KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The NAIA Men's Golfer of the Year has been announced after the Golf Coaches Association of America named the 2023 recipients of The Jack Nicklaus Award presented by Workday. This year’s winner is Easton Johnson of The Masters (Calif.).

The freshman from Veritas Academy in Lawrence, Kansas was recognized during a ceremony associated with The Memorial Tournament, which is held each year at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio.

At the NAIA Men’s Golf National Championship hosted at Las Sendas Golf Club in Mesa, Arizona, he finished with a score of 8-under with a total stroke count of 71-70-71-68. A playoff was needed to determine a winner, with a second playoff hole necessary to defeat Hugo Ronnberg of Bellevue (Neb.)

This marked the first-year player’s first collegiate win after collecting numerous Top 10 finishes throughout the season. His previous award honors included GSAC Freshman of the Year, First-Team All-GSAC, and First-Team All-American.