Schniederjans Picked as Mark H. McCormack Medal Winner


Oliver Schniederjans has won the Mark H. McCormack Medal as the No. 1-ranked player in the 2014 World Amateur Golf Ranking. The 21-year-old from Powder Springs, Ga., has enjoyed an excellent season, amassing five wins in his third year of college golf. The Georgia Tech student also finished second in the NCAA Championship and NCAA Raleigh Regional.

Schniederjans reached the third round of last week's U.S. Amateur at Atlanta Athletic Club and was selected for the American Palmer Cup team, which faced Europe at Walton Heath in June. Although Europe triumphed by 18½ to 11½, Schniederjans was his squad's highest scorer, winning three points out of a possible four.

Schniederjans also performed well in several professional events. He received an exemption into the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open at Royal Aberdeen, where he finished tied for 41st, and played in the Air Capital Classic presented by Aetna on the Web.com Tour, finishing tied for fifth.

"I'm very excited about this accomplishment," he said. "It is something I believed I could achieve. I have gotten better every year since I got to college and hope to continue that in future. I wouldn't have been able to achieve this without all the support I have received and all the opportunities I have had to practice and to be able to play good tournaments.

"I know all about the players who have won the McCormack Medal and know my name will always be remembered alongside them. It is going to be really cool to be known as a great amateur before I go on to play professionally."

The R&A and United States Golf Association (USGA) award is named after Mark H. McCormack, founder of the sports marketing company IMG and a great supporter of amateur golf.

John Bodenhamer, USGA Senior Managing Director, Rules, Competitions & Amateur Status, said, "We extend our congratulations to Oliver for this tremendous honor. From the U.S. Amateur and NCAA Championships to multiple professional events, he has proven to be a remarkable competitor at many levels, and this award is greatly deserved."

Johnnie Cole-Hamilton, Executive Director - Championships at the R&A, added, "Oliver deserves tremendous credit for the way he has performed this year. He has shown that he can maintain high standards of performance throughout the season and adapt his game to playing in events on links and heath-land courses in the UK. It is a great achievement to lead the ranking and he is the latest in a line of very good players to win the medal."

The above report is courtesy of the USGA. For more information, visit www.usga.org.