July 29, 2025 • by Scoreboard / Photography courtesy of Andy Johnson, The Fried Egg
The fifth annual Jackson T. Stephens Cup will be held September 15-17 at the prestigious Shoreacres in Lake Bluff, Illinois. The field will be headlined by number No. 1-ranked women’s team, Stanford University, and number No. 3-ranked men’s team, University of Texas, according to the most recent Scoreboard rankings. These top programs will join a field of twelve elite teams and individual collegiate players competing this the 2025 event.
Held annually since 2021, The Jackson T. Stephens Cup pairs the nation’s top collegiate golfers with world class venues. In addition to the 12 NCAA Division I men’s and women’s teams, the Cup will again feature prominent individual players from U.S. Military Service Academies and Historically Black Colleges& Universities (HBCUs). The event is named in honor of the late Jackson (Jack) T. Stephens, former Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club.
This year’s men’s field includes the University of Arizona, Louisiana State University, Northwestern University, Southern Methodist University, the University of Texas and the 2022 Jackson T. Stephens Cup past champion – University of North Carolina. The men’s field features three top-ten ranked teams which include Texas, LSU, and North Carolina; all six teams are ranked within the top-30 in the nation according to Scoreboard’s end of season rankings.
The women’s field includes reigning NCAA champions Northwestern University, last season’s No.1 ranked Stanford University, University of South Carolina, University of Oregon, University of Texas and Wake Forest University. The field is one of the strongest in collegiate golf, with all six teams ranked within the top-12 of the most recent Scoreboard rankings.
Stanford and Wake Forest women’s teams celebrated Jackson T. Stephens Cup championships in consecutive years, with the Cardinal winning in 2022 and the Deacons in 2023.
The Jackson T. Stephens Cup features 54 holes of stroke play over the first two days, followed by 18- holes of team match play on the final day. Results from stroke play will determine seeding, with the top four men’s and women’s teams advancing to match play. Stroke-play medalists will be honored on September 16 at the conclusion of play.
The host of this year’s event is Shoreacres, located just off the shore of Lake Michigan in Lake Bluff, IL. Golf course architect Seth Raynor’s design utilizes several unique and natural features of the land. These architectural elements include ravines that factor into thirteen of the eighteen holes.
The Jackson T. Stephens Cup will offer fans the rare opportunity to witness the best college players in the nation experience this classic Seth Raynor design.
“The Shoreacres membership and staff are thrilled to host the fifth edition of the Jackson T. Stephens Cup to support amateur golf and to be associated with this prestigious event,” said Keith Yamada, President of Shoreacres. “We look forward to welcoming the talented young men and women competing and hope Shoreacres’ storied history will inspire a special week of golf.”
Additional invitations for individuals from HBCUs and U.S. Military Service Academies will be announced prior to the event. The three-day competition will be televised live on the GOLF Channel.
Tickets will go on sale in August at www.jacksontstephenscup.com.
Practice round & Collegiate-Am event
Stroke play (36 holes)
Stroke play (18 holes)
Match play final round by seed (#1 vs. #2, #3 vs. #4)