Justin Chan of Carnegie Mellon Named Finalist for 2025 Gary Player International Golfer of the Year Award
Senior Justin Chan (Surrey, England) of the Carnegie Mellon University men's golf team has been named a finalist for the 2025 Gary Player International Golfer of the Year Award presented by FlightScope, as announced by the Golf Coaches Association of America in partnership with FlightScope. The award is given to five outstanding collegiate golfers from outside the United States, one each for NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, as well as NAIA and NJCAA. Last season, Chan was the Division III recipient.
Considered one of golf's "Big Three" with Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player has left an everlasting impact on the game of golf by being a worldwide ambassador, philanthropist, and golf course designer. One of only six golfers to win the career grand slam, Player has continuously used his position to improve the lives of others in a positive way as a humanitarian and has focused strongly on education for the underprivileged. He is a member of the Laureus World Sports Academy, which celebrates sport's ability to create positive change in the world. Player's outstanding career has included 165 professional wins on six continents over seven decades and was acknowledged with being inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974, the Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003, the PGA TOUR's Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Services to Golf in 2012, and a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2020.
Chan, who was named University Athletic Association (UAA) Golfer of the Year, ended the season ranked fifth via Scoreboard powered by Clippd, Chan recorded his first collegiate individual medalist honor at the Golfweek October Classic and recorded five other top-five finishes this season. The senior from Surrey, England ended the year with a team-leading 71.5 scoring average through 27 rounds. Chan is a four-time PING All-Region V honoree and three-time PING All-American, including First Team the last two seasons. He recorded 18 rounds of even par or better this season.
The other Division III finalists for the award include Elias Becker of Sewanee and Mexico along with Watcharakan Chankarn from Greensboro and Thailand.