2024 Jack Nicklaus Award presented by Workday Recipients Announced

By Bert Leeson

Jackson Koivun of Auburn University, tees off at 10th hole during Memorial Tournament, 6 9 2024 (courtesy IMAGN, photo by Adam Cairns, USA Today Sports)

DUBLIN, Ohio – Jackson Koivun of Auburn University, Leandro Mihaich of Oklahoma Christian University, Jackson Klutznick of Emory University, Isac Wallin of Keiser University, and Grant Greazel of Kirkwood Community College have been named the 2024 Jack Nicklaus Award presented by Workday recipients. The Nicklaus Award recognizes the national player of the year at the Division I, II, III, NAIA, and NJCAA levels.

Koivun¸ Auburn’s first Nicklaus Award recipient, is the only golfer to win the Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, and Phil Mickelson Outstanding Freshman awards in the same season. Being the Division I winner of the Jack Nicklaus Award, Koivun earns a spot in the elite field for this week’s Memorial Tournament presented by Workday.

“The collegiate game is so strong right now, and this year’s group of winners serves as an ideal example of that,” said Nicklaus. “The competition among all divisions is just tremendous, and you can see how well it prepares these young men when they choose to take their careers to the next level. Just look at Ludvig Åberg, our 2023 Division I winner out of Texas Tech. A year later, Ludvig has a PGA TOUR win, has played in a Ryder Cup, and is the No. 6 player in the world. Recent recipients Chris Gotterup (2022) and Sahith Theegala (2020) have PGA TOUR victories, and after Sahith contended in the recent PGA Championship, he’s up to No. 12 in the world. The young talent out there is terrific!

“I had a chance to watch Jackson a little in the NCAA Championships, as he led Auburn to a title, and he certainly doesn’t play like a freshman. He won in extra holes in the semifinals to advance his team, and in the finals against Florida State, he was the first to put a point on the board. I think playing this week at Muirfield Village Golf Club will just add to the great experiences Jackson has enjoyed this year. We wish him well.”

Division I: Koivun, a native of San Jose, Calif., finished inside the top 10 in 12 of his 13 tournaments, including national runner-up at the 2024 NCAA Division I Championship, and had the lowest adjusted scoring average in NCAA Division I (67.3) this season. Koivun led the top-ranked Tigers to a colossal 10 tournament wins, including their first national championship and fifth Southeastern Conference (SEC) Championship in program history, by carding a combined 7-0 record in Match Play. He set school records for most subpar rounds and birdies made in a single season and was Auburn’s first, and the conference’s third, player to earn SEC Freshman and Player of the Year honors in the same season.

Division II: Mihaich transferred to Oklahoma Christian in Edmond after being a PING Second-Team All-American at Oklahoma City (NAIA) last season – and he didn’t miss a beat. The sophomore from Bell Ville, Argentina, won the Lone Star Conference (LSC) Championship, finished second at the South Central/West Regional, and won both of his matches in 2024 NCAA Division II Championship Medal Match Play. With nine top-10 and seven top-five finishes, Mihaich earned LSC Newcomer of the Year, First-Team All-LSC, PING All-Region, and PING First-Team All-America honors while leading the Eagles to their third straight NCAA Championship appearance. Mihaich is the first Oklahoma Christian golfer since Oscar Stark in 2011 (when an NAIA member) to win the Nicklaus Award.

Division III: Klutznick is the first golfer out of Atlanta-based Emory to receive the Nicklaus Award and three PING First-Team All-America honors. The senior from Denver, Colo., recorded nine top-15 finishes and the lowest adjusted scoring average in NCAA Division III (70.0) this season. Klutznick broke multiple program records with his 11-stroke victory at the Gate City Invitational. He carded 19 birdies over three rounds, including eight and a hole-in-one during his final-round 61, to complete the 16-under 197 (67-69-61). The finish broke his own one-round and three-round program records by three and nine strokes, respectively. On April 23, Klutznick became just the third NCAA Division III player to be selected for the Arnold Palmer Cup by Team USA.

