FORT WORTH, Texas (Jan. 28, 2026) — One of college golf’s most meaningful individual races is officially underway.

The Ben Hogan Award presented by Baird unveiled its 2026 watch list on Wednesday, naming 35 of the nation’s most accomplished amateur and collegiate players as early contenders for the sport’s top individual honor.

What to know

• The watch list includes 14 seniors, 17 juniors, and four sophomores.
• Players from 11 foreign countries (plus the United States) are represented, reflecting the global depth at the top of college golf.
• Six schools landed multiple players on the list, led by Arizona State, Oklahoma State, Texas, and Texas Tech with three each.

Familiar names, familiar stakes

There are plenty of repeat headliners this year. Auburn’s Jackson Koivun—the 2024 Ben Hogan Award winner and a 2025 finalist—is back on the list, as is Virginia’s Ben James, a two-time semifinalist (2024, 2025).

Texas also brings returning contenders with Christiaan Maas and Tommy Morrison, both semifinalists a year ago. In total, 13 players from last season’s watch list made the cut again in 2026.

Key dates to circle

• Semifinalists (10): Thursday, April 16
• Finalists (3): Tuesday, May 12
• Award dinner & winner announced: Monday, May 25 (Memorial Day) — TCU Legends Club, Fort Worth

Note: The semifinalist list can include players who were not named to the watch list, so a spring surge can still change everything.

How the Hogan is decided

The Ben Hogan Award honors the top men’s collegiate golfer across NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA, and NJCAA. Selection is based on results across all collegiate, amateur, and professional events played over the previous 12 months, with voting conducted in stages by an international committee of 40 leaders from the collegiate, amateur, and professional game.

The award has been presented in Fort Worth since 2002, and 2026 marks the 25th anniversary of the Hogan Award’s home base in the city. Past recipients include Ludvig Åberg, Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland, Patrick Cantlay, Rickie Fowler, and Luke Clanton (2025).

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, (state not listed)

We’ll be tracking the Hogan Award race all spring as the semifinalist list drops in April and the season’s biggest tournaments begin to separate the contenders.