Rankings
35 Players Named to 2026 Ben Hogan Award Watch List
Thirty-five of the top amateur and collegiate golfers in the country have been named to the 2026 Ben Hogan Award watch list, announced January 28 in Fort Worth, Texas. The award is presented annually to the top men’s collegiate golfer across all levels of college golf, including NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA, and NJCAA.
The watch list includes 14 seniors, 17 juniors, and four sophomores, with players representing the United States and 11 foreign countries. Six programs placed multiple golfers on the list, led by Arizona State, Oklahoma State, Texas, and Texas Tech with three selections each.
Several players on the list have previous ties to the award. Auburn’s Jackson Koivun is the 2024 Ben Hogan Award recipient and a finalist again in 2025. Virginia senior Ben James returns after being named a semifinalist in both 2024 and 2025. Texas seniors Christiaan Maas and Tommy Morrison were also semifinalists a year ago. Thirteen players from last season’s watch list appear again in 2026.
The selection process continues this spring, with 10 semifinalists to be announced on April 16. Three finalists will be named on May 12 and will attend a black tie dinner on Memorial Day, May 25, at the TCU Legends Club in Fort Worth, where the winner will be revealed.
The Ben Hogan Award evaluates performance across collegiate, amateur, and professional events played during the previous 12 months. Voting is conducted by an international selection committee made up of leaders from collegiate, amateur, and professional golf.
First presented at Colonial Country Club in 2002, the award celebrates its 25th anniversary in Fort Worth this year. Since 2002, the organization has donated more than 1.3 million dollars to charitable causes, including scholarships and support for golf programs nationwide.
Past recipients of the award include Ludvig Aberg, Patrick Cantlay, Rickie Fowler, Viktor Hovland, Jon Rahm, Sahith Theegala, and Jackson Koivun. Collectively, former winners have recorded 70 PGA TOUR victories, more than 495 million dollars in PGA TOUR earnings, 21 Ryder Cup appearances, and 15 Presidents Cup selections.
2026 Ben Hogan Award Watch List
Daniel Bennett, Texas
Adam Bresnu, Texas Tech
Mahanth Chirravuri, Pepperdine
John Daly II, Arkansas
Ethan Fang, Oklahoma State
Josiah Gilbert, Auburn
Connor Graham, Texas Tech
Max Herendeen, Illinois
Filip Jakubcik, Arizona
Ben James, Virginia
William Jennings, Alabama
Bryan Kim, Duke
Jackson Koivun, Auburn
Fifa Laopakdee, Arizona State
Bryan Lee, Virginia
Eric Lee, Oklahoma State
Christiaan Maas, Texas
Jonathan McEwen, Washington and Lee
Michael Mjaaseth, Arizona State
Jacob Modleski, Notre Dame
Tommy Morrison, Texas
Gabriel Palacios, Utah
Luke Poulter, Florida
Niall Sheils Donegan, North Carolina
Will Sides, SMU
Lance Simpson, Tennessee
Preston Stout, Oklahoma State
Jase Summy, Oklahoma
Daniel Svard, Northwestern
Arni Sveinsson, LSU
Cameron Tankersley, Ole Miss
Tyler Weaver, Florida State
Tim Wiedemeyer, Texas Tech
Connor Williams, Arizona State
Wells Williams, Vanderbilt