NAIA: Wallin, a senior at Keiser in West Palm Beach, Fla., was the first Seahawk to earn Sun Conference Golfer of the Year honors multiple times after recording the lowest adjusted scoring average in NAIA (69.9) and finishing inside the top 10 nine times this season. A native of Kungsängen, Sweden, Wallin won four of his 10 tournaments, including the Saint Leo Invitational that fielded 19 NCAA Division II programs, four of whom were ranked in the top 17 nationally by the Bushnell/Golfweek DII Coaches Poll. Wallin shot a school-record 54-hole total of 199 (65-67-67, -17) for a six-stroke victory. Finishing inside the top five seven times, the first four-time PING All-American in program history joins former teammate Jakub Stavang Stubhaug (2022) as Nicklaus Award recipients from Keiser.

NJCAA: Greazel is the first golfer from Kirkwood, located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to win the Nicklaus Award. The sophomore from Marshalltown, Iowa, carded 15 birdies, including seven in the second round and four during the final round, to win the 2024 NJCAA Division II Championship by five strokes and lead the defending national champions to a second-place finish. Greazel finished all 13 tournaments this season inside the top 15 with five top-three finishes and four victories before earning his second PING All-Region and first PING First-Team All-America honors.

Nicklaus, a Big Ten and NCAA Champion at Ohio State, helped inspire and create the Jack Nicklaus Award in 1988. The award is now presented to the National Player of the Year in NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, as well as NAIA and NJCAA.

