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2024 Ben Hogan Trophy recipient Jackson Koivun

10 Semifinalists Named for the 2026 Ben Hogan Trophy Award Presented by BAIRD

Posted on April 20, 2026

FORT WORTH, Texas (April 16, 2026) – After tabulating the votes cast by the Ben Hogan Award’s Selection Committee, the 10 semifinalists for the 2026 Ben Hogan Award presented by Baird have been selected.

The 2026 semifinalists are Mahanth Chirravuri of Pepperdine, Oklahoma’s Ryder Cowan, Ethan Fang of Oklahoma State, Arizona’s Filip Jakubcik, Ben James of Virginia, Auburn’s Jackson Koivun, Christiaan Maas of Texas, Oklahoma State’s Preston Stout, Harry Takis of San Diego State and Florida State’s Tyler Weaver.

James and Koivun are semifinalists for the third straight year, while Maas is on the list for the second consecutive time. Koivun, who was the recipient in 2024 and a finalist a year ago, is the only one of the 10 players to previously reach the finalist round.

For the second straight year, the list includes four seniors, five juniors and one sophomore. Five conferences are represented with semifinalists, led by the Big 12 and SEC with three apiece. Oklahoma State is the only school with more than one player honored. Of the nine schools with award contenders, six (Arizona, Auburn, Florida State, Oklahoma State, Pepperdine and Texas) are home to previous Ben Hogan Award winners.

The Ben Hogan Award has honored the outstanding amateur collegiate golfer at Colonial Country Club since 2002. Prior to its move to Fort Worth, the original Ben Hogan Trophy was issued by Friends of Golf (FOG) at Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles, CA, beginning in 1990. An esteemed international selection committee, comprised of 40 leaders in collegiate, amateur and professional golf, votes during each stage of the process.

This year’s three finalists will be named on Tuesday, May 12. The trio 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 all collegiate, amateur and professional events over the previous 12 months. The joint announcement was made by Fort Worth Colonial Charities (FWCC), Friends of Golf and the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA).

Over the years, recipients of the Ben Hogan Award have combined to accumulate 70 PGA TOUR wins and amass more than $500 million in prize money on the tour. Since 2002, the Ben Hogan Award has donated more than $1 million to golf organizations, providing scholarship grants as well as monetary gifts to college and youth programs that are in need or have suffered tragic events.

Past Ben Hogan Award 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).

For more information on the Ben Hogan Award presented by Baird, visit TheBenHoganAward.org and follow @BenHoganAward on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. For additional information on Baird, visit rwbaird.com and follow @rwbaird on Instagram and Twitter and Baird on Facebook.

2026 Ben Hogan Award presented by Baird Semifinalists
Mahanth Chirravuri, Pepperdine, Sr., Chandler, AZ
Ryder Cowan, Oklahoma, Jr., Edmond, OK
Ethan Fang, Oklahoma State, Jr., Plano, TX
Filip Jakubcik, Arizona, Sr., Holesov, Czech Republic
Ben James, Virginia, Sr., Milford, CT
Jackson Koivun, Auburn, Jr., Chapel Hill, NC
Christiaan Maas, Texas, Sr., Pretoria, South Africa
Preston Stout, Oklahoma State, Jr., Richardson, TX
Harry Takis, San Diego State, So., Brisbane, Australia
Tyler Weaver, Florida State, Jr., Newmarket, England

*Photo: FOG President Peter Best and 2024 Ben Hogan Trophy recipient Jackson Koivun.

Friends of Golf (FOG) Names Ginnean Shaw to Newly Created Position of Executive Director

Posted on March 29, 2026

in Special Announcements

Shaw Returns to Lead Los Angeles-based Non-Profit to Continue Mission Supporting Young Golfers

Los Angeles, CA (January 19, 2025)—Friends of Golf (FOG) has named Ginnean Shaw to the newly created position of Executive Director, it was announced today by FOG President Peter Best.

Shaw joins Friends of Golf from fellow Los Angeles-based non-profit organization Blood Cancer United, where she helped successfully lead its “Light The Night” campaign which raised broad awareness and millions of dollars for the charity.

It’s a homecoming as well for Shaw, who previously served as a Development Associate for Friends of Golf and played a key role in the success of the organization’s flagship annual golf tournament and was part of the team that introduced FOG’s Evening of Champions.

Founded in 1979, FOG (www.friendsofgolf.org) has donated over $10 million to both national and Southern California college, high school and non-profit golf-focused organizations. The organization also partners with the Golf Coaches Association of America and Colonial Country Club and The LPGA Foundation and Women’s Golf Coaches Association to annually honor the top collegiate male and female golfers with both The Ben Hogan Trophy and The Dinah Shore Trophy.

