CARLSBAD, Calif. – Jackson Koivun was named one of five finalists for the 2026 Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Award presented by Workday Thursday afternoon.
In addition to Koivun, this year’s finalists are Ben James of Virginia, William Jennings of Alabama, Christiaan Maas of Texas and Preston Stout of Oklahoma State.
Nicklaus, a Big Ten and NCAA Champion at Ohio State, helped inspire and create the Jack Nicklaus Award in 1988. The honor is now bestowed to the National Player of the Year in NCAA Divisions I, II and III, as well as NAIA and NJCAA.
Koivun won the Nicklaus as a freshman in 2024. He aims to join Arizona State’s Phil Mickelson (1990, 91, 92) and Georgia Tech’s Bryce Molder (1998, 2001) as the only multi-time recipients of the award.
The winner will be announced by Nicklaus on Sunday, June 7, during his annual “The Memorial Tournament presented by Workday” press conference.