CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Senior golfer Ben James has been named one of three finalists for the Ben Hogan Award, presented by Baird. He is the first Virginia golfer to be finalist for the award which annually honors the top NCAA Division I golfer.
The list was narrowed down from 10 semifinalists to three finalists – James, Jackson Koivun (Auburn) and Preston Stout (Oklahoma State). Back in April, James was named a semifinalist for the third time in his career and is one of 12 college golfers ever to be a three-time semifinalist.
The trio will attend a black-tie dinner Monday, May 25, at the TCU Legends Club in Fort Worth, Texas, where the winner will be crowned. The prestigious honor considers all collegiate, amateur and professional events over the previous 12 months. The joint announcement was made by Fort Worth Colonial Charities (FWCC), the Friends of Golf (FOG) and the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA).
James is ranked No. 1 in the PGA Tour University rankings, No. 3 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking and No. 3 on the Clippd Scoreboard College Golf Ranking. He finished in the top five of all nine of his regular season collegiate events. His achievements were highlighted by a share of first place at the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational at Colonial Country in the fall. He posted a 69.11 stroke average over 27 rounds with 16 sub-70 scores.
Among his amateur highlights, James reached the quarterfinals at the 2025 Western Amateur and made the Round of 32 at the 125th U.S. Amateur after finishing fifth in stroke play. He was a member of the victorious United States team at the Walker Cup and qualified for the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont.
The Ben Hogan Award Dinner will be livestreamed on TheBenHoganAward.org and will air on Sirius XM 84. For more information on the Ben Hogan Award presented by Baird, visit TheBenHoganAward.org and follow @BenHoganAward on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. For additional information on Baird, visit rwbaird.com and follow @rwbaird on Instagram and Twitter and Baird on Facebook.