College golf’s postseason is officially here, as conference championships begin across the country Wednesday with teams looking to officially punch their ticket to NCAA Regionals begin next month.
With a majority of the regular-season events in the books, most players have completed a majority of their seasons, meaning resumes are about as polished as they can be. When it comes to the Fred Haskins Award, presented by Stifel, two players have separated themselves from the pack as favorites for the Player of the Year award.
Let’s take a look at the two, break down their stats and see who’s the favorite heading into the stretch (Spoiler alert: they play in the same conference).
Luke Clanton
The junior at Florida State is well known for what he has done on the PGA Tour in the last year, playing well enough to earn his PGA Tour card, which he can take up after the NCAA Championship next month. The expectation is that Clanton will turn pro, and he stated his final goal in amateur golf is to win an NCAA Championship. Last year, the Seminoles finished runner-up at Omni La Costa, site of the national championship.
Clanton, similar to his sophomore year, has only gotten stronger as the season has progressed. He has three wins, all coming in the spring and in three of his past four starts. The one tournament he didn’t win, he finished seventh and it was the Monday and Tuesday after he competed and made the cut at the PGA Tour’s Valspar Championship. His worst finish this year is T-15.
Put his amateur accolades aside and look only at what he has done in college this season, Clanton has been stellar yet again. There’s a reason he’s the top amateur in the world and earned his PGA Tour card. This spring, he has shown it even more.
David Ford
Ford had a strong start to the season in the fall and has only built on it in the spring. He has three consecutive wins heading into the ACC Championship, including over Clanton at the Valspar Intercollegiate. Ford’s five wins in 2024-25 are the most in a single season in the history of UNC golf, and he has also tied Dustin Bray for the UNC career record with seven titles.
Ford is also ranked first with a sizable lead on second with a little more than a month left before a PGA Tour card is awarded. His play this year has helped him close in on locking up that guaranteed card, and his five wins is more than any other Player in Division I.
He’s the top-ranked player in the NCAA golf rankings, and for good reason. When it comes to college events this year, Ford has been stellar.
Who’s the favorite?
Clanton and Ford are the definite front-runners, with Ford having the advantage heading into the ACC Championship, where the two will face off for the first time since the Valspar Intercollegiate. Ford’s five wins are hard to overlook, though the award isn’t quite locked up.
It’s also important to separate that Ford has been the best college player in 2024-25, while Clanton has been the best amateur in the world since last summer, which he will win the Hogan Award for. The gap is still close enough where Clanton could win the Haskins, but he’ll have to outplay Ford down the stretch. Louisville’s Sebastian Moss is another player who has three wins this year and will be primed for a shot at the Haskins with a strong showing at ACCs.
Ford is coming around the final corner with the lead, but Clanton, Moss and others are hoping to make a run down the stretch.
Note: Just because a player isn’t mentioned here doesn’t mean they’re not in contention for the award.
Read the full article here
