FORT WORTH, Texas – Auburn men’s golfers Josiah Gilbert, Jackson Koivun and Brendan Valdes have been named to the 35-player watch list for the 2025 Ben Hogan Award, as announced by the Golf Coaches Association of American (GCAA) and Hogan Foundation Wednesday.
Since 2002, the Ben Hogan Award annually honors 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. An esteemed selection committee votes during each stage of the process. The selection committee is comprised of more than 30 leaders in collegiate, amateur and professional golf.
This year's watch list recognizes 35 golfers who represent 24 different universities. Auburn and Arizona State are the only institutions with three men highlighted.
The list will be cut down to 10 semifinalists on Thursday, April 17. That group will be pared down to three finalists on Tuesday, May 6. The finalists will attend a black-tie dinner Monday, May 19, at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, where the winner will be crowned.
Koivun is the reigning Hogan recipient after being crowned as the second true freshman to win the award last spring. He was also the first Auburn man to win the award in 30 years, following Will Blackmon in 1994. Additional past winners include Rickie Fowler (2008), Patrick Cantlay (2012), Jon Rahm (2015, 2016), Sahith Theegala (2020) as well as Auburn's very own, assistant coach Chris Williams (2013).
Valdes joins Koivun as a repeat member from last season’s watch list. Gilbert is recognized for the first time in his career.
To begin the spring slate, all three men are represented in the World Amateur Golf Ranking's (WAGR) top 25. Koivun leads the pack at No. 2, followed by Valdes at No. 10 and Gilbert at No. 22.
With one win and top-15 finishes in four of five starts, it was Gilbert who had the most impressive fall on the roster. The sophomore from Queensland, Australia earned low medalist for the first time in his collegiate career with a 12-under performance at the Valero Texas Collegiate in September. He also finished third at The Williams Cup in October.
Valdes led the squad with 52 birdies over his 13 rounds of fall competition. With 459 total, he’s also the team’s active leader for career birdies and ranks fifth in program history. The senior from Orlando, Florida’s best tournament of the fall was the Ben Hogan Collegiate in October. He shot 6-under-par to finish as the individual runner-up.
Koivun pieced together a fall that consisted of a 70.54 scoring average, 46 birdies and three top-20 finishes, including one win. He opened the season with a 9-under victory at the Inverness Intercollegiate in September. He became the 10th player in program history to win at least three times as an individual.
The No. 3 Tigers get their first taste of spring competition next week, Feb. 6-8, at the Amer Ari Invitational hosted by Mauna Lani Golf Club in Waikoloa, Hawai’i.