DUBLIN, Ohio – Auburn All-American Jackson Koivun swept the national player of the year awards for the second time in his career Sunday, when he was announced as the recipient of the 2026 Jack Nicklaus Award presented by Workday.
He becomes the award’s third two-time Division I winner, following Phil Mickelson (1990-92) and Bryce Molder (1998, 2001). Koivun is also the first player in collegiate golf history to win all three player of the year awards (Haskins, Hogan, Nicklaus) more than once.
The Nicklaus Award is named for the Big Ten and NCAA Champion who helped inspire and create the honor in 1988. The award is presented to the national player of the year in NCAA Divisions I, II and III, as well as NAIA and NJCAA.
In three years on The Plains, Koivun has led the Auburn men’s golf program to an SEC Championship and its first two NCAA Championships while rewriting nearly every record in the book.
Over 13 starts in his junior season, Koivun earned 12 top 10s, eight top fives and six wins. The Chapel Hill, North Carolina native carded 33 of his 40 rounds at or below par, including 23 in a row to conclude the year, paired with an NCAA-record 68.20 scoring average.
At last week’s NCAA Championship, Koivun shot 7-under to finish tied for 10th in stroke play, leading the No. 1 Tigers to the top seed in match play. Koivun then went 2-1 in his matches to help his team lift the national championship trophy for the second time in three years.