Fox, Thomas, Williams selected to World Amateur Team

Fox (left), Thomas (center) and Williams will represent the U.S. in Turkey.

Former AJGA players Steve Fox, Justin Thomas and Chris Williams will travel to Antalya, Turkey, to represent the United States at the World Amateur Team Championship, Oct. 4-7.

Conducted by the International Golf Federation, the biennial competition has been played since 1958 and will feature 72 teams.

Fox, the U.S. Amateur champion, earned top-10 finishes in his  two AJGA starts before signing with the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga. The senior golfer has earned nine top-10 finishes, including a win at the 2010 Furman Intercollegiate. A two-time All-Southern Conference selection, Fox won the Tennessee Golf Association Match Play Championship in 2011.

Thomas, who is No. 2 in the World Amateur Rankings, was a two-time Rolex Junior All-American. He recorded back-to-back wins at the Natural Resource Partners Bluegrass Junior in 2008 and 2009. In 2009, he became the third youngest player to make the cut at a PGA TOUR event when he made his TOUR debut at the Wyndham Championship after earning an exemption through his win at the FJ Invitational. A sophomore at the University of Alabama, Thomas was recognized as the nation’s top collegiate golfer, winning the 2012 Haskins Award and the 2012 Jack Nicklaus Award, in addition to receiving the 2012 Phil Mickelson Award, which honors the top freshman in Division I men’s golf. He earned four collegiate victories during his freshman season, including the 2012 NCAA Athens Regional.

No. 1 in the World Amateur Rankings, Williams is the winningest player in the history of the University of Washington men’s golf program, with six wins on his record. He was a two-time first-team All-American and received the Phil Mickelson Freshman of the Year Award in 2010. Williams has earned several amateur wins, including the 2011 Sahalee Players Championship, the 2011 Pacific Coast Amateur and the 2012 Western Amateur. Upon conclusion of the U.S. Amateur, Williams was awarded the McCormack Medal, given to the top-ranked amateur golfer. He played in two AJGA events, recording his best finish at the 2008 AJGA Junior Challenge where he finished fourth.

In 2010, France won the trophy in the four-day stroke play competition where the American team of Peter Uihlein, David Chung and Scott Langley finished third. While the U.S. has captured the title a record 13 times, a U.S. team has not won since 2004.