Men’s Golf: James named one of 10 finalists for Fred Haskins Award

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

Virginia first-year men’s golfer Ben James is one of 10 finalists for the 2023 Haskins Award the Haskins Foundation announced Monday. James is the only freshman on the award’s final watch list.

The Fred Haskins Award presented by Stifel is considered the most prestigious award in collegiate golf and is presented annually to the most outstanding male golfer. This is the 53rd year of the award. The winner of the oldest individual college golf award is voted on by players, coaches, golf SIDS, and select golf media members and will be announced in early June.

James (Milford, Conn.) is ranked No. 7 in the latest Golfstat standings. He leads UVA with a 69.0 stroke average this season. He has picked up a school record five first-place finishes this season and has placed in the top four at 10 of 12 tournaments this year. Most recently, James was co-medalist at the NCAA Las Vegas Regional, matching his school record 54-hole scoring mark by shooting 20-under 196.

At UVA’s season-opening tournament at the Streamsong Invitational, he also shot 20-under, 196 to capture medalist honors. At that event, UVA posted a team score of 56-under 808, the lowest tournament score in program history. Coming off that opening win, UVA was ranked No. 1 nationally by Golfweek, the program’s first-ever top ranking.

James was also first at the Hamptons Intercollegiate, the General Hackler Championships and  UVA’s own Lewis Chitengwa Memorial. He was an All-ACC selection and placed third at the league championship.

Big Ben is the only first-year among the 10 finalists for the @TheHaskinsAward presented to the national player of the year! #GoHoos pic.twitter.com/qsSnX24QuR

— Virginia Men’s Golf (@UVAMensGolf) May 22, 2023

Established in 1971, the Fred Haskins Award was established to honor his lifelong dedication to golf and his teaching accomplishments. In 1922, Haskins was named the head professional at the Country Club of Columbus. Haskins’ greatest impact was in teaching and inspiring junior golfers. As a tribute to his teaching abilities, his young pupils went on to win more than 150 championships.

Voting for the Haskins Award will remain open until the completion of the stroke play portion of the NCAA Championship on May 29.

James and the Cavaliers will open play at the NCAA Championships Friday at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Voting is now open for the 2023 Haskins Award presented by Stifel! All DI players, coaches, SID’s, college golf media, and past Haskins Award winners are eligible to vote. Visit https://t.co/BJ61rB2Cir to vote. pic.twitter.com/Cjy62wXlVv

— The Haskins Award (@TheHaskinsAward) May 22, 2023

Final Haskins Award Watch List presented by Stifel (listed alphabetically):
Ludvig Aberg, Texas Tech
Adrien Dumont de Chassart, Illinois
David Ford, North Carolina
Benjamin James, Virginia
Tommy Kuhl, Illinois
Christian Lamprecht, Georgia Tech
Maxwell Moldovan, Ohio State
Gordon Sargent, Vanderbilt
Preston Summerhays, Arizona State
Michael Thorbjornsen, Stanford

Vote for our man Ben James pic.twitter.com/vtjF0APWtP

— Bowen Sargent (@BowenSargent) May 22, 2023