BATON ROUGE – LSU’s Algot Kleen, who completed his senior season at LSU in earning All-America honors and SEC Newcomer of the Year, has been named a finalist for the 2025 Gary Player International Golfer of the Year Award presented by FlightScope, as announced by the Golf Coaches Association of America.
The award is given to five outstanding collegiate golfers from outside the United States, one each for NCAA Divisions I, II and III, as well as NAIA and NJCAA.
Kleen finished the year No. 16 in the NCAA Scoreboard by Clippd rankings with an individual victory and four top 3 finishes for the Tigers, who finished with four team wins and the No. 8 in the NCAA team rankings. Kleen finished with a scoring average of 70.06 with 21-of-33 rounds at par-or-under during the 2024-25 wraparound season.
The Division I finalists for the awards are:
Josele Ballester, Arizona State (Spain)
Daniel Bennett, Texas (South Africa)
Algot Kleen, LSU (Sweden)
Phichaksn Maichon, Texas A&M (Thailand)
Christiaan Maas, Texas (South Africa)
Considered one of golf’s “Big Three” with Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player has left an everlasting impact on the game of golf by being a worldwide ambassador, philanthropist, and golf course designer. One of only six golfers to win the career grand slam, Player has continuously used his position to improve the lives of others in a positive way as a humanitarian and has focused strongly on education for the underprivileged. He is a member of the Laureus World Sports Academy, which celebrates sport’s ability to create positive change in the world. Player’s outstanding career has included 165 professional wins on six continents over seven decades and was acknowledged with being inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974, the Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003, the PGA TOUR’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Services to Golf in 2012, and a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2020.
The Gary Player Award is selected by GCAA International member coaches with representation from around the world.
About Golf Coaches Association of America
Established in 1958, the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) is the professional organization of men’s collegiate golf coaches. The GCAA’s mission is to support its member coaches from six divisions, including the NCAA, NAIA, and NJCAA, by creating educational opportunities, providing resources, and promoting its members with the purpose of enhancing their overall performance as coaches, mentors, and teachers. The GCAA also recognizes the excellence and achievements of its members and their student-athletes in academic, athletic, and civic endeavors.