Back to the Washington Huskies Newsfeed

He was the No. 1 amateur in the world as a senior at UW. Now, he’s giving up professional golf.

This might be a sad story if Chris Williams didn’t seem so content, happy and relaxed.

In the summer of 2013, Williams had just finished a remarkable college golf career at Washington and seemed like a can’t-miss professional star.

Williams had been the world’s No. 1 amateur for almost a year, won the Hogan Award, college golf’s version of the Heisman Trophy, and had just signed a deal with Nike through 2018.

But nothing is certain in golf.

After six years of near-constant travel, the ups and downs in his game, and the pressure of trying — and failing — to advance past the Canadian tour, Williams needed to stop.