Albin Bergstrom was unanimously selected as The American’s Men’s Golf Freshman of the Year and to the all-conference team.
Junior Kyle Flexsenhar earned all-conference honors for the first time.
TAMPA, MAY 1, 2019 – Albin Bergstrom was rewarded for his solid first season with the Bulls by being unanimously selected as American Athletic Conference Men’s Golf Freshman of the Year.
Bergstrom also was a unanimous all-conference team pick while junior Kyle Flexsenhar earned all-conference honors for the first time. USF has had at least one player selected to The American’s all-conference team in each season since league awards started being announced in 2014.
Bergstrom became the second Bull to be named American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year and first since Claudio Correa in 2015. Bergstrom recently tied for fifth place at The American Championship, which marked his team-leading sixth top-10 finish in 10 team events this season.
“He’s had a great year and is certainly deserving of the award,” head coach Steve Bradley said. “I’m very happy for him and I’m glad he’s on our team.”
Listed at No. 60 by Golfstat, Bergstrom is currently the fourth-highest ranked freshman in the nation. The Ljunghusen, Sweden native leads USF with a 70.1 season average, eight top-25 finishes and 22 rounds of par or better out of 29 played by the Bulls this season, one shy of tying the program record.
The member of Sweden’s junior national team also has a tournament title win to his credit after setting the program’s new 54-hole scoring record for a par-72 tournament with a 15-under 201 in a nine-shot victory at the Fort Lauderdale Intercollegiate on March 5.
“He’s had a great year and he’s one of the best-ranked players in the conference in the country. What’s been great about his year is he’s been really consistent all year,” Bradley said. “He’s had a lot of good rounds in there, but his bad rounds have not been very bad. That shows me a lot about how good of a golfer he is, where he can control his bad rounds and not let it get out of control.”
Flexsenhar also has been steady this season for the Bulls, ranking second on the team with 71.9 scoring average, four top-10 finishes and seven top-25 performances. The Lake Mary, Fla., native earned all-conference accolades for the first time after tying for 10th place at The American Championship.
“It’s a great accomplishment for Kyle, just to think of how much he’s grown and developed, and how far his golf game has come in three years,” Bradley said.
Flexsenhar is the lone member remaining in the lineup from last season’s team and he’s set a great example for five freshmen on USF’s current roster.
“He works so hard and he wants it so bad,” Bradley said. “All-conference is great recognition for what hard work and determination can get you. I’m very happy for Kyle because he’s an awesome teammate and he’s an awesome guy to coach.”
NCAA Selection Show on Wednesday Night
The NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Selection Show is set for Wednesday at 9 p.m. (TV: Golf Channel). The 39th-ranked Bulls are expected to make their seventh consecutive trip to NCAA Regionals.
2019 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE MAJOR AWARDS & ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
Player of the Year
McClure Meissner, SMU
Freshman of the Year
Albin Bergstrom, USF *
Coach of the Year
Blake Smart, Memphis
All-Conference Team
Bobby Bai, UCF *
Brad Bawden, Memphis
Albin Bergstrom, USF *
Kyle Flexsenhar, USF
Noah Goodwin, SMU
Chase Harris, Memphis
Jimmy Hervol, UConn
McClure Meissner, SMU *
Austin Squires, Cincinnati *
Kyler Tate, UCF *
Blake Taylor, ECU
*unanimous selection
About USF Men’s Golf
USF men’s golf captured four consecutive American Athletic Conference Championship titles in wire-to-wire fashion prior to 2019 and has made six straight trips to NCAA Regionals. The program is led by Steve Bradley, who earned American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honors in each of the past four seasons. Follow @USFMGolf on Twitter for the latest information concerning the program.
