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Sonny Nimkhum is a steady player with good ball striking capabilities. He is one of the most experienced players on the team, having played in 25 college tournaments prior to his senior year.
As a Junior (2004-05): Nimkhum played in seven of the 13 events on the year, including the A-Sun Championships and the NCAA East Regional at the end of the year. His best finish of the year came at the Augusta State Invitational in April when he tied for 26th. He had one sub-par round, a 1-under-par 70 in the final round of the Mason Rudolph Intercollegiate at the Vanderbilt Legends Club, and finished with a 78.33 stroke average.
As a Sophomore (2003-04): Nimkhum made contributions throughout the year, but played his best golf in the spring when he finished under par in three events. He posted the third lowest scoring average on the team at 73.81 and finished third on the team with four top-10s in nine events. His best showing came at the LSU Spring Invitational in Baton Rouge, La., where he closed with a pair of 69s to finish in fourth place at 7-under-par. His lowest round of the year was a 5-under-par 67 in the second round of the Atlantic Sun Championships. He finished in sixth place at the A-Sun Championships and earned a spot on the all-tournament team. He also excelled in the classroom and was named to the A-Sun All-Academic Team.
As a Freshman (2002-03): Nimkhum performed very well in his first collegiate season and earned a spot on the A-Sun All-Freshmen Team. He ranked fourth on the team with a 74.52 stroke average. He posted a pair of top 10s and had five top 20s. He fired a season low 5-under-par 67 at the Gary Koch/Cleveland Golf Invitational in Tampa, Fla. and tied for fifth in the rain-shortened event to lead all UCF golfers.
Prior to UCF: Nimkhum earned four letters in golf at the Bradenton Academy in Bradenton, Fla. and was twice named to the all-league team in Bradenton. He was team MVP as a freshman and a senior. He had tremendous success as a junior player, earning accolades during his time in Florida and California. He was named Southern California PGA Junior Player of the Year three times and was a two-time Future Collegians World Tour All-American. He set the stroke play record at the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship in 1999 and then advanced to the quarterfinal round of match play. He also picked up five wins and a pair of runner-up finishes in various junior tournaments around the country and in Japan and Thailand.
Personal: Sonny Nimkhum was born on Sept. 18, 1984 in Cerritos, Calif., and is the son of Samran and Ratchani Nimkhum. He is majoring in liberal studies.
Sonny Nimkhum[apos]s Golf Snapshot
Started playing golf at what age: 3 years old
First learned the game from: My Dad
What I like about golf is: The competition and the pressure
I model my game after: Retief Goosen and Vijay Singh
Lowest round ever: 64
Lowest round in competition: 66
Most birdies in a round: 8
Career holes-in-one: 6
Home golf course: Lakewood Golf Course
Favorite golf course I[apos]ve played: Summit Windmill Country Club (Thailand)
Golf course I[apos]d like to play: St. Andrews
My dream foursome would include: Retief Goosen, Vijay Singh and Tiger Woods
Most memorable golfing moment: Breaking the stroke play record at the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship at age 14