SMU claimed the 2021 American Player of the Year award, while teammate Nathan Petronzio was recognized as the American Freshman of the Year. USF head coach Steve Bradley was named the American Coach of the Year after guiding his team to victory at the 2021 American Men’s Golf Championship on April 23-25 at Southern Hills Plantation Club in Brooksville, Florida.
A total of 12 players from seven member institutions brought home all-conference plaudits. The first 10 all-conference players were decided by a popular vote of the head coaches in The American, along with any additional player who finished in the top-seven golfers at the 2021 American Men’s Golf Championship not originally included that group. SMU led the way with three honorees, followed by UCF, Cincinnati and USF with two players each.
Goodwin was the second straight player from SMU to claim American Player of the Year, joining teammate Mac Meissner in 2019. Eventual NCAA medalist Bryson DeChambeau secured the first player of the year honor for the Mustangs in The American during his national championship season of 2015. Goodwin ranked 10th in the most recent GolfStat NCAA Division I rankings released on April 29, with an adjusted stroke average of 70.24 over six tournaments (18 rounds). He compiled four top-five finishes during the campaign, including a solo second place at SMU’s Trinity Forest Invitational on March 7-9 (67-71-69=207, -6) and a tie for second at the American Men’s Golf Championship on April 23-25 (70-70-68=208, -8).
Petronzio became the second SMU player to win American Freshman of the Year alongside Meissner in 2018. He completed his rookie campaign with the Mustangs with a 72.72 stroke average over 18 rounds played, posting a pair of top-10 finishes. Petronzio tied for fourth at the Trinity Forest Invitational (74-69-67=210, -3) for his best career finish and shared eighth place at the American Men’s Golf Championship (72-71-71=214, -2).
Bradley picked up American Coach of the Year accolades for the fifth time in his career, adding to a dominant run from 2015-18 that saw USF complete a four-peat at the conference tournament. Along with winning the 2021 American Men’s Golf Championship, Bradley guided the Bulls to a sixth-place effort at the Seminole Intercollegiate on Feb. 19-21 in Tallahassee, Florida, and a fifth-place showing at the Valspar Invitational on March 15-16 in Palm City, Florida.
2021 American Men’s Golf Awards
Player of the Year
Noah Goodwin, Sr., SMU
Freshman of the Year
Nathan Petronzio, Fr., SMU
Coach of the Year
Steve Bradley, USF*
All-Conference Team
Clement Charmasson, So., UCF*
Johnny Travale, Jr., UCF*
Clay Amlung, Jr., Cincinnati
Sam Jean, So., Cincinnati*
A.J. Beechler, Jr., East Carolina
Alexander Frances, Jr., Houston*
Albin Bergstrom, So., USF*
Luke Gifford, So., USF*
Noah Goodwin, Sr., SMU*
Mac Meissner, Sr., SMU*
Ollie Osborne, Jr., SMU
Marcus Wochner, So., Wichita State
*- denotes unanimous selection