NORMAN, O.K. – Anders Albertson of Georgia Tech has been named recipient of the 2015 Byron Nelson Award presented by Cleveland Golf/Srixon, in cooperation with the Four Seasons Resort and Club Las Colinas, the Salesmanship Club of Dallas and the Golf Coaches Association of America.
Candidates for the Nelson Award must be a graduating senior and the selection committee considers equally a nominee’s entire collegiate academic and golf career as well as his character and integrity while in college. Particular consideration is given to a nominee’s good citizenship, as portrayed by Mr. Byron Nelson over the course of his life and golf career.
“Being fortunate enough to be chosen as the winner of the Byron Nelson Award is something I never expected, and something I will strive to live up to for the rest of my life,” said Albertson. “Just being considered for the award has been a tremendous honor. Being associated with Mr. Nelson, one of the finest gentlemen the game of golf has ever known, is the honor of a lifetime. His record as a player, a competitor, and a human being are second to none, and definitely stand as the example for anyone in the game. Regardless of the outcome of my next step in goIf, if I am sufficiently fortunate to positively affect a fraction of the lives Mr. Nelson did, I will have achieved a very rich life.”
A mainstay in the Georgia Tech lineup, Albertson has never missed a tournament for the Yellow Jackets. He’s a two-time All-America selection and earned All-ACC honors three times. Albertson’s career stroke-average of 71.47 over 134 rounds is third best in school history. He has 18 top-10 finishes, including 11 in the top five while at Georgia Tech. Albertson’s lone victory came at the 2013 ACC Championship.
Albertson has also found success in the classroom. He is a four-time selection to the ACC Academic Honor Roll. Albertson was named a Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholar and to the ACC All-Academic team. He was also recipient of Georgia Tech’s Bobby Dodd Scholarship for 2013-14. Later this spring Albertson will be honored will be a recipient of the ACC Scholar-Athlete Honorary Award.
Albertson has served as the golf representative to the Georgia Tech student-athlete advisory board since his sophomore year. He has been active in recruiting his teammates to volunteer for Georgia Tech Athletic Association community service projects and ensured they stayed plugged into department events. Albertson was the golf team liaison for the Alexander-Tharpe Fund “Thank-a-Thon” project and implementation of the Annual Michael Isenhour Toy Drive. He has also volunteered with the Georgia Special Olympics Winter Games, Children’s Miracle Network’s Dance Marathon and Kid on Campus, an organization that brings children to Georgia Tech’s campus who have battled or been affected by cancer. Albertson has also been active in Campus Christian Fellowship, including the Campus Christian Fellowship Homeless Outreach Program.
He joins a strong group of former Tech stars to win the Nelson Award, including Troy Matteson (2003), Roberto Castro (2007) and James White (2012).