William Sides of SMU and Macy Pate of Wake Forest win individual titles at 2025 Jackson T. Stephens Cup
LSU and North Carolina to battle in match play for men’s team championship Wednesday at Shoreacres, while Wake Forest and Stanford will play for the women’s team title; Live coverage to air on Golf Channel from 3-6 p.m. Central
LAKE BLUFF, ILLINOIS (September 16, 2025) - William Sides of SMU won the men’s individual title for the second straight year, and Macy Pate of Wake Forest secured the women’s individual crown Tuesday in the Jackson T. Stephens Cup at 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.
Individual champions were crowned following 54 holes of stroke play, with four men’s and four women’s teams advancing based on their team scores to an 18-hole match play tournament Wednesday to determine the team champions. LSU and North Carolina will battle for the men’s championship, with Arizona and Northwestern playing for third place. Wake Forest and Stanford will compete for the women’s championship, with Oregon and Texas playing for bronze.
Live television coverage of the team championships will air on GOLF Channel from 3-6 p.m. CT Wednesday.
Sides became the first repeat winner in the five-year history of the Stephens Cup, following his playoff victory last year with a two-stroke win this year. The senior from Tulsa, Oklahoma shot 7-under-par 68-66-69---203, making a clutch birdie on his 17th hole Tuesday to lock up the trophy. Gunnlaugur Arni Sveinsson of LSU was second at 5-under par 205.
“It's not often that you get to play this tournament twice, and to win it twice is awesome,” Sides said. “I’m really thankful to be able to play in this event, and for the Stephens family to host this tournament. It’s a great, well-run event, and Shoreacres is an incredible course, so I’m really lucky.”
Playing in warm and calm conditions on the shores of Lake Michigan, Sides played well enough in the first two rounds Monday to put himself in a good position entering Tuesday’s final round. Starting on the back 9, he made a clutch par save on his opening hole and made the turn at even par for the day. He jumped into the lead thanks to consecutive birdies on holes 1 and 2, and despite bogeys on 3 and 7, he rebounded with a key birdie on his second-to-last hole that helped him seal the win.
“I tried to stay in the present and take one shot at a time,” Sides explained. “It’s easy to get distracted out here with the cameras and the fans on the course. I tried to stay calm and go through my process and tune everything out while still trying to do the best I can.
“I made a bad bogey on 18 and had three-putted 17, so I was kind of frustrated walking off my front nine, but I was able to turn it around pretty quick with those two birdies. I had two great iron shots on 1 and 2, and those two birdies kind of helped me get back in a rhythm.”
On the eighth hole (his 17th), Sides pulled a five-iron to attack the 205-yard par-3 playing into the wind to a back left pin, hit a perfect shot that rolled out to about 25 feet, then got the speed perfect on the long putt for the clinching birdie.
“I was trying to make sure I didn’t come up short of the ridge, but you also don’t want to be long there. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I guess that sealed it, so that was a really big putt for me,” Sides said.
Pate 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.
The Demon Deacons junior from Winston-Salem, North Carolina shot 8-under-par 67-68-67----202 to secure her first collegiate victory. Kiara Romero of Oregon, the Number 1 player in the women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking, tied for second with Wake Forest’s Chloe Kovelesky at 4-under par 206.
“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.”
Pate slept on a lead Monday night after shooting five-under par in the first two rounds, but things went sideways early Tuesday with consecutive bogeys on the second and third holes. She recovered with a birdie on the fourth, then played her final 14 holes without a bogey as she separated herself from a pack of challengers that not only included the world’s top-ranked amateur but also 2025 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion Megha Ganne of Stanford.
“I was hitting the ball really well and making a lot of putts all week,” Pate explained. “The first day, I rolled in several long putts and made a lot of short putts as well, and that sort of just got my confidence up. These greens are so pure that if you start it online, the ball is going to go in most of the time.”
Pate said she had a pretty good feeling all day Tuesday where she stood on the leaderboard, and after her rough start, tried to keep her composure and stay confident.
“I kept telling myself that it’s not over until it’s over, and once I started the back nine with a couple good birdies that separated me, I was able to play my game coming in,” she said.
The men’s field for the fifth-annual Jackson T. Stephens Cup included University of Arizona, Louisiana State University, Northwestern University, Southern Methodist University, University of Texas and University of North Carolina. The women’s field included Northwestern University, University of Oregon, Stanford University, University of South Carolina, University of Texas and Wake Forest University.
Invitations were also extended to 12 individual golfers from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and United States Service Academies. Competing in the men’s stroke play division were Denis Asaba (Livingstone), Chip Deegan (United States Naval Academy), Drew Jeffords (United States Military Academy), Brooks Morrell (United States Air Force Academy), Tariro November (Howard University), Mathis Perroni (Howard University) and Sascha Robinson (Florida A&M). The individuals featured in the women’s stroke play competition were Hallie Brisco (United States Naval Academy), Paris Fieldings (Howard University), Marley Franklin (Howard University), Kacey Menyoli (Prairie View A&M University) and Emma Tang (United States Naval Academy).
About The Jackson T. Stephens Cup
The Jackson T. Stephens Cup (JTS Cup) is an annual collegiate golf tournament that honors the legacy of the late Jackson (Jack) T. Stephens, former Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club and a lifelong advocate for the game of golf. This premier three-day event features a combination of stroke play and match play, highlighting NCAA Division I men’s and women’s teams that contend for national championships, along with standout individuals from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and U.S. Military Service Academies.
The JTS Cup was created by Warren A. Stephens, son of Jack Stephens, and was first played in September 2021 at The Alotian Club. Miles Stephens and John Stephens, grandsons of the tournament’s namesake, serve as tournament co-chairs—carrying forward their family’s legacy of sportsmanship, excellence, and a commitment to developing the next generation of elite golfers. Bill Macatee, one of sports’ preeminent broadcasters, serves as Vice Chairman.
The Alotian Club in Roland, Arkansas, serves as the tournament’s home course, with the event also rotating among other premier venues across the country.
For more information, visit www.jacksontstephenscup.com or follow the tournament on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.