In 1994, the Men’s Player of the Year Award was established. Throughout time, the award expanded to include Women (2010), Senior Men and Senior Women (2016), and Junior Boys and Junior Girls (2017).
Eight Alabama Men's Players of the Year have competed on the PGA Tour or PGA Tour Champions. Notable past award winners include Garrett Osborn (2000), Patton Kizzire (2003), Bobby Wyatt (2011-2012), Michael Johnson (2013), Robby Shelton IV (2015) and Nick Dunlap (2023-2024). Will Swift (2002, 2005, 2006), Steve Hudson (2004, 2009, 2010), and Gordon Sargent (2020-2022) are tied for the most awards with three apiece.
Complete Alabama Amateur Player Rankings are available on the Alabama Golf Association website here.
2024 Alabama Amateur Player of the Year Award Winners
Men’sNick Dunlap of Huntsville wins his second Alabama Men’s Player of the Year award. Starting the year as a sophomore at the University of Alabama, Dunlap won The American Express in January, becoming the first amateur to win a PGA TOUR event since 1991 (Phil Mickelson/Northern Telecom Open). Dunlap recorded a 60 in the third round to hold a three-shot lead in his fourth PGA TOUR start, which he went on to win by one shot.
Four days after the victory, Dunlap announced his decision to turn professional and subsequently joined the PGA TOUR, making his professional debut the following week at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Dunlap then won the Barracuda Championship in July to become the first golfer in PGA Tour history with wins as an amateur and a professional in the same season. To finish off the year Dunlap won the Arnold Palmer Award as the PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year for the 2024 season. Dunlap is the youngest player to be named PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year since Jordan Spieth in 2013. Dunlap is currently the 32nd ranked player in the Official World Golf Rankings.
Women’s
Scarlett Schremmer of Birmingham earns her first Alabama Women’s Player of the Year award. A standout on the national stage, Scarlett qualified for the Round of 16 in both the U.S. Women’s Amateur and U. S. Girls’ Junior Championships. A member of the inaugural United States National Developmental Team, Schremmer also qualified for match play in the 122nd Women’s North & South Amateur. Scarlett finished tied-sixth in the 109th Southwestern Amateur and won The Dye Junior Invitational. Schremmer also represented the United States and Alabama as a member of the 2024 Junior Solheim Cup team.
“In 2024, I was so lucky to represent the United States on the U.S. National Team and in the Junior Solheim Cup,” Schremmer said. “Knowing I’m also representing Alabama Golf while playing for my country is a true honor. I’m incredibly grateful to my family, friends, and God for always having my back on and off the course. I can’t wait for another great year of golf in 2025 and to see all the progress made by the Alabama Golf Association!”
Senior Men’s
Robert Nelson of Fairhope receives his second Alabama Senior Men’s Player of the Year award (2019). Nelson’s 2024 was highlighted by his performance at the U.S. Senior Amateur Championship at The Honors Course in Ooltewah, TN where he made it to the semifinals before losing 1up to the eventual Champion. Nelson also made it to the semifinal match of the Alabama State Senior Match Play Championship.
Nelson has eight career AGA Championship titles with his first coming nearly 50 years ago at the 1978 Alabama State Junior Championship. He also won the 2009 Alabama State Mid-Amateur and 2016 Alabama State Four-Ball Championship before adding three Alabama State Senior Amateur Championships (2017, 2019 and 2022) and two Alabama State Senior Four-Ball Championship titles (2014, 2017) to his list of accolades.
“It's an honor to receive such a prestigious award,” Nelson said. “Given the vast number of great Senior players in our State, it is my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that deserves all the credit for this accomplishment.”
Senior Women’s
Theresa Mahlik of Madison wins her first Alabama Senior Women’s Player of the Year award. In a successful 2024 campaign she won two AGA Championship titles at the Alabama Women’s State Senior Championship and the Alabama Women’s State Senior Match Play Championship. On the national stage, she qualified for the U.S. Senior Women’s Open Championship in Pittsburgh. Mahlik also represented the victorious Amateur Team in the 2024 Alabama Cup.
Mahlik has three career AGA Championship titles – the 2023 and 2024 Alabama Women’s State Senior Match Play Championship, and the 2024 Alabama Women’s State Senior Championship.
“I’ve worked very hard to be a better player but never in my wildest dreams did I expect to win two state titles in the same year and be named the women’s senior player of the year. It is an honor to receive it. Thank you Alabama Golf Association.” Mahlik said.
Junior Girls
Scarlett Schremmer, 2025, of Birmingham is a senior in high school who is home-schooled. A standout on the national stage, Scarlett qualified for the Round of 16 in both the U.S. Women’s Amateur and U. S. Girls’ Junior Championships. A member of the inaugural United States National Developmental Team, Schremmer also qualified for match play in the 122nd Women’s North & South Amateur. Scarlett finished tied-sixth in the 109th Southwestern Amateur and won The Dye Junior Invitational. Schremmer is the number one ranked junior in Alabama and the 2024 Alabama Girls Junior Player of the Year.
This is Schremmer’s second Alabama Junior Player of the Year award.
