AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn men's golf sophomore J.M. Butler has been named to the official watch list for the 2022 Ben Hogan Award, as announced by the Hogan Trophy Award Foundation, the Friends of Golf and the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) Tuesday.
Butler is one of 30 collegiate golfers, and one of six underclassmen, considered for this year's award.
"We are extremely proud of the effort that J.M. has put forth in all aspects of his game," Tigers head coach Nick Clinard said. "This recognition is validation not only for J.M. but for all current and future Auburn golfers that hard work does not go unnoticed. He is a young player with an immensely bright future ahead of him that will transcend his collegiate career."
Created in 1990, the Ben Hogan Award honors the top men's collegiate golfer based on all college, amateur and professional events over the previous 12 months. The current top-four players in the Official World Golf Ranking, Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland and Patrick Cantlay, are all previous recipients of the award.
The watch list will be cut down to 10 semifinalists on Friday, April 15, and then down to three finalists on Thursday, May 5. The three finalists will be invited to attend a black-tie dinner on Monday, May 23, at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas where the winner will be crowned.
Butler's nomination comes on the heels of a strong fall season. The Louisville, Kentucky native opened the year with an individual championship at the Maui Jim Intercollegiate while also setting the Auburn record for the lowest 54-hole score at 17-under-par. He also added another top-five finish to his career accomplishments with a four-under tally at the Isleworth Collegiate to close out the fall.
The former SEC All-Freshman team member leads all Southeastern Conference golfers who have played at least nine rounds this year with a 69.00 scoring average while boasting a 71.56 career scoring average, which ranks third in school history.
Butler joins the extensive list of Tigers who have been nominated for the award, a list that includes Jovan Rebula, Michael Johnson, Blayne Barber and a slew of other Auburn letterwinners and All-Americans. Will Blackmon is the only Tiger to win the award as he did so in 1994. Tigers assistant coach Chris Williams was also crowned winner while at the University of Washington in 2013.
The Auburn men's golf team returns to action Monday, Feb. 14 for the first annual Nexus Collegiate in New Providence, Bahamas.
2022 Watch List Candidates
Ludvig Aberg, Texas Tech, Junior, Eslov, Sweden
Sam Bennett, Texas A&M, Senior, Madisonville, Texas
Michael Brennan, Wake Forest, Sophomore, Leesburg, Va.
Jacob Bridgeman, Clemson, Senior, Inman, S.C.
J.M. Butler, Auburn, Sophomore, Louisville, Ky.
Eugenio Chacarra, Oklahoma State, Senior, Madrid, Spain
Pierceson Coody, Texas, Senior, Plano, Texas
Adrien Dumont de Chassart, Illinois, Junior, Villers la Ville, Belgium
Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira, Arkansas, Junior, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Alex Fitzpatrick, Wake Forest, Senior, Sheffield, England
Nick Gabrelcik, North Florida, Sophomore, Trinity, Fla.
Ryan Gerard, North Carolina, Senior, Raleigh, N.C.
Chris Gotterup, Oklahoma, Senior, Little Silver, N.J.
Austin Greaser, North Carolina, Junior, Vandalia, Ohio
Cole Hammer, Texas, Senior, Houston, Texas
Joe Highsmith, Pepperdine, Senior, Lakewood, Wash.
Walker Lee, Texas A&M, Senior, Houston, Texas
Nick Lyerly, UNCG, Senior, Salisbury, N.C.
Palmer Jackson, Notre Dame, Junior, Murrysville, Penn.
Bo Jin, Oklahoma State, Sophomore, Beijing, China
RJ Manke, Washington, Senior, Lakewood, Wash.
Logan McAllister, Oklahoma, Senior, Oklahoma City, Okla.
Trent Phillips, Georgia, Senior, Inman, S.C.
James Piot, Michigan State, Senior, Canton, Mich.
David Puig, Arizona State, Junior, La Garriga, Spain
Cameron Sisk, Arizona State, Senior, San Diego, Calif.
Brian Stark, Oklahoma State, Junior, Kingsburg, Calif.
Jackson Suber, Ole Miss, Senior, Tampa, Fla.
Michael Thorbjornsen, Stanford, Sophomore, Wellesley, Mass.
Karl Vilips, Stanford, Sophomore, Perth, Western Australia