The Top 10 Men’s Collegiate Golfers on the Haskins Award Final Watch List

Just like the ANNIKA Award presented to LSU’s Ingrid Lindblad last week, the best male collegiate golfers are holding their breath for the Fred Haskins Award announcement next week.

The Haskins Award presented by Stifel is in its 54^th year and predicts the success of many superstars on the PGA Tour. Recipients of the Haskins Award have gone on to win more than 400 professional events and 33 major championships.

After a celebratory dinner announcing the 10 nominees on the Final Watch List on Wednesday, we are all waiting to see who will take the crown this year. Current players, coaches and golf media vote on their pick, and the winner will be announced May 28^th.

Below you’ll see some of these players rank on the PGA Tour University list. What is it? Essentially, college seniors have an opportunity to earn PGA Tour membership through their collegiate and professional event performances. The #1 player will earn his PGA Tour card, players ranked 1-10 will earn their Korn Ferry Tour card and players ranked 6-20 will earn their PGA Tour Americas card.

Let’s meet the 10 golfers who stole the show this season.

10 Haskins Award Finalists in 2024

Luke Clanton (Florida State)
Matthew Riedel (Vanderbilt)
Nick Gabrelcik (North Florida)
Austin Greaser (North Carolina)
Jackson Koivun (Auburn)
Christo Lamprecht (Georgia Tech)
Mats Ege (East Tennessee State)
Gordon Sargent (Vanderbilt)
Michael Thorbjornsen (Stanford)
Brendan Valdes (Auburn)

1. Luke Clanton (Florida State)

Clanton is a junior at Florida State. This season alone, he won three consecutive college tournaments this spring and placed 5^th at the ACC Championship and T5 at NCAA Regionals at the Stanford site.

With the second lowest scoring average of the group at 67.9 this season, his spring winning streak has caught the Haskins Foundation’s attention.

2. Matthew Reidel (Vanderbilt)

Vanderbilt's Matthew Reidel is a finalist for the 2024 Haskins Award. — Vanderbilt’s Matthew Reidel is a finalist for the 2024 Haskins Award. Courtesy of Vanderbilt Athletics.

Graduate student Reidel had a winning season by majorly contributing to his team’s success. With 16 of his 19 under-par rounds in the 60s, Reidel led his team to 7 victories this year – tied for second in program history.

With a scoring average of 68.4, Reidel was named to the All-SEC team this season and ranks 4^th on the PGA Tour University list.

3. Nick Gabrelcik (North Florida)

Gabrelcik is a senior and is currently ranked 5^th on the PGA Tour University rankings. He shot a 67 in the second round of the Valspar Championship, his second PGA Tour event, this spring.

After a season with two wins and a scoring average of 68.4 – plus some experience in PGA Tour events – he’s worth keeping an eye on.

4. Austin Greaser (North Carolina)

Greaser, a graduate student playing his fifth year at UNC, had a scoring average of 68.5 this season and one win. He has certainly ended his collegiate career on a high note, competing in the NCAA DI Men’s Golf Championship and ranking 3^rd in the PGA Tour University list.

5. Jackson Koivun (Auburn)

Auburn freshman Jackson Koivun is on the 2024 Haskin Award Final Watch List. Courtesy of Auburn Athletics.

Just a freshman, Koivun has led the Auburn team to the NCAA Championship. As the #1 recruit last year according to the AJGA, the golf world knew Koivun would be one to watch this season. With the lowest scoring average of the Haskins finalists at 67.4, he already has two wins to his name.

Most recently, Koivun was named the recipient of the 2024 Ben Hogan Award, which recognizes top male players at any level of their career. He and Rickie Fowler are the only two college freshmen to have ever earned this award.

6. Christo Lamprecht (Georgia Tech)

Senior phenom Lamprecht has had quite the year. Having won the Amateur Championship, Lamprecht competed in the 2023 Open Championship and the 2024 Masters; he will also play in the 2024 U.S. Open later this summer.

Lamprecht has a 68.3 scoring average and two collegiate wins this season. He currently sits 2^nd in the PGA Tour University rankings.

7. Mats Ege (East Tennessee)

A redshirt senior from Norway, Ege won three tournaments throughout the season – both fall and spring – and garnered a 68.4 scoring average. 30 of his 36 rounds this season were under par (for a total of 87 under par, to be exact). He is currently ranked 11^th on the PGA Tour University rankings and has the most total wins (5) within the top 40 on their list.

8. Gordon Sargent (Vanderbilt)

Gordon Sargent is another Vanderbilt Commodore on the 2024 Final Watch List. — Gordon Sargent is another Commodore on the 2024 Final Watch List. Courtesy of Vanderbilt Athletics.

Another Commodore on the list, Sargent is a junior and was also named to the All-SEC team this season. He has a scoring average of 68.4 and one win from this season.

Sargent has the most individual wins in Vanderbilt history (7) and plans to return for his senior year to extend his lead.

9. Michael Thorbjornsen (Stanford)

The #1 player on the PGA Tour University rankings, junior Thorbjornsen has one win from this season and a scoring average of 68.3. The summer ahead of his junior year, he competed in four PGA Tour events, making the cut in one – the John Deere Classic.

10. Brendan Valdes (Auburn)

Brendan Valdes, an Auburn junior, is also a finalist for the 2024 Haskins Award. Courtesy of Auburn Athletics.

The second Tiger on the list, Valdes has had a similar number of leads as Koivun, though he has only converted one to a win this season. With a scoring average of 68.2, Valdes has been a valuable member of Auburn’s team with five top-5s and nine top-10s.

Best of luck to all the finalists! Tune in Tuesday the 18th to find out who won the award.

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