35 Players Selected to 2026 Ben Hogan Award Watch List

FORT WORTH, Texas (Jan. 28, 2026) – Thirty-five of the nation’s most accomplished players across college golf have been named to the 2026 watch list for the ultimate honor awarded to an amateur and collegiate golfer, the Ben Hogan Award presented by Baird.

The 2026 Ben Hogan Award watch list, as selected by the award’s subcommittee, includes 14 seniors, 17 juniors and four sophomores. In addition, golfers from 11 different foreign countries as well as the United States are represented. Six schools have multiple golfers on the watch list, led by Arizona State, Oklahoma State, Texas and Texas Tech, with three.

Several players have past ties to the award, including Auburn’s Jackson Koivun, the 2024 Ben Hogan Award recipient and 2025 finalist, and Virginia’s Ben James, a two-time semifinalist (2024, 2025). In addition, Christiaan Maas and Tommy Morrison of Texas were semifinalists a year ago. In all, 13 members of last year’s watch list are repeats on this year’s list.

This year’s 10 semifinalists, which could include individuals not on the watch list, will be unveiled Thursday, April 16. That group will be pared down to three finalists on Tuesday, May 12. The finalists will attend a black-tie dinner on Memorial Day (Monday, May 25) at the TCU Legends Club in Fort Worth, Texas, where the winner will be crowned.

The Ben Hogan Award annually awards the top men’s NCAA Division I, II or III, NAIA or NJCAA college golfer based on results from all collegiate, amateur and professional events played over the previous 12 months. An esteemed international selection committee, comprised of 40 leaders in collegiate, amateur and professional golf, votes during each stage of the process.

The Ben Hogan Award has honored the outstanding amateur collegiate golfer at Colonial Country Club since 2002. This year marks the 25th anniversary in Fort Worth. The original Ben Hogan Trophy, which utilized a different set of criteria, was issued by the Friends of Golf (FOG) at Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles, Calif., beginning in 1990.

Fort Worth Colonial Charities (FWCC), the Friends of Golf (FOG) and the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) annually present the award. Since 2002, the organization has donated more than $1.3 million to charitable endeavors, providing scholarship grants to colleges as well as gifts to golf programs and organizations in need.

Past recipients are Ludvig Aberg (‘22, ‘23), Ricky Barnes (‘03), Patrick Cantlay (‘12), Luke Clanton (’25), Matt Every (‘06), Rickie Fowler (‘08), Doug Ghim (‘18), Bill Haas (‘04), Viktor Hovland (‘19), Chris Kirk (‘07), Jackson Koivun (’24), Hunter Mahan (‘03), Maverick McNealy (‘17), Ryan Moore (‘05), John Pak (‘21), Jon Rahm (‘15, ‘16), Patrick Rodgers (‘14), Kyle Stanley (‘09), Nick Taylor (‘10), Sahith Theegala (‘20), D.J. Trahan (‘02), Peter Uihlein (‘11) and Chris Williams (‘13).

Over the years, recipients of the Ben Hogan Award have combined to accumulate 70 PGA TOUR wins and have amassed more than $495 million in prize money on the PGA TOUR. Additionally, the group has combined to make 21 Ryder Cup appearances and play in 15 Presidents Cups.

For more information on the Ben Hogan Award, visit TheBenHoganAward.org and follow @BenHoganAward on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

2026 Ben Hogan Award Watch List Candidates
Daniel Bennett, Texas, So., Pretoria, South Africa
Adam Bresnu, Texas Tech, Jr., Rabat, Morocco
Mahanth Chirravuri, Pepperdine, Sr., Chandler, Ariz.
John Daly II, Arkansas, Sr., Clearwater, Fla.
Ethan Fang, Oklahoma State, Jr., Plano, Texas
Josiah Gilbert, Auburn, Jr., Millbrook, Ala.
Connor Graham, Texas Tech, So., Blairgowrie, Scotland
Max Herendeen, Illinois, Jr., Bellevue, Wash.
Filip Jakubcik, Arizona, Sr., Holesov, Czech Republic
Ben James, Virginia, Sr., Milford, Conn.
William Jennings, Alabama, So., Greenville, S.C.
Bryan Kim, Duke, Jr., Brookeville, Md.
Jackson Koivun, Auburn, Jr., Chapel Hill, N.C.
Fifa Laopakdee, Arizona State, Jr., Rayong, Thailand
Bryan Lee, Virginia, Sr., Fairfax, Va.
Eric Lee, Oklahoma State, Jr., Fullerton, Calif.
Christiaan Maas, Texas, Sr., Pretoria, South Africa
Jonathan McEwen, Washington and Lee, Jr., Portsmouth, Va.
Michael Mjaaseth, Arizona State, Sr., Oslo, Norway
Jacob Modleski, Notre Dame, Jr., Noblesville, Ind.
Tommy Morrison, Texas, Sr., Dallas, Texas
Gabriel Palacios, Utah, Jr., Guatemala City, Guatemala
Luke Poulter, Florida, Jr., Orlando, Fla.
Niall Sheils Donegan, North Carolina, Jr., Mill Valley, Calif.
Will Sides, SMU, Sr., Tulsa, Okla.
Lance Simpson, Tennessee, Sr., Knoxville, Tenn.
Preston Stout, Oklahoma State, Jr., Richardson, Texas
Jase Summy, Oklahoma, Sr., Keller, Texas
Daniel Svard, Northwestern, Sr., Jarfalla, Sweden
Árni Sveinsson, LSU, So., Garðabær, Iceland
Cameron Tankersley, Ole Miss, Sr., Dickson, Tenn.
Tyler Weaver, Florida State, Jr., Newmarket, England
Tim Wiedemeyer, Texas Tech, Jr., Olching, Germany
Connor Williams, Arizona State, Jr., Escondido, Calif.
Wells Williams, Vanderbilt, Sr., West Point, Miss.