NORMAN, Okla. – Josele Ballester of Arizona State University and Spain, Sungyeop Cho of Colorado Christian University and South Korea, Justin Chan of Carnegie Mellon University and England, Jack Whaley of Dalton State College and England, and Adam Bresnu of Odessa College and Morocco are the 2025 Gary Player International Golfer of the Year Award presented by FlightScope recipients, 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.
Division I: Ballester compiled five top-five finishes with a win at the Fighting Illini Invitational and a 70.52 scoring average while earning 2025 Big 12 Golfer of the Year and PING First Team All-American honors. The senior from Castellón de la Plana, Spain, concluded his collegiate career as a four-time PING All-American while finishing the season ranked fifth via Scoreboard powered by Clippd. Ballester won the 2024 U.S. Amateur, becoming the first golfer from Spain to win the U.S. Amateur.
Division II: Cho was one of Colorado Christian’s four PING First Team All-Americans after carding a 69.45 scoring average with six top-five finishes, including in the season’s first five tournaments. The sophomore from Yeoju-si, South Korea, compiled wins at the 2025 National Preview and Dennis Rose Intercollegiate and finished the season ranked second via Scoreboard powered by Clippd. Cho was a 2024 PING NJCAA Division I First Team All-American and GCAA All-Freshman Team member while at Odessa.
Division III: Chan was a PING First Team All-American for the second straight year after recording a team-leading six top-five finishes and a 71.52 scoring average while being co-medalist at the Golfweek October Classic. The senior from Surrey, England, concluded his collegiate career as a four-time PING All-Region V honoree and three-time PING All-American while finishing the season ranked fifth via Scoreboard powered by Clippd. Chan was also the recipient of the inaugural 2024 NCAA Division III Gary Player International Golfer of the Year Award presented by FlightScope.
NAIA: Also the 2025 Jack Nicklaus Award presented by Workday recipient for NAIA, Whaley won five times this season, including the 2025 NAIA Championship that saw an opening-round and tournament-record 61, and finished inside the top three in all nine tournaments for the Roadrunners. The sophomore from Doncaster, England, tallied a 69.52 scoring average (the only NAIA golfer with a 2024-25 scoring average below 70) with 14 rounds in the 60s en route to PING First Team All-American and Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) Player of the Year honors for the second straight year.
NJCAA: Also the 2025 Jack Nicklaus Award presented by Workday recipient for NJCAA, Bresnu finished inside the top nine in all 14 tournaments for the Wranglers, including five victories and five runner-ups. The sophomore from Rabat, Morocco, won the season’s first three tournaments, including the Don York Memorial and Folds of Honor Challenge by a combined 15 strokes, and secured runner-up finishes in the season’s last three tournaments, including the NJCAA Division I National Championship. He was the only NJCAA Division I golfer with a 2024-25 scoring average below 70 (69.525) and carded 18 rounds in the 60s.
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.
The Gary Player Award is selected by GCAA International member coaches with representation from around the world.
About FlightScope
FlightScope is the industry leader and pioneer in tracking and analyzing sports performance data. The company was founded in 1989 when its proprietary technology was originally used to track projectiles for the defense industry. Turning its attention to the world of sports, FlightScope has introduced a variety of innovations to help improve athletic performance in multiple sports categories, including golf, baseball, softball, tennis, athletics, and cricket. For the accuracy you demand, FlightScope technology gives you performance data you can trust.
For more information, please visit www.flightscope.com.
About Golf Coaches Association of America
Established in 1958, the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) is the professional organization of men’s collegiate golf coaches. The GCAA’s mission is to support its member coaches from six divisions, including the NCAA, NAIA, and NJCAA, by creating educational opportunities, providing resources, and promoting its members with the purpose of enhancing their overall performance as coaches, mentors, and teachers. The GCAA also recognizes the excellence and achievements of its members and their student-athletes in academic, athletic, and civic endeavors.
Previous Recipients 2024
Division I: Christo Lamprecht, Georgia Tech (South Africa)
Division II: Leandro Mihaich, Oklahoma Christian (Argentina)
Division III: Justin Chan, Carnegie Mellon (England)
NAIA: Isac Wallin, Keiser (Sweden)
NJCAA: Gaspar Glaudas, Indian Hills (France)
Adam Mackey
Director of Communications
Golf Coaches Association of America
adam@collegiategolf.com
(517) 763-4291
