Auburn star wins Ben Hogan award as nation’s top golfer

The Auburn Tigers men’s golf program had a sensational season, winning the SEC title for the first time since the 2017-18 season.

Freshman Jackson Koivun was a huge reason as to why, and he was recognized for his contributions by being awarded with the Ben Hogan Award which honors the top men’s college golfer based on collegiate, amateur and professional events over the previous 12 months.

The best player in collegiate and amateur golf is an Auburn Tiger, and we could not be more proud 🥹🤟#WarEagle | @BenHoganAward pic.twitter.com/8BvgrBd7mS

— Auburn Men's Golf (@AuburnMGolf) May 21, 2024

Koivun joined PGA star Rickie Fowler of Oklahoma State who won the prestigious award in 2008 as the only two freshman to ever win it.

He won the SEC Individual Championship along with top 10 finishes in 11 out of 12 starts this season along with a strong performance at the 2023 U.S. Amateur last July.

Incredibly, Koivun shot 26 rounds under par and averaged a score under 70 for the year along with 164 birdies made.

Perhaps most impressive about winning the Hogan award is the recent list of named Koivun joins by receiving this huge accomplishment.

Ludvig Aberg (2022-23 winner) has already become a star on the PGA Tour with a second place finish in last month’s Masters Tournament. Sahith Theegala, who was tied for the lead just this past Saturday in the PGA Championship, won in 2020 and Viktor Hovland who finished third won in 2019.

In 2016, 2x major champion Jon Rahm won the award as well.

It’s safe to say that Auburn has a spectacular young player in Jackson Koivun, and it is a massive accomplishment for Koivun himself and the program as a whole.