BEN PARTRIDGE
Hutchinson Community College freshman golfer Ben Partridge was named NJCAA Division I winner of the Jack Nicklaus Award for the 2020-21 season.
The Jack Nicklaus Award is given to the golfer named National Player of the Year in all three NJCAA and NCAA divisions and NAIA. The announcement was made on Sunday during the final round of The Memorial in Dublin, Ohio, a tournament created by the Hall of Fame and multi-major tournament winner Nicklaus.
The 2020-21 season has been extraordinary for Partridge, a freshman from London, England. Back in May, Partridge helped the Blue Dragon men’s golf team win the NJCAA team championship. Then Partridge won a four-hole playoff with teammate Harry Crockett to claim the NJCAA individual national championship.
Partridge is a first-team NJCAA All-American and a PING first-team All-American.
Hutchinson Community College freshman and 2021 NJCAA national champion golfer Ben Partridge earned yet another major award by the Golf Coaches Association of America, being named the Phil Mickelson Outstanding Freshman of the Year for NJCAA Division I golfers.
Partridge had a season stroke average of 71.2 over 29 rounds played over the combined fall and spring seasons.
Over the final three tournaments in 2021 – the KJCCC Championship, District III/Region VI and the NJCAA Championship – Partridge averaged 70.8 strokes per round with 7 of 10 rounds shot under par.
In addition to winning the NJCAA Individual title, Partridge won the NJCAA National Preview, also at The Rawls Course in Lubbock – site of the 2021 national championships. He was Jayhawk Conference regular-season co-champion with teammate Charlie Crockett.
Partridge had two tournament titles, six Top-3 finishes and placed in the Top 10 in 9 of 10 total tournaments this season.
Partridge is the Blue Dragons’ first National Player of the Year in men’s golf and just the eighth in Blue Dragon athletics history. Partridge joins Eugene Kinlaw (2008 Football), Kadeem Allen (2014 Men’s Basketball), Kyle Simonds (2014 Baseball), Sarah Rothe (2014 Softball), Shakur Juiston (2017 Men’s Basketball), Michael Helman (2017 Baseball) and Roterius Torrence (2020/21 Football as Blue Dragon National Players of the Year.
BEN PARTRIDGE'S 2020-21 SEASON PERFORMANCES
| Date | Tournament | Course Par |
R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Total | Score-to-Par | Place |
| Oct. 5/6 | Samuel Proal Classic | 72 | 69 | 72 | 69 | - | 210 | -6 | T8 |
| Oct. 12/13 | Midwestern State Invite | 71 | 72 | 66 | 74 | - | 212 | -1 | T6 |
| Oct. 19/20 | NJCAA National Preview | 72 | 69 | 66 | 68 | - | 203 | -13 | 1 |
| Mar. 8/9 | LCU Chap Classic | 72 | 77 | 72 | 74 | - | 223 | +7 | T10 |
| Mar. 22/23 | TA&M-Commerce Lion Classic | 72 | 73 | 71 | - | - | 224 | E | T12 |
| Mar 29/30 | Jayhawk No. 1 | 72 | 79 | 75 | - | - | 154 | +10 | 3 |
| Apr. 12/13 | Jayhawk No. 2 | 71 | 72 | 68 | 71 | - | 211 | -2 | 2 |
| Apr. 19/20 | Jayhawk Championship | 72 | 72 | 72 | 71 | - | 215 | -1 | 3 |
| Apr. 26/27 | District III/Region VI | 72/71 | 70 | 74 | 71 | - | 215 | E | T2 |
| May 10/13 | NJCAA Championship | 72 | 67 | 71 | 69 | 71 | 278 | -10 | 1 |