SMU senior William Sides has been selected as the Ben Hogan Award’s January Golfer of the Month, earning the honor through committee balloting and the official fan vote conducted across Ben Hogan Award social media platforms.

Sides, currently ranked No. 22 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, delivered a strong start to the spring by winning the Jones Cup Invitational by two strokes at 6 under par. The event was shortened due to weather, but Sides still separated himself from the field with a two round total of 138. He followed that performance with a share of 11th place at the Southwestern Invitational, finishing at 1 over par across three rounds.

Across five total rounds in January competition, Sides posted a 69.80 scoring average and collected 32.8 World Amateur Golf Ranking points, the highest total in the world for the month. The Tulsa, Oklahoma native continues to build one of the strongest resumes in college golf as SMU moves deeper into the spring schedule.

The other finalists for the January award were Arizona senior Filip Jakubcik and San Diego State sophomore Harry Takis.

The Ben Hogan Award is presented each May to the top collegiate golfer in the country, factoring in college, amateur, and professional events over a 12 month evaluation period. The 2026 award cycle runs from the 2025 NCAA Championships through the 2026 NCAA Regionals.

The Ben Hogan Award has been presented at Colonial Country Club since 2002. The award originated through Friends of Golf at Bel Air Country Club in Los Angeles beginning in 1990. Since the foundation’s launch in 2002, the Ben Hogan Award organization has donated more than $1.3 million to charitable initiatives, including scholarships and support for golf programs in need.

2025 to 26 Ben Hogan Award Golfers of the Month
June: Preston Stout, Oklahoma State
July: Jackson Koivun, Auburn
August: Jase Summy, Oklahoma
September: William Jennings, Alabama
October: Nate Stevens, Notre Dame
November and December: Jake Moffitt, Southern Miss
January: William Sides, SMU

Sources
Ben Hogan Award Release