College Golf's Jack Nicklaus Award (Winners List)
The Jack Nicklaus Award is the name of a trophy presented annually to the best golfer in men's college golf in the United States. That selection is made by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA). It is presented at all levels of collegiate competition (Division I, II, III, NAIA and NJCAA).
This player of the year award has been given since 1988; it was named for Jack Nicklaus beginning in 1998. Nicklaus played his college golf at Ohio State University, where he won the NCAA men's championship in 1961.
And the winners of the Jack Nicklaus Award each year are recognized during Nicklaus' PGA Tour tournament, The Memorial — a pretty nice bonus.
(Note that there also are trophies called the Jack Nicklaus Award that are given to the PGA Tour's player of the year and the Champions Tour's player of the year.)
Winners of the College Golf Jack Nicklaus Award
Here is the list of Division I college golfers who have won the Jack Nicklaus Award, from most recent back to the first.
2023 — Ludvig Aberg, Texas Tech
2022 — Chris Gotterup, Oklahoma
2021 — John Pak, Florida State
2020 — Sahith Theegala, Pepperdine
2019 — Matthew Wolff, Oklahoma State
2018 — Norman Xiong, Oregon
2017 — Sam Burns, LSU
2016 — Jon Rahm, Arizona State
2015 — Maverick McNealy, Stanford
2014 — James Marchesani, Oklahoma St.
2013 — Michael Kim, Cal
2012 — Justin Thomas, Alabama
2011 — Patrick Cantlay, UCLA
2010 — Eugene Wong, Oregon
2009 — Matt Hill, North Carolina St.
2008 — Kevin Chappell, UCLA
2007 — Jamie Lovemark, USC
2006 — Pablo Martin, Oklahoma St.
2005 — Ryan Moore, UNLV
2004 — Bill Haas, Wake Forest
2003 — Hunter Mahan, Oklahoma St.
2002 — D.J. Trahan, Clemson
2001 — Bryce Molder, Georgia Tech
2000 — Charles Howell III, Oklahoma St.
1999 — Luke Donald, Northwestern
1998 — Bryce Molder, Georgia Tech
1997 — Brad Elder, Texas
1996 — Tiger Woods, Stanford
1995 — Stewart Cink, Georgia Tech
1994 — Alan Bratton, Oklahoma St., and Justin Leonard, Texas
1993 — David Duval, Georgia Tech
1992 — Phil Mickelson, Arizona St.
1991 — Phil Mickelson, Arizona St.
1990 — Phil Mickelson, Arizona St.
1989 — Robert Gamez, Arizona
1988 — Bob Estes, Texas
For the lists of Jack Nicklaus Award winners from NCAA Division II and Division III, NAIA and Junior College, visit the GCAA's Honors & Awards search page, choose the "Filter" option, and select Jack Nicklaus Award from the drop-down menu.
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