Senior named one of five finalists for the award
CLEMSON, S.C. — Clemson University men’s golf senior Andrew Swanson (Bluffton, S.C./May River) was named a finalist for the 2025 Byron Nelson Award. The GCAA, in cooperation with the Salesmanship Club of Dallas, announced Wednesday morning. The winner will be announced on April 29 at The CJ Cup Byron Nelson Dinner at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas.
In 23 rounds this season, Swanson leads the team with a 71.52 scoring average and has three top 10 finishes, including runner-up at the Steelwood Collegiate on October 27. Leading Clemson in rounds played each of the last two years, the Bluffton, South Carolina native recorded six top 10 finishes last year and 15 rounds in the 60s. Swanson’s first collegiate victory came at the Ka’anapali Classic on October 30, 2023, that included his final round and career-best 63 to finish the victory at a career-best 18-under (64-68-63). The 63 is the best round by a sophomore and tied for the best round vs. Par by anyone in program history. The 195 and 18-under are the lowest 54-hole scores in program history by four strokes. A 2023 PING All-East Region honoree, Swanson converted a hole-in-one on September 27, 2022, at the inaugural Folds of Honor Collegiate (178-yard 7th hole with a 7-iron).
Swanson received the 2024 NCAA Elite 90 Award last May for having the highest career GPA at the NCAA Championship. He will graduate next month with a 4.0 GPA in mathematical sciences (minor in computer science). A three-time member of the ACC Academic Honor Roll and a two-time GCAA All-America Scholar, Swanson has been a part of Be a TIGER Field Day, an event with learning stations hosted by the university’s science department for elementary students before the Spring Football Game. He has mentored a second grader at Ravenel Elementary School during lunch once a week since last year and has participated in various sports activities during Global School Play Day at Central Academy of The Arts, spending lunch and recess with a third-grade class. For Habitat for Humanity last school year, Swanson and his teammates put insulation into a home. He took part in the ClemsonLIFE Sports Clinic during his first two years on campus and has collected trash from their local highway with his grandfather for Adopt a Highway.
Swanson is joined by Cameron Adam (Northwestern), Jackson Buchanan (Illinois), Matt Buckley (RPI) and Jackson Van Paris (Vanderbilt).
About the Byron Nelson Award
The purpose of the Byron Nelson Award is to select annually the outstanding Division I, II, III, or NAIA scholar-athlete of the year. The recipient, a graduating senior, is recognized for their achievement in the classroom, on the course, and in their community. Past winners include Christo Lamprecht (Georgia Tech), David Nyfjäll (Northwestern), William Knauth (Carnegie Mellon), McClure Meissner (SMU), John Murphy (Louisville), Ryan Lumsden (Northwestern), Matthew Perrine (Baylor), Maverick McNealy (Stanford), Stephen Behr (Clemson), Anders Albertson (Georgia Tech), Brandon Hagy (Cal), Brinson Paolini (Duke), Dylan Frittelli (Texas), Cyril Bouniol (Abilene Christian), Brendan Gielow (Wake Forest), James White (Georgia Tech), Mike Van Sickle (Marquette), Nathaniel James (Washington & Lee), Sam Korbe (Tulsa), Roberto Castro (Georgia Tech), Zack Robinson (Oklahoma State), Michael Putnam (Pepperdine), Billy Hurley (Navy), Troy Matteson (Georgia Tech), and Jason Allred (Pepperdine).
ACC Championship - Stroke Play
