Minnesota Golfer - Directory 2023 - 27

before the postseason started-I played
well as an individual, finished fourth and
it was effectively the end of my season. "
Hitchner quietly went to work and turned
heads nationally when he claimed a top-20
finish at the Sunnehanna Amateur and
followed it with a remarkable come-frombehind
win at the Trans-Miss Amateur at
Windsong Farm.
He would end the 2021 summer season
with a record-setting wire-to-wire win at
the Minnesota Golf Association Amateur
Championship at Rush Creek, a
runner-up finish at the Minnesota
State Open and his third appearance
at the U.S. Amateur.
Claiming four top-10 finishes during
his senior season at Pepperdine in 2022,
Hitchner finished second on the team in
scoring average and earned an All-American
Honorable Mention nod from Golfweek.
He carried momentum into the summer
of 2022 where he notched a sixth-place
finish during stroke play at the Western
Amateur in Illinois before falling during
the quarterfinal round.
Just two weeks later, during his fourth
appearance at the National Amateur in New
Jersey, Hitchner qualified for match play
for the first time, and pieced together three
wins before falling to Georgia Southern
University's Ben Carr in the semifinals.
" During stroke play I knew I was playing
pretty well, but my focus was just getting
into [match play], " he said. " It was such a
grind. I had one of the tougher rounds of
my life during the second round of stroke
play. The course set up was so challenging
and the conditions were so hard. It was
such a mental battle.
" Once I got to match play, I felt like I
was able to reset and everyone was starting
from zero again. I've always been pretty
comfortable in match play, but I was just
super excited to cross that line. "
But it's Hitchner's relentless work ethic
and tireless desire to improve that has set
mngolf.org
him apart from his peers both locally and on
the national level-something his longtime
swing coach and high school coach at The
Blake School, Marshall Hoiness, noticed
from an early age.
" There is absolutely no doubt that he
works at his game as hard as anyone I've
ever heard of, " Hoiness said. " Even Derek
will tell you, he doesn't deserve anything-
that's just the way he is. Unless he's earned
it, in his mind he doesn't deserve it. "
following the conclusion of the NCAA
postseason, while players who finish inside
of 20th will earn at least conditional status
through either the Korn Ferry, Canada or
Latin America Tours, as well as exemptions
into PGA Tour Qualifying School.
Despite his success against the best
amateurs in the world over the past two
seasons, Hitchner decided to return to
Pepperdine for his fifth season of collegiate
golf.
I'm still navigating whether
I'll stay an amateur or turn pro.
-Derek Hitchner
Hitchner and Hoiness collected three
straight Class AA team championships
from 2015 to 2017, while Hitchner claimed
the individual title during his sophomore
season in 2016, setting a tournament record
with his opening-round 65 on his way to
an 11-stroke victory.
" I can honestly tell you that he is the
most genuine and humble person I've ever
met, " Hoiness said. " I try to use my social
media accounts to brag for him because
he will never do it himself. "
Hitchner's invite to join the Walker
Cup practice session in December comes
at a precarious period for the 23-year-old
Minneapolis native.
The PGA Tour University's recent eligibility
changes have allowed an even
faster track to golf's top tour, drawing the
interest of Hitchner and the nation's best
collegiate players.
In mid-November, the PGA Tour
announced the No. 1 player to finish in
the PGA Tour University Velocity Global
Rankings will earn full PGA Tour status
" It just felt a little premature for me to
turn pro, " he said. " I didn't play a ton the
first couple of years of school and didn't
get some of the benefits of our schedule
or the caliber of people we play against. "
Currently, Hitchner is 23rd in the PGA
Tour University rankings, and beginning
in January, he will enter the final eight
tournaments of his collegiate career ranked
No. 29 in the Golfstat individual rankings.
" Honestly, I'm still navigating whether
I'll stay an amateur or turn pro-I'm pretty
torn on that as it stands, " said Hitchner of
his plans after college.
" It will really depend on how I play the
last part of the season and where I stack
up. It's a good problem to have right now-
either I'm going to start my professional
journey, which I'm really excited about, or
I may possibly be in the running for the
Walker Cup, which is incredibly exciting. "
What golfer wouldn't be thrilled to
join the 2023 Walker Cup, scheduled for
September 2-3 at St. Andrews' Old Course
in Scotland?
Directory 2023 MINNESOTAGOLFER 27
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Minnesota Golfer - Directory 2023

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