Haskins Award Finalists Announced Ahead of NCAA Championship

The finalists for the 2026 Fred Haskins Award presented by Stifel were announced following the completion of NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Regionals. The award honors the national Player of the Year in men’s college golf and is voted on by players, coaches, and college golf media members.

The 10 finalists are Kihei Akina of BYU, Paul Chang of Virginia, Mahanth Chirravuri of Pepperdine, Ryder Cowan of Oklahoma, Tom Fischer of Ole Miss, Ben James of Virginia, William Jennings of Alabama, Jackson Koivun of Auburn, Christiaan Maas of Texas, and Preston Stout of Oklahoma State.

Koivun enters the NCAA Championship ranked No. 1 nationally after recording six victories and 11 top 10 finishes in 12 stroke play events. Stout ranks No. 3 with four wins this season, while Maas and Jennings each collected three victories.

Virginia placed two golfers among the finalists with James and Chang. James earned victories at the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational and NCAA Bermuda Run Regional while posting 10 top 10 finishes in 10 starts. Chang added wins at the Calusa Cup and Lewis Chitengwa Memorial.

Akina recorded two wins and 10 top 10 finishes during his freshman season at BYU. Cowan won twice for Oklahoma, Fischer captured the Mossy Oak Collegiate title for Ole Miss, and Chirravuri posted eight top 10 finishes for Pepperdine.

The NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship will take place May 29 through June 3 at Omni La Costa Resort’s North Course in Carlsbad, California.

Source: Haskins Award