“We are thrilled to welcome Ginnean back to Friends of Golf in this newly created role as Executive Director,” says Best. “She is a tremendous leader, with an extensive track record in fundraising and deep relationships in the golf community nationally. Ginnean formerly helped lead our annual golf tournament and originally implemented many of our most successful charitable initiatives.”

“I am truly honored to return to Friends of Golf as its new Executive Director,” says Shaw. “I am excited to work with Peter and our tremendous team and lead FOG into its next chapter—expanding opportunity, deepening impact, and ensuring that every young golfer has the chance to learn, grow, and succeed both on and off the course.”

Shaw brings a powerful combination of nonprofit leadership, fundraising expertise, and vision to help advance FOG’s mission of supporting student-athlete golfers by providing financial assistance, equipment and programs that create meaningful opportunity through the game of golf.

An accomplished fundraising leader, Shaw is known for building high-impact programs, strengthening board and donor engagement, and driving sustainable revenue growth. Her career spans board management, major gifts, corporate sponsorships, and large-scale fundraising events—including galas, golf tournaments, and peer-to-peer campaigns.

At Blood Cancer United, Shaw was part of the “Light The Night” campaign across the Greater Los Angeles region bringing in close to $2 million in revenue to the organization. Her nonprofit leadership experience also includes work with OUR HOUSE Grief Support Center, where she supported the Walk/Run for Hope peer-to-peer campaign and introduced the Annual Giving Campaign.

She also formerly served as Co-President and Annual Fund Chairman at Friends of Castle Heights, generating $1.5 million to support school programs not funded by Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). Earlier in her career, Shaw was at Dailey & Associates Advertising, where she rose through the ranks to be Vice President, Management Supervisor. She expanded account revenue for ConocoPhillips from $11 million to $80 million. She also led major brand launches and advertising campaigns for high-profile clients such as 76-Gasoline, Callaway Golf Clubs, Hilton Hotels, and Kaufman and Broad.

Shaw holds a Bachelor of Science degree from San Diego State University with a focus on Business and Marketing and studied abroad at the University of London.

FOG was originally founded by legendary professional golfer and Bel-Air Country Club teaching pro Eddie Merrins (“The Little Pro”) and a group of Los Angeles-area golfers who wanted to make it possible for aspiring junior golfers (irrespective of their economic standing) to play, compete and excel in the game of golf.

FOG has honored many of the game’s top players over the last four decades including Jack Nicklaus, Sir Nick Faldo, Annika Sorenstam, Amy Alcott, Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Lorena Ochoa, Max Homa and Collin Morikawa. Last year, FOG honored

PGA standout and Pepperdine University’s three-time NCAA All-American Sahith Theegala at its 45^th annual charity tournament at Bel-Air Country Club.

Friends of Golf supports student athlete golfers by instilling the values of honesty, ethics, and fellowship with a true appreciation for the game. From the time boys and girls enter grade school through the end of their college experience, FOG makes it possible for aspiring junior golfers (irrespective of economic standing) to play, compete and excel in this exceptional sport.

ABOUT FRIENDS OF GOLF (FOG)
Originally founded in 1979, FOG has donated over $10 million to both national and Southern California college, high school and non-profit golf-focused organizations. Legendary professional golfer and Bel-Air Country Club teaching pro Eddie Merrins (“The Little Pro”) and a group of Los Angeles-area golfer helped organize FOG’s first annual golf tournament intended to benefit the neighboring UCLA men’s golf program. From the time boys and girls enter grade school through the end of their college experience, FOG makes it possible for aspiring junior golfers (irrespective of economic standing) to play, compete and excel in this exceptional sport.

FOG also founded and backs a number of leading national amateur golf awards including The Ben Hogan Trophy, presented each year to the top male college golfer through a joint venture with Colonial Country Club, and The Dinah Shore Trophy, which is similarly presented to the top female golfer through a joint venture with the LPGA Foundation. Friends of Golf, Inc. is recognized as a non-profit, tax-deductible organization through Federal I.D. #95-3668541 and the State of California Franchise Tax Board Organization #1058257. (www.friendsofgolf.org)

For more information contact:
Joe Schlosser
Friends of Golf
joe@schlossercommunications.com

35 Players Selected to 2026 Ben Hogan Award Watch List

Posted on January 29, 2026

in Special Announcements

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.

Blog Whole Post

10 Semifinalists Named for the 2026 Ben Hogan Trophy Award Presented by BAIRD

Friends of Golf (FOG) Names Ginnean Shaw to Newly Created Position of Executive Director

35 Players Selected to 2026 Ben Hogan Award Watch List

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