Junior Boys
Tyler Watts, 2026, of Huntsville is a junior at Grissom High School. At the U. S. Junior Amateur, Tyler finished second after 36-holes of stroke play and methodically worked his way through successive match play rounds to reach the Finals, where he finished as runner-up. Watts followed-up his victory in December’s Jones Cup Junior Invitational with top four finishes in the 108th Alabama State Amateur (T4), The Elite Invitational (2nd), the Terra Cotta Invitational (2nd), and tied-second at the AJGA’s Mayakoba Invitational. With high school teammate Barak Erwin, Watts won the 42nd Alabama State Four-Ball Championship in May to add to his collection of AGA titles. Watts also competed in the 124th U.S. Amateur at Hazeltine.
A member of the inaugural United States National Junior Team, Tyler is the number one ranked junior in the State of Alabama and the 2024 Alabama Golf Association Junior Boys Player of the Year. This is watt’s second Alabama Junior Player of the Year Award.
The Alabama Junior Players of the Year awards are based on Alabama State Junior Golf Rankings. The points accumulated from September 1 thru August 31 of the current year are taken into consideration. The top Boy and Girl in the current year rankings, as of August 31, will be awarded the Alabama State Junior Player of the Year.
Past Alabama Players of the Year Award Winners
Men
1994 - Eric Hamilton
1995 - Patrick Levio
1996 - John Coles
1997 - Eric Hamilton
1998 - Scott Weatherly
1999 - Joey Holley
2000 - Joey Holley
2001 - Talbert Griffin
2002 - Will Swift
2003 - Patton Kizzire
2004 - Steve Hudson
2005 - Will Swift
2006 - Will Swift
2007 - Garrett Osborn
2008 - Talbert Griffin
2009 - Steve Hudson
2010 - Steve Hudson
2011 - Bobby Wyatt
2012 - Bobby Wyatt
2013 - Michael Johnson
2014 - Stewart Jolly
2015 - Robby Shelton IV
2016 - Patrick Martin
2017 - Matt Gourgeot
2018 - Clay Guerin
2019 - William Buhl
2020 - Gordon Sargent
2021 - Gordon Sargent
2022 - Gordon Sargent
2023 - Nick Dunlap
Women
2010 - Kathy Hartwiger
2011 - Kathy Hartwiger
2012 - Kathy Hartwiger
2013 - Cammie Gray
2014 - Virginia Green
2015 - Kathy Hartwiger
2016 - Elaine Wood
2017 - Elaine Wood
2018 - Cammie Bentley
2019 - Anna Claire Little
2020 - Mychael O’Berry
2021 - Molly Brown Davidson
2022 - Michaela Morard
2023 - Taylor Trible
Senior Men
2016 - Steve Hudson
2017 - Steve Hudson
2018 - Claud Cooper
2019 - Robert Nelson
2020 - John Wright
2021 - John Wright
2022 - Shaw Pritchett
2023 - Shaw Pritchett
Senior Women
2016 - Susan West
2017 - Susan West
2018 - Susan West
2019 - Susan West
2020 - Susan West
2021 - Kathy Hartwiger
2022 - Kathy Hartwiger
2023 – Linda Jeffery
Junior Boys
2017 - Ethan Hagood
2018 - Nick Dunlap
2019 - Gordon Sargent
2020 - Gordon Sargent
2021 - Nick Dunlap
2022 - Nick Dunlap
2023 - Tyler Watts
Junior Girls
2017 - Michaela Morard
2018 - Michaela Morard
2019 - Michaela Morard
2020 - Michaela Morard
2021 - Molly Brown Davidson
2022 - Molly Brown Davidson
2023 - Scarlett Schremmer
About the Alabama Golf Association (AGA)The Alabama Golf Association is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational organization founded in 1915 whose mission is to serve and promote amateur golf in Alabama. AGA membership consists of 120 member clubs represented by over 30,000 individuals. The activities and services of the Alabama Golf Association are governed by a Board of Directors consisting of Alabama golfers who wish to serve the game and the association through service. A full-time professional staff of seven individuals handles day-to-day activities.
Based in Hoover, the AGA is the USGA's Allied Golf Association in Alabama conducting national championship qualifying, administering the World Handicap System including the GHIN Handicap service, course & slope rating, and Rules of Golf & Handicapping education. The AGA annually conducts 24 championships; team match competitions for men, women, junior and seniors; and the AHSAA high school golf championship. The AGA manages the Junior Golf Alabama program that is a joint venture between the AGA and Alabama-NW Florida PGA Section.
In addition to competitions, the AGA administers the AGA Scholarship Fund through the Alabama Golf Foundation that is dedicated to assisting young golfers in higher education. Additionally, the Alabama Golf Foundation supports the Youth on Course Alabama program providing facility access to junior golfers and provides funding for the Alabama Turfgrass Research Foundation. In 2016, the AGA earned the Gold Tee Award for “Outstanding Tournament Operations – Small Association” by the International Association of Golf Administrators (IAGA).
Since 1980, the AGA has managed the affairs of the Southern Golf Association which includes conducting the historic Southern Amateur Championship and Southern Junior Championship, in conjunction with the Board of Directors of the Southern Golf Association.
For more information about the Alabama Golf Association, visit www.alabamagolf.org. Media Contact:
Mikayla King
Director of Media, Marketing & Communications
Alabama Golf Association
205-803-6524
mikayla@alabamagolf.org
