Finalists Announced for 2026 NCAA Division II Jack Nicklaus Award presented by Workday
NORMAN, Okla. -- Five finalists have been named for the 2026 NCAA Division II Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Award presented by Workday. They are Max Barile of Florida Southern, Lewis Beeden of Wingate, Conrad Brown of Western Washington, Cooper Tendick of West Florida, and Drew Zielinski of Lee. The winner will be announced by Nicklaus on Sunday, June 7 during his annual the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday press conference. The award will be presented to the recipient by Nicklaus and Workday.
Barile led the Mocs with eight top-10 finishes this season, including seven consecutive entering the NCAA Division II Men’s Golf Championship. The redshirt senior from Land O’ Lakes, Fla., earned his first collegiate victory by six strokes at the Las Vegas Desert Classic on March 3, recording a career-low 14-under 202 (68-69-65). Ranked fourth via Scoreboard Powered by Clippd and carding a 69.5 adjusted scoring average, Barile was named Sunshine State Conference (SSC) Golfer of the Year and received his second consecutive First Team All-SSC selection on May 5. A 2025 PING Third Team All-American and 2025 PING All-South Region honoree, Barile is looking to join a list of Nicklaus Award recipients from Florida Southern that includes John VanDerLaan (2018) and John Coultas (2016).
Leading NCAA Division II with a 69.4 adjusted scoring average and ranked second via Scoreboard Powered by Clippd, Beeden has carded eight top-10 finishes and two victories for the Bulldogs this season. The senior from London, England, won both his South Atlantic Conference (SAC) Championship medal match play matches by a combined 14Up on April 21 to lead Wingate to their first SAC Championship since 2012. He also won the Tennessee River Rumble by three strokes on March 24 and was co-champion at the Patriot Fall Classic on October 21. Beeden was named SAC Men’s Golfer of the Year and First Team All-SAC on April 17. A 2025 PING Honorable Mention All-America and 2023 PING All-Atlantic Region selection, Beeden is looking to become the first golfer from Wingate to receive the Nicklaus Award.
Brown has recorded top-10 finishes in nine of his 10 tournaments this season, including four consecutive top-seven finishes. The redshirt junior from Burlington, Wash., won the NCAA South/South Central Regional by one stroke on May 9, propelling the Vikings to their third NCAA Regional title since 2005 by three strokes. Brown earned his first collegiate victory at the Otter Invitational on October 14, winning via a scorecard playoff for the 17th and 18th holes. His 70.6 actual scoring average is currently the second-lowest in Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) history behind former Viking Jordan Lee (70.3 in 2022). Brown was named the program’s ninth GNAC Player of the Year on April 29 and earned his third All-GNAC selection, first on the First Team. He would be the first Western Washington golfer to win the Nicklaus Award.
Tendick is a finalist in back-to-back years after seven top-six finishes for the top-ranked and defending national champion Argonauts. Currently on a six-tournament top-six finish streak, the senior from Kennesaw, Ga., set the Valdosta Country Club record with a seven-under 65 during the second round of his eventual one-stroke victory at the NCAA South/Southeast Regional May 7-9. Ranked third via Scoreboard Powered by Clippd and sporting a 70.0 adjusted scoring average, Tendick was named First Team All-Gulf South Conference (GSC) for the second straight season to lead West Florida to their 22nd and final GSC Championship before the university transitions to NCAA Division I and the Atlantic Sun Conference in Fall 2026. A two-time PING All-American, Tendick is looking to join Chandler Blanchet (2017) as Nicklaus Award recipients from West Florida.
Ranked No. 1 via Scoreboard Powered by Clippd for much of the season, Zielinski has compiled five top-two finishes, including in each of his last three tournaments before the NCAA Division II Men’s Golf Championship. The senior from Ocean Springs, Miss., won the Gulf South Conference Championship by one stroke on April 22, becoming the program’s first-ever GSC Champion, and the Fripp Island to Bermuda Invite by two strokes on October 21 to secure NCAA Division II’s first-ever exemption into the PGA TOUR’s Butterfield Bermuda Championship October 22-25. Zielinski earned GSC Golfer of the Year and First Team All-GSC honors with a 69.5 adjusted scoring average. A three-time PING All-Region and two-time PING All-America honoree, Zielinski is looking to become Lee’s first Nicklaus Award recipient.
All five finalists will be competing at the 2026 NCAA Division II Men’s Golf Championship May 18-22 at Boulder Creek Golf Club in Boulder City, Nev.
Nicklaus, a Big Ten and NCAA Champion at Ohio State, helped inspire and create the Jack Nicklaus Award in 1988. The award is now presented to the National Player of the Year in NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, as well as NAIA and NJCAA.
About the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday
The Memorial Tournament presented by Workday is held annually at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus. The Tournament, founded and hosted by Jack Nicklaus, is conducted each year with three goals in mind: to honor the memory of individuals living and deceased who have distinguished themselves in the game of golf; to showcase the world’s best golfers competing on one of the most challenging venues in the world for the enjoyment of spectators; and to benefit many Greater Columbus Charities in alliance with the Nicklaus Children's Health Care Foundation, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation and numerous other local organizations. For more information, visit www.thememorialtournament.com or call 614-889-6700.
About Workday
Workday is the enterprise AI platform for managing people, money, and agents. Workday unifies HR and Finance on one intelligent platform with AI at the core to empower people at every level with the clarity, confidence, and insights they need to adapt quickly, make better decisions, and deliver outcomes that matter. Workday is used by more than 11,500 organizations around the world and across industries – from medium-sized businesses to more than 65% of the Fortune 500. For more information about Workday, visit workday.com.