George Cunningham's freshman year, in which he posted a career-best 71.6 average, raised expectations. The UA senior earned his PGA Tour card last week.
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The details: Cunningham came to Arizona in 2014 rated the No. 2 overall recruit in the nation by Golfweek and the AJGA. He arrived at the UA having already accomplished quite a bit as a golfer, and some suggested he might turn pro after an abbreviated college career. That hasn’t happened: Cunningham has dealt with injuries and inconsistency over his first three college seasons.
The numbers: Since his stellar freshman season — more on that later — Cunningham has spent much of his time trying to bounce back. As a sophomore, he missed six months dealing with a dysfunctional tailbone and played in only three tournaments, managing a 75.33 stroke average. He performed much better as a junior, competing in all of Arizona’s 12 tournaments with a team-best 73.06 stroke average. Cunnningham also posted 12 rounds of par or better, two top-10 finishes and five top-20 finishes.
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The value: Cunningham needs to emerge as Arizona’s top golfer if the Wildcats are going to return to the program’s heyday. Arizona has some talent beyond Cunningham, including sophomore David Laskin and incoming star freshman Trevor Werbylo of Salpointe Catholic. If Cunningham can continue to bounce back from a difficult sophomore season, the Wildcats will be in good shape.
Why Cunningham? When Cunningham’s at his best, he has the potential to be one of the top golfers in the nation. Cunningham said he’s back on the right path.
“For me, my last season was not what I wanted,” he said. “I had a few tournaments that I felt like I played to my potential and that was all I did. I did make a large stride toward where I want to go for my senior year, however, which is encouraging.”
Proof he’s good: Consider all he accomplished in the 2014-15 season. Cunningham was named to the All-Pac-12 second team and All-Pac-12 freshman team and posted a career-best 71.6 stroke average, which tied for second on UA’s all-time freshman single season list and 10th on the overall all-time list. He notched 19 rounds of par or better with six top-10 finishes and nine top-20 finishes. Cunningham played alongside UA alumnus Jim Furyk in the Northern Trust Open Collegiate Showcase and took second with a round of 72.
What Cunningham can accomplish: If he can get back to the levels of his freshman season, Cunningham would be a lock for All-Conference honors and a candidate to win the Pac-12 Men’s Golfer of the Year award. Cunningham has aspirations beyond that.
“My biggest goal is to get at least one college win,” Cunningham said. “It has escaped me a few times and it will make my college experience feel complete if I can get at least one win. Also, I would love to become an All-American.”
Coachspeak: “Given George’s experience and career plans with competitive golf, I believe he is ready for a great final year of college and amateur golf. He knows what to expect each week. Also, he will be able to play with freedom because the records and scores are washed out teeing it up at the next level. I believe this will be great for him and we are excited for him to lead our team to great things.” — UA coach Jim Anderson
He said it: “I feel like I had a successful freshman year that set up a good place to move forward as a golfer. But my injury during my sophomore year has dropped my game back pretty far. … I feel it is coming together for my senior year, and hopefully I will be the best I’ve been so far.” — Cunningham
How Cunningham performed: Cunningham finished the season with a 70.40 scoring average, which was the second-lowest in UA history since Chris Nallen in 2004. Cunningham's career scoring average Arizona was 71.87, which is the third best in program history. In four years, Cunningham dealt with a back injury, but finished off his senior named to the All-Pac-12 Team and will turn his focus to the PGA Tour Canada card.