Previous Recipients

2023

Ludvig Åberg, Texas Tech Division I

Charles DeLong, Grand Valley State Division II

Alex Price, Christopher Newport Division III

Easton Johnson, The Master’s NAIA

Matthis Lefèvre, New Mexico JC NJCAA

2022

Chris Gotterup, Oklahoma Division I

AJ Ewart, Barry Division II

Will Hocker, Webster Division III

Jakob Stavang Stubhaug, Keiser NAIA

Cecil Belisle, South Mountain NJCAA

2021

John Pak, Florida State Division I

Andrew Beckler, Washburn Division II

James Mishoe, Guilford Division III

Ruan Pretorius, Point NAIA

Ben Partridge, Hutchinson NJCAA

2020

Sahith Theegala, Pepperdine Division I

Zach Zediker, Delta State Division II

Rob Wuethrich, Illinois Wesleyan Division III

Ben Rebne, Dalton State NAIA

Jon Hopkins, Mississippi Gulf Coast NJCAA

2019

Matthew Wolff, Oklahoma State Division I

Jorge Garcia, Barry Division II

Josh Gibson, Hope Division III

Mark David Johnson, Coastal Georgia NAIA

Callum Bruce, Midland College NJCAA

2018

Norman Xiong, Oregon Division I

John VanDerLaan, Florida Southern Division II

Josh Gibson, Hope Division III

SM Lee, Dalton State NAIA

Callum Bruce, Midland College NJCAA

2017

Sam Burns, LSU Division I

Chandler Blanchet, West Florida Division II

Logan Lanier, LaGrange Division III

SM Lee, Dalton State NAIA

Marco Maldonado, Tyler JC NJCAA

2016

Jon Rahm, Arizona State Division I

John Coultas, Florida Southern Division II

Addison Lambeth, Huntingdon Division III

Peter French, Johnson & Wales (FL) NAIA

Kerry Sweeney, Eastern Florida State NJCAA

2015

Maverick McNealy, Stanford Division I

Santiago Gomez, Nova Southeastern Division II

Anthony Maccaglia, Oglethorpe Division III

Sean Elliott, Dalton State NAIA

Kerry Sweeney, Eastern Florida State NJCAA

2014

Patrick Rodgers, Stanford Division I

Adam Svensson, Barry Division II

Bobby Holden, Redlands Division III

James Marchesani, Oklahoma City NAIA

Tim Walker, Central Alabama NJCAA

2013

Michael Kim, California Division I

Alex Carpenter, Abilene Christian Division II

Brad Shigezawa, Claremont McKenna Division III

Sondre Ronold, Oklahoma City NAIA

Jake Argento, South Mountain NJCAA

2012

Justin Thomas, Alabama Division I

Ben Taylor, Nova Southeastern Division II

Noah Ratner, Guilford Division III

Nathan Anderson, Texas Wesleyan NAIA

Jimmy Kozikowski, South Mountain NJCAA

2011

Patrick Cantlay, UCLA Division I

Alex Carpenter, Abilene Christian Division II

Chris Morris, Centre College Division III

Oscar Stark, Oklahoma Christian NAIA

Brandt Garon, Meridian CC NJCAA

2010

Eugene Wong, Oregon Division I

Brett Munson, North Alabama Division II

Tain Lee, Claremont McKenna Division III

Justin Lower, Malone NAIA

Abraham Ancer, Odessa College NJCAA

2009

Matt Hill, NC State Division I

Brent Witcher, Valdosta State Division II

Mitchell Fedorka, La Verne Division III

Sam Cyr, Point Loma Nazarene NAIA

2008

Kevin Chappell, UCLA Division I

Jarin Todd, Sonoma State Division II

Scott Harris Jr., St. John Fisher Division III

Sam Cyr, Point Loma Nazarene NAIA

2007

Jamie Lovemark, Southern California Division I

Jarin Todd, Sonoma State Division II

Andy Miller, Otterbein Division III

Daniel Mitchell, Oklahoma City NAIA

2006

Pablo Martin, Oklahoma State Division I

Scott Brown, USC-Aiken Division II

Stephen Goodridge, Rochester Division III

2005

Ryan Moore, UNLV Division I

Dane Burkhart, USC-Aiken Division II

Pete Weber, Loras Division III

2004

Bill Haas, Wake Forest Division I

J.J. Jakovac, Chico State Division II

Trent Erb, Oglethorpe Division III

2003

Hunter Mahan, Oklahoma State Division I

Andrew McArthur, Pfeiffer Division II

Ryan Quinn, Wisconsin-Eau Claire Division III

2002

D.J. Trahan, Clemson

2001

Bryce Molder, Georgia Tech

2000

Charles Howell III, Oklahoma State

1999

Luke Donald, Northwestern

1998

Bryce Molder, Georgia Tech

1997

Brad Elder, Texas

1996

Tiger Woods, Stanford

1995

Stewart Cink, Georgia Tech

1994

Alan Bratton, Oklahoma State

Justin Leonard, Texas

1993

David Duval, Georgia Tech

1992

Phil Mickelson, Arizona State

1991

Phil Mickelson, Arizona State

1990

Phil Mickelson, Arizona State

1989

Robert Gamez, Arizona

1988

Bob Estes, Texas

Multiple Recipients

Callum Bruce, Midland College (2018-19)

Alex Carpenter, Abilene Christian (2011, ‘13)

Josh Gibson, Hope (2018-19)

Sam Cyr, Point Loma Nazarene (2008-09)

SM Lee, Dalton State (2017-18)

Phil Mickelson, Arizona State (1990-92)

Bryce Molder, Georgia Tech (1998, ‘01)

Kerry Sweeney, Eastern Florida State (2015-16)

Jarin Todd, Sonoma State (2007-08)

About the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday

The Memorial Tournament presented by Workday is held annually at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus. The Tournament, founded and hosted by Jack Nicklaus, is conducted each year with three goals in mind: to honor the memory of individuals living and deceased who have distinguished themselves in the game of golf; to showcase the world’s best golfers competing on one of the most challenging venues in the world for the enjoyment of spectators; and to benefit many Greater Columbus Charities in alliance with the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation and numerous other local organizations. For more information, visit www.thememorialtournament.com or call 614-889-6700.

About Workday

Workday is a leading enterprise platform that helps organizations manage their most important assets – their people and money. The Workday platform is built with AI at the core to help customers elevate people, supercharge work, and move their business forever forward. Workday is used by more than 10,500 organizations around the world and across industries – from medium-sized businesses to more than 60% of the Fortune 500. For more information about Workday, visit workday.com.

 

COURTESY THE MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT AND COLLEGIATE GOLF COACHES ASSOCIATION