Who is Preston Summerhays? All you need to know about the American golfer

Preston Summerhays is the only amateur player in the field at the Fortinet Championship, which began Thursday. Those who follow only professional golf may never have heard his name. However, followers of amateur golf know he's the next rising star.

Summerhays is a native of Scottsdale, Arizona, and is only 21 years old. He is currently the star of men's golf at Arizona State College (the same program that produced Paul Casey and Jon Rahm, among others). However, he began to stand out a few years earlier.

As a junior, Preston Summerhays won two consecutive Utah Amateur Championships (2018, 19). At 16, he won the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship (2019), and at 17, he became the youngest player to win the Sunnehanna Amateur (2020).

In 2021, Summerhays joined the Arizona State College Sun Devils and made the first team that same season. He competed in 13 tournaments and had eight top-10 finishes, including first place (tied) at the East Lake Cup. He also finished second at the NCAA Match Play Championship (losing the final to Pierceson Coody).

In the just-completed 2022-23 season, Preston Summerhays became the Sun Devils' leader. He competed in 13 tournaments and posted seven top-10 finishes, including a victory at the Thunderbird Collegiate in April.

Halfway through his collegiate golf career, Summerhays has already earned major accolades, including first-team All-America honors PING GCAA and Pac-12 Freshman of the Year. He currently holds the third-best round all-time for Arizona State University (62) behind Paul Casey (60) and Jon Rahm (61).

Summerhays was also named to the American Team for the 2023 Arnold Palmer Cup and the 2023 Walker Cup.

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Preston Summerhays at Fortinet Championship

Winning the first collegiate event of the 2023-24 season, the Sahalee Players Championship, earned Preston Summerhays a spot in the Fortinet Championship field. He is the only amateur in the tournament.

After the first round, Summerhays is tied for 18th place with a score of 2-under 72. He will begin the second day with defending champion Max Homa, among others.

Summerhays started a little slow, with two bogeys and no birdies on the front nine. However, the best was yet to come, as he finished the back nine with two birdies and a spectacular eagle on the 12th to make up for lost ground.

To achieve this result on the 12th hole (579 yards, par 5), Summerhays showed all his quality. He hit a 316-yard drive straight down the fairway, followed by a 264-yard iron shot that he expertly placed on the green. The rest was a breeze: a 9-foot six-inch inches, straight into the hole.

This is Summerhays’ sixth appearance on the PGA Tour. He did not make the cut in any of the previous five tournaments.