The Golf Coaches Association of America announced the five finalists for the 2026 NCAA Division I Jack Nicklaus Award presented by Workday. The honor recognizes the top player in college golf, with the winner set to be announced June 7 during Jack Nicklaus’ press conference at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday.
The finalists are Virginia’s Ben James, Alabama’s William Jennings, Auburn’s Jackson Koivun, Texas’ Christiaan Maas, and Oklahoma State’s Preston Stout. All five players are competing this week at the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California.
James, currently ranked No. 2 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, recorded top five finishes in all 10 stroke play events this season with two victories. The Virginia senior captured the NCAA Winston Salem Regional at 19 under par and owns seven career wins, tied for the most in program history.
Jennings earned First Team All SEC honors after posting three victories and seven top four finishes during his sophomore campaign at Alabama. He claimed co medalist honors at the NCAA Marana Regional and secured a spot in the 2026 Rocket Classic with his win at the Folds of Honor Collegiate.
Koivun enters the postseason ranked No. 1 in both WAGR and Scoreboard powered by Clippd. The Auburn junior collected six wins this season, including a third straight SEC Championship title. Koivun also became a two time Ben Hogan Award recipient after winning the honor earlier this week.
Maas reached finalist status for the second consecutive season after recording three victories and eight top eight finishes for Texas. The senior from South Africa helped the Longhorns capture titles at the NCAA Bryan Regional and Ford Collegiate while carrying a team leading 69.44 scoring average.
Stout, the Big 12 Player of the Year from Oklahoma State, posted four wins this season and became the first golfer to win three Big 12 Championships. The junior enters nationals with 11 top 20 finishes and one of the best scoring averages in program history.
The Jack Nicklaus Award was created in 1988 and is presented annually to the National Player of the Year across NCAA Divisions I, II, III, NAIA, and NJCAA.
Source: GCAA