LSU and Wake Forest become 2025 Jackson T. Stephens Cup Champions

With high temperatures touching 80 degrees, sunny skies, clean air, and just an occasional breeze off of Lake Michigan for all three days of the 5th annual Jackson T. Stephens Cup, this early season premier collegiate tournament showcased the nation’s top men’s and women’s teams and the spectacular 18 holes of Shoreacres.

Named in honor of the late Jackson (Jack) T. Stephens, the former Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, The Jackson T. Stephens Cup has hosted one the strongest fields in NCAA Division I golf annually since 2021.

The JTS Cup is a unique 54-hole stroke-play competition to determine an individual champion (men and women), and to seed teams for the team match-play championship.

Pate, thus became the third woman from Wake Forest to win the Stephens Cup in its five years, following Rachel Kuehn in 2022 and Carolina Chacarra in 2024. “I’m not sure if it has really set in yet,” Pate said shortly after hoisting the Stephens Cup trophy. “It feels awesome. This place is so special.”

William Sides of SMU won the men’s individual title for the second straight year. Sides became the first repeat winner in the five-year history of the Stephens Cup, pairing his playoff victory in 2024 with a two-stroke win in 2025. The senior from Tulsa, Oklahoma shot 7-under-par 68-66-69—203, making a clutch birdie on his 17th hole in Tuesday’s round to lock up the trophy. “It’s not often that you get to play this tournament twice, and to win it twice is awesome,” Sides said. Gunnlaugur Arni Sveinsson of LSU was second at 5-under par 205.

LSU Men’s Team

The seeding results for team match-play after 54 holes of stroke-play were as follows:
MEN:
1) LSU -14;
2) North Carolina -11;
3) Arizona -10;
4) Northwestern -3;
5) Texas -2;
6) SMU +4

WOMEN:
1) Wake Forest -2;
2) Stanford +3;
3) Oregon +7;
4) Texas +12;
5) South Carolina +20;
6) Northwestern +33

The 5th and 6th seeded teams were eliminated and did not compete in the team match-play round. The 3rd and 4th seeded teams played a consolation match. The top two teams squared off for the match-play team championship.

LSU’s men beat North Carolina, 4-1, in Wednesday’s match play team championships. Dan Hayes earned a 4&3 victory, Gunnlaugur Arni Sveinsson won his match 2-up, and Matthew Dodd Perry won, 3&2.

Arizona finished third, and Northwestern was fourth in the men’s team competition. Wake Forest’s women became the first team – men or women – in the five-year history of the Jackson T. Stephens Cup to win the event twice, beating Stanford, 3-2. The Deamon Deacons also won in 2023.

Wake Forest Women’s Team

Exhibiting a total team effort, Wake Forest coach Kim Lewellen said “It shows the depth of our team. Macy (Pate) and Chloe (Kovelesky) helped us secure the number one seed, and then the other three winning their matches was incredible.”

Morgan Ketchum secured a 4&3 victory, while Casey Weidenfeld won her match 1-up. Anne-Sterre Den Dunnen went to three extra holes and won 1-up. “It was unbelievable, first to go to extra holes, and for Anne, our senior to do it again – she has done it so many times for us.”

(Photo Credits and Courtesy: Jackson T. Stephens Cup)

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