The Shadow
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia men’s golfer, Ben James, was named one of five finalists for the 2026 NCAA Division I Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Award presented by Workday.
2026 DI Jack Nicklaus Award Finalists
Ben James, Virginia
William Jennings, Alabama
Jackson Koivun, Auburn
Christiaan Maas, Texas
Preston Stout, Oklahoma State
All five finalists are competing this week at the 2026 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. The winner will be announced by Jack Nicklaus and presented to the recipient on Sunday, June 7 during his annual the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday press conference.
James was a finalist for the Nicklaus Award as a freshman in 2023 and is the program’s first two-time finalist. Going into NCAA Championships, he is ranked No. 1 in the PGA Tour University rankings, second in the Scoreboard Powered by Clippd rankings and third in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR®). James has posted top five finishes in all 10 of his stroke play tournaments this season with five inside the top three and two victories.
The senior from Milford, Conn. broke his own NCAA Division I Regional record when he won the 2026 NCAA Winston-Salem Regional with a 19-under 194 (66-63-65) by three strokes on May 20. He is currently sporting a career-best 68.7 actual scoring average.
James was also a finalist for the 2026 Ben Hogan Award presented by Baird earlier this month.
Since 1988, the award for the Golf Coaches Association of American collegiate players of the year have been named after Jack Nicklaus, a Big Ten and NCAA Champion and GCAA All-American at The Ohio State University. Winners of the Nicklaus Award include Tiger Woods (1996), Phil Mickelson (1990-92), David Duval (1993), Justin Leonard (1994), Stewart Cink (1995), Luke Donald (1999), Hunter Mahan (2003), Bill Haas (2004), Ryan Moore (2005) and Justin Thomas (2012) among many others.
