COLUMBUS, Ga. – Auburn golfers Brendan Valdes and Jackson Koivun have been named to the watch list for the 2024 Fred Haskins Award presented by Stifel, as announced by Golf Channel and the Haskins Foundation Thursday.
Created in 1971, the Haskins Award is given annually to the most outstanding men's college golfer, as voted on by players, coaches and media members. Past winners include Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Matt Kuchar, Patrick Cantlay, Justin Thomas and the reigning winner, Ludvig Aberg.
After masterfully crafting an All-American campaign a season ago, Valdes has kept his foot on the gas this fall. He ranks second in the Southeastern Conference with a 69.08 scoring average behind 63 birdies and a team-leading 10 rounds below par. The junior from Orlando, Florida finished no higher than eighth on the leaderboard in each of the Tigers' four fall events and counted all 12 of his rounds toward the team's overall score.
With over three semesters of golf left in his collegiate career, Valdes already ranks ninth in program history for career subpar rounds (45), fifth for career eagles (13) and fifth for career rounds in the 60s (31).
Koivun's first semester as a college player has been anything but quiet. The rookie from Chapel Hill, North Carolina made his Auburn debut with a second-place finish at the Mirabel Maui Jim Intercollegiate. He shot 17-under to tie the school record for 54-hole score in his very first appearance in the Orange & Blue. Koivun has yet to place outside of the top 20 in a collegiate tournament.
Earlier in the fall, he became the first Tiger freshman to win SEC Golfer of the Week. Since earning that milestone, Koivun has picked up a nod as SEC Freshman of the Week and another stint as overall golfer of the week.
Koivun, Valdes and the rest of the No. 3 men's golf team return to action Feb. 8-10, 2024, at the Amer Ari Invitational hosted by Mauna Lani Golf Club in Waikoloa, Hawaii.
The full Haskins Award Watch List as well as history, stats and more can be found here.
