College football has the Heisman Trophy, college golf has the Fred Haskins Award.

And Braden Thornberry of Ole Miss sealed the deal for the 2017 Haskins trophy when the 20-year-old sophomore won the NCAA Championship at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, IL.

The list of Haskins winners reads like a role call in the World Golf Hall of Fame. Former winners include Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, David Duvall, Curtis Strange, Scott Simpson and Ben Crenshaw. Among the past winners presently playing and excelling on the pro tour are Justin Thomas, Russell Henley, Kevin Chappell, Ryan Moore, Bill Haas, Hunter Mahan, Graeme McDowell, Luke Donald and Matt Kuchar.

It’s very cool to think that a Kane County golf course played such a key role in golfing history.

Thornberry won the individual title with a 1-under-par 71 at the devilishly difficult Rich Harvest Farms.

“It was a great venue for this type of thing,” Thornberry said during the Golf Channel award presentation on Wednesday. “It was a tough golf course, but when you played well you could score well.”

Thornberry’s 4-iron shot from the trees on hold No. 15 at Rich Harvest was among the most amazing of the tournament and Thornberry’s epic season.

“I think that was the first fairway I missed, so it was a little bit of a shock to the system,” he said. “I had 198 yards, and it’s one of the shots U really like. I tried to cut it out of there and was just kind of trying to keep it in play, and it turned out pretty good.”

The Fred Haskins Award is presented annually by the Haskins Commission to honor the most outstanding collegiate golfer in the United States. Votes are tabulated by the Haskins Commission from select writers, golf coaches and collegiate golfers.

Thornberry already had four individual wins prior to the NCAA Championship during the 2016-’17 college season. In addition to his victories, Thornberry finished this last season with an NCAA-best 69.61 stroke average, more than 2½ strokes lower than his mark as a freshman. He is the first Ole Miss golfer to claim the award since its founding in 1971.

With those wins, Thornberry earned an exemption into the pro tour’s St. Jude’s FedEx Classic this past weekend and almost won it. Thornberry finished at 8-under par — a tie for fourth place and just two strokes shy of the winner, Daniel Berger.

“It is an honor to win the Haskins Award,” Thornberry said. “It validates all of the hard work that I have put in with my teammates. It is an unbelievable feeling knowing my name will be alongside greats like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. This makes me even more excited for next season!”

SOURCES: Golf Channel, Ole Miss Sports website