Crawford earns W.C. Fownes, Jr. Amateur Player of the Year
Chris Crawford, Spring Mill Country Club, 2016 Player of the Year
BROOMALL, Pa. – It’s safe to say the 2016 season belonged to Christopher Crawford’s golf game. Now, so does the William C. Fownes, Jr. Amateur Player of the Year honor.
Crawford, a former standout and current assistant coach for Drexel University who competed in this year’s U.S. Open at Oakmont, tallied 625 points to outpace the rest of the state’s great talent en route to his first player of the year honor. Crawford’s total was 70 points clear of runner-up Jimmy Ellis, of Venetia. Ellis enjoyed a solid season and made a late charge thanks to his spectacular low-amateur finish in the AHN 100th Open Championship at The Club at Nevillewood in Presto.
“I was pretty pleased with how my game progressed this season,” said Crawford, of Bensalem, Pa. “I really felt things coming around by early May and then was fortunate to play well in a couple events early in the season. I felt like I was able to take that extra bit of confidence off the U.S. Open and propel that into some good play through July.”
Crawford’s national championship appearance was booked thanks to a 6-under-par 138 total to grab the sixth and final spot in a U.S. Open Sectional Qualifier at Canoe Brook Country Club. That round was highlighted by a birdie bomb from 40 feet on the closing hole.
Other highlights of Crawford’s memorable season came at Moselem Springs Golf Club in the AHN 103rd Amateur Championship, where he finished with a 5-under total of 205 and sole possession of third place.
“I've played Moselem Springs probably a handful of times over the past few years and felt confident going into that event,” he said. “I always liked the course and felt that I could play it well, but I just ran into two guys ahead of me who were playing incredible golf.”
A strong showing in the AHN 13th R. Jay Sigel Match Play Championship at St. Davids Golf Club was another highlight for the player of the year. Crawford reached the semifinals there before falling to eventual champion Matt Holuta, 1 down.
Crawford, along with teammates Nathan Smith and Chip Lutz, represented the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the 2016 USGA State Team held in September at the Country Club of Birmingham (Birmingham, Ala.) where he finished in fifth place overall. The 22-year-old also qualified and competed in the U.S. Amateur at Oakland Hills Country Club (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) in August.
“The biggest highlight, of course, was the Open, but I was really happy with how I played on the stroke-play day of the Sigel Match Play [Championship] and throughout the State Amateur as well,” said Crawford. “I also loved playing on the State Team with Nathan and Chip. We had such a great time and the CC of Birmingham treated us all so well. That was easily one of the most fun golf tournaments I've ever played.”
Current bag:
Driver: Titleist 915 D2
3-Wood: Titleist 913
3 iron: Titleist T-MB
4-9 iron: Titleist 716 AP2
Wedges: 46, 50, 54 58: Vokey SM4, SM5, and SM6
Putter: Ping Anser 2