Ten semifinalists named for 2025 Ben Hogan Award
4/21/2025 | by AmateurGolf.com Staff
see also: Ben Hogan Award, Golf Coaches Association of America
Luke Clanton, Jackson Koivun, and David Ford headline the ten semifinalists for the prestigious award
Press release courtesy of Drew Harris and the Ben Hogan Award
After tabulating the votes cast by the Ben Hogan Award’s Selection Committee, the 10 semifinalists for the 2025 Ben Hogan Award presented by Baird have been selected.
The 2025 semifinalists are Josele Ballester (Arizona State), Luke Clanton (Florida State), David Ford (North Carolina), Ian Gilligan (Florida), Ben James (Virginia), Jackson Koivun (Auburn), Michael La Sasso (Ole Miss), Christiaan Maas (Texas), Tommy Morrison (Texas) and Brendan Valdes (Auburn).
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 Hogan Trophy Award Foundation, the Friends of Golf (FOG), and the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) made the joint announcement.
The list includes four seniors, five juniors, and one sophomore. Two schools, Auburn and Texas, have multiple golfers as semifinalists. Three conferences are represented with semifinalists, led by the SEC with six. The ACC has three members while the Big 12 has one. Five of the eight schools with award contenders (Arizona State, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, and Texas) are home to previous Ben Hogan Award winners.
Several players have past ties to the award, including Koivun, the 2024 Ben Hogan Award recipient. In addition, Ford is now a three-time semifinalist, while Clanton and James are being honored in the top 10 for the second straight year.
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 at Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles, Calif., beginning in 1990. An esteemed international selection committee, comprised of nearly three dozen 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 6. The trio will attend a black-tie dinner Monday, May 19, at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, where the winner will be crowned.
Over the years, the Ben Hogan Award recipients have combined to accumulate 70 PGA TOUR wins and amass more than $465 million in prize money on the tour. Since 2002, the Hogan Trophy Award Foundation has donated more than $1 million to college golf programs, providing scholarship grants as well as gifts to programs that have suffered tragic events.
Past recipients are Ludvig Aberg (‘22, ‘23), Ricky Barnes (‘03), Patrick Cantlay (‘12), 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, Twitter, and Baird on Facebook.
2025 Ben Hogan Award presented by Baird Semifinalists
Josele Ballester, Arizona State, Sr., Castellon de la Plana, Spain
Luke Clanton, Florida State, Jr., Hialeah, Fla.
David Ford, North Carolina, Sr., Peachtree Corners, Ga.
Ian Gilligan, Florida, Sr., Reno, Nev.
Ben James, Virginia, Jr., Milford, Conn.
Jackson Koivun, Auburn, So., Chapel Hill, N.C.
Michael La Sasso, Ole Miss, Jr., Raleigh, N.C.
Christiaan Maas, Texas, Jr., Pretoria, South Africa
Tommy Morrison, Texas, Jr., Dallas, Texas
Brendan Valdes, Auburn, Sr., Orlando, Fla.
About the Ben Hogan Award
The Ben Hogan Award is given annually to honor the best college golf player in the United States. Since 2005, the award winner is named at a ceremony prior to the PGA Tour event at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, and is invited to the fol...
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