Five Golfers Named Finalists for 2026 NCAA Division III Jack Nicklaus Award

Five players have been selected as finalists for the 2026 NCAA Division III Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Award presented by Workday. Huntingdon’s Jack Burr, Oglethorpe’s Jackson Hiller, Washington and Lee’s Jonathan McEwen, Emory’s Kevin Mu and Carnegie Mellon’s Joshua Wang make up this year’s finalist group.

The winner will be announced June 7 during Jack Nicklaus’ annual Memorial Tournament press conference and will receive the award from Nicklaus and Workday.

Burr earned finalist honors for the second straight season after recording five top five finishes and winning the Collegiate Conference of the South Championship by one stroke. The Huntingdon senior was also named CCS Golfer of the Year for a third consecutive season.

Hiller posted six top 10 finishes during the season with three victories, including wins at the Southern Athletic Association Championship and NCAA Division III Fall Preview. The Oglethorpe junior also set the program’s 54 hole scoring record with a 13 under performance at the Fall Preview.

McEwen, the 2025 Division III Jack Nicklaus Award winner, held the No. 1 ranking in every Scoreboard powered by Clippd ranking throughout the season. The Washington and Lee junior finished inside the top 12 in all eight events while earning three victories, including a second consecutive ODAC Championship title.

Mu collected three wins this season for Emory and recorded six top 20 finishes overall. His victories included the Discover Dekalb Emory Invitational, Tiger Invitational and Wabash College Fall Invitational.

Wang became the lone freshman finalist after finishing inside the top 23 in all nine stroke play tournaments this year. The Carnegie Mellon standout captured the Tartan Invitational title and shared medalist honors at the Gate City Invitational.

All five finalists are competing this week at the NCAA Division III Men’s Golf Championship at Mission Resort and Club in Florida.

Source: GCAA Release