Tommy Morrison, a 6-foot-9 former University of Texas star, got a surprise from golf legend Ben Crenshaw on Wednesday at the Austin Championship, where the two-time Masters winner presented Morrison with the Korn Ferry Tour’s Rookie of the Year prize.
“Oh, man, that’s awesome,” Morrison said. Crenshaw, 74, who has watched Morrison develop since his teenage years, had a few words to share.
“This guy is very special, very special,” Crenshaw said. “He’s obviously tall, he can see everything that’s going on down here. But he’s got an exceptional touch, a well-rounded game.”
The award caps an impressive first season for the 22-year-old, who was playing college golf just five months ago. Since turning professional in June, Morrison has won on the Korn Ferry Tour, claimed the circuit’s inaugural Route 66 Cup and secured his PGA Tour card for 2027.
Morrison finished sixth in the PGA Tour University Class of 2026 rankings, earning Korn Ferry Tour membership for the remainder of the season, and he finished inside the top 10 in each of his first five professional starts…
His first professional victory came in July at the KFT’s Evans Scholars Invitational outside Chicago, where he opened the final round with five consecutive birdies and added an eagle at the par-4 15th en route to a bogey-free 63. His 29-under 255 total set a tournament scoring record at The Glen Club and secured a three-shot victory.
Tommy Morrison poses with the trophy after winning the Evans Scholars Invitational.
Raj Mehta
Seven years earlier, fellow Texas alum Scottie Scheffler won the same event with a final-round 63. Morrison matched that number with Scheffler’s former caddie from the 2019 victory, Scott “Scotty Mac” McGuinness, on his bag.
Morrison won the inaugural Route 66 Cup, a four-tournament competition celebrating the historic highway’s centennial, earning a $66,000 bonus. He ended the KFT season with five top-10 finishes in 11 starts, making 10 cuts and finishing 10th on the season-long points list. He became just the third player to earn a PGA Tour card through the KFT in the same season he joined through PGA Tour University.
His rapid success shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to those who followed his amateur career. In 2024, Morrison became the first American to win the European Amateur Championship, joining a list of past winners that includes Rory McIlroy and Sergio Garcia. He represented the United States on the victorious 2025 Walker Cup team and earned All-America honors twice at Texas. During his final college season, Morrison posted a 69.85 scoring average and tied for 10th at the NCAA Championship.
Fellow Longhorn Doug Ghim, who is also in the field this week, played with Morrison and Maas at the Texas Alumni Pro-Am on Monday. Ghim said he’s proud of both, and Morrison in particular for how he has performed as a professional.
“They’re way better than I was when I was coming out from school,” Ghim said. “I have no doubt that they’ll do really well, especially Tommy being on Tour next year, and I’m sure Christiaan will give it a good run to get his Tour card through the Korn Ferry Tour.”
Morrison is playing on a sponsor exemption this week at Omni Barton Creek’s Fazio Canyons course, where he figures he played 30 or 40 rounds at Texas.
“This was the only golf course that was open on Mondays, so Coach loved to come out here on Mondays,” Morrison said. “We played out here in the winter a lot when it was cold and windy and it was a really tough challenge.”
He’s also reunited with former Texas teammate Christiaan Maas, who is competing on a sponsor exemption of his own. The two played a practice round together Tuesday, bringing back memories of their college days.
“It was kind of weird, we used to play out here a ton in college so it almost felt like another qualifying round yesterday or another round back at home in college,” Morrison said. “It’s cool. I think the world of Christiaan’s golf game and I think it’s really cool that we both get to tee it up in Austin where we had probably four of the best years of our lives.”
Despite the rapid transition from college golf to the professional ranks, Morrison says he doesn’t intend to change much heading into his first full PGA Tour season. Asked by Golf Digest whether he’ll need to adjust his mental approach against tougher competition next year, Morrison sees little reason to change what’s been working so far.
“No, I don’t think so. I think I had a very successful summer and I don’t really plan on changing it,” Morrison said. “If anything, I’m trying to think about every little thing I did this summer, to write that down and remember the little things that I did that allowed me to have success.”
Morrison is not one to set goals. Getting his PGA Tour card and winning Rookie of the Year were both on his mind this season, but he’d rather stay on the shot in front of him. The reality of being a PGA Tour player is still sinking in.
“The last month after getting my card I still have these moments every couple of days where I’m like, OK, this is what I’m doing, this just happened, this is real,” Morrison said.
.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.966.644.suffix/1794435163407.jpeg)
Tommy Morrison, of Texas, (left) stands next to Auburn’s Jackson Koivun, Florida’s Jack Turner and Jack Whaley of Florida State at the 2026 NCAA Championships.
Ryan Sirius Sun
After Austin, Morrison plans to compete at the TaylorMade Invitational at Pebble Beach before heading to Australia for the Australian PGA Championship and Australian Open. He expects to make his 2027 PGA Tour season debut at The American Express in January.
For Crenshaw, who first played with Morrison when he was 15, the rookie’s success is something he’s enjoyed watching firsthand. And although Morrison has already impressed many in his first few months as a professional, Crenshaw reminded Tommy that there’s still much to learn.
“Just keep looking forward to learning, and I know you will,” he said.
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
