Behr Recipient of Byron Nelson Award presented by Cleveland Golf/Srixon

NORMAN, Okla. – Stephen Behr of Clemson has been named recipient of the 2016 Byron Nelson Award presented by Cleveland Golf/Srixon, in cooperation with the Four Seasons Resort and Club Las Colinas, the Salesmanship Club of Dallas and the Golf Coaches Association of America.

Candidates for the Nelson Award must be a graduating senior and the selection committee considers equally a nominee’s entire collegiate academic and golf career as well as his character and integrity while in college. Particular consideration will be given to a nominee’s good citizenship, as portrayed by Mr. Byron Nelson over the course of his life and golf career.

Behr leads Clemson into the ACC Tournament this weekend with a 71.88 stroke average. He also leads the team in top 10 finishes with four and is tied for the lead in rounds in the 60s with six and under-par rounds with 10.

For his career, Behr is a four-year starter with a 72.48 stroke average, seventh best in Clemson history. He has led Clemson in stroke average three of his four years, has four top 10 finishes and 50 career rounds at par or better. The ACC Tournament will be his 43rd career event for Clemson.

Behr is also a standout in the classroom. He graduated in May 2015 with a 3.91 GPA and continues to represent the tigers as a graduate student. He was a Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholar last season. He was also named a CoSIDA At-Large Academic third-team All-American in 2015 and was named CoSIDA Academic All-District for the third consecutive year. Behr is also a thee-time All-ACC Academic selection.

Also active in the community, Behr is an active participant in TigerPals, a Clemson Pen Pal project to communicate with local children in the Clemson community. A member of Clemson’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, he participated as a leader in Clemson Can, a food drive to eliminate hunger in South Carolina. Through SAAC, he also was an integral part of Tiger Field Day and organized and helped conduct Operation Christmas Child. Behr was the event chair for the Welcome Back Festival, which had over 70 local Clemson vendors.

Behr was honored by the Clemson Athletic Department earlier this month when he won the Solid Orange Male Athlete of the Year. That award is presented each year at the CLEMMYs and is presented to the male who exemplifies a Clemson student-athlete through leadership, athletic performance, service, academics and sportsmanship

“This award is one of the biggest and best in college golf,” said Behr. “To me it is the most prestigious because the collegiate golfer who wins it must have the entire package, excelling in all areas that make being a student-athlete a challenge; playing well in competition, staying competitive in the classroom, and carrying oneself with honesty, integrity and respect.”