Justin Suh (Player of the Year) and Kaito Onishi (Freshman of the Year) have won the Pac-12's top year-end honors.
Suh Named Pac-12 Player of The Year, Onishi Tabbed Freshman Of The Year
May 03, 2018 | Men's Golf, Features
Trojans take top honors week after winning Pac-12 team title.
USC junior Justin Suh, a five-time winner this season, has been named the 2018 Pac-12 Men's Golfer of the Year while Kaito Onishi, with four top 20 finishes, has been voted the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, the conference announced Thursday (May 3).
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Suh, the 2018 conference champion, is USC's ninth Pac-12 Player of the Year, Onishi USC's seventh Freshman of the Year. The Pac-12's head coaches vote on all year-end honors.
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"Justin has been amazing this year for our team," USC Coach Chris Zambri said. "He works super hard and works super smart. The sky is the limit for Justin with his approach to the game.  We are so happy that he has received this kind of recognition from the coaches in the Pac-12.
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"Kaito has been a great addition to our team this year and has been a huge contributor from day one. He played an important role in our Pac-12 title last week and joins a distinguished list of great freshmen golfers produced by the conference."
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Suh is USC's first Player of the Year since Matt Giles earned co-conference honors in 2009 two years after Jamie Lovemark (2007) also split the award. Giles and Lovemark also played for Zambri. Other Trojans who won the award include Kevin Stadler (2002), Sam Randolph (1984, 1986), Ron Commans (co-winner, 1981) and Scott Simpson (1976-77).
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Suh, who earned All-Pac-12 first team honors for the second year in a row, leads the Trojans with a stroke average of 68.47, well under the USC record set by Lovemark in 2007 (70.10), while his 20 rounds under 70 this year are the most since Lovemark in that same year. He also boasts 22 rounds under par and 26 of par or better. He has eight top four finishes in 10 starts and nine in the top nine.
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Suh is among 10 semifinalists for the 2018 Ben Hogan Award, among 30 semifinalists for the Jack Nicklaus Award, has been among the top 3 all season on the 2018 Haskins Award Watch List, and has been named to the Palmer Cup Team.
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Onishi is USC's third Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in the last five years after Sean Crocker (2015) and Rico Hoey (2014) recently took home the distinction. Other USC Freshman of the Year winners T.J. Vogel (co-winner in 2010), Lovemark (2007), Ben Hayes (2002) and Hunter Mahan (2001). Zambri coached all but Hayes and Mahan.
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Onishi (71.53), who also was selected as All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention in addition to making the All-Freshman team, is second on the team in stroke average. Onishi, who had a mid-season run of five straight rounds under 70, is also second on the team with eight rounds in the 60s. Included in the early-season Arnold Palmer Cup rankings for the international team (15th), he has a pair of top 4 finishes, four top 20s and seven results in the top 28.Â
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Suh, the 2018 conference champion, is USC's ninth Pac-12 Player of the Year, Onishi USC's seventh Freshman of the Year. The Pac-12's head coaches vote on all year-end honors.
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"Justin has been amazing this year for our team," USC Coach Chris Zambri said. "He works super hard and works super smart. The sky is the limit for Justin with his approach to the game.  We are so happy that he has received this kind of recognition from the coaches in the Pac-12.
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"Kaito has been a great addition to our team this year and has been a huge contributor from day one. He played an important role in our Pac-12 title last week and joins a distinguished list of great freshmen golfers produced by the conference."
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Suh is USC's first Player of the Year since Matt Giles earned co-conference honors in 2009 two years after Jamie Lovemark (2007) also split the award. Giles and Lovemark also played for Zambri. Other Trojans who won the award include Kevin Stadler (2002), Sam Randolph (1984, 1986), Ron Commans (co-winner, 1981) and Scott Simpson (1976-77).
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Suh, who earned All-Pac-12 first team honors for the second year in a row, leads the Trojans with a stroke average of 68.47, well under the USC record set by Lovemark in 2007 (70.10), while his 20 rounds under 70 this year are the most since Lovemark in that same year. He also boasts 22 rounds under par and 26 of par or better. He has eight top four finishes in 10 starts and nine in the top nine.
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Suh is among 10 semifinalists for the 2018 Ben Hogan Award, among 30 semifinalists for the Jack Nicklaus Award, has been among the top 3 all season on the 2018 Haskins Award Watch List, and has been named to the Palmer Cup Team.
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Onishi is USC's third Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in the last five years after Sean Crocker (2015) and Rico Hoey (2014) recently took home the distinction. Other USC Freshman of the Year winners T.J. Vogel (co-winner in 2010), Lovemark (2007), Ben Hayes (2002) and Hunter Mahan (2001). Zambri coached all but Hayes and Mahan.
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Onishi (71.53), who also was selected as All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention in addition to making the All-Freshman team, is second on the team in stroke average. Onishi, who had a mid-season run of five straight rounds under 70, is also second on the team with eight rounds in the 60s. Included in the early-season Arnold Palmer Cup rankings for the international team (15th), he has a pair of top 4 finishes, four top 20s and seven results in the top 28.Â
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