PGA Tour University was introduced in 2020 to offer a clear and formal pathway for the best collegiate players to enter the professional ranks.
The most notable graduate to date is surely Swedish star Ludvig Aberg, who turned professional in June 2023 after finishing top of that season’s PGA Tour University ranking. Within three months, he had been named to the European Ryder Cup team, and had climbed inside the top 10 of the world rankings by March 2024.
The rise of Aberg is a clear example of the PGA Tour University system fulfilling its brief, but how does it work?
PGA Tour University is open to NCAA Division I players, but there are eligibility requirements, including a stipulation that they have a World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) and have played a minimum of five eligible tournaments during the first year of the ranking period.
There are other requirements, including meeting the minimum PGA Tour age, but as long as a player is eligible, he will be part of the PGA Tour University system, which ranks players based on their average performance in eligible tournaments.
Generally, in tournaments, players receive points towards their total equivalent to the points awarded by the WAGR, with some exceptions including the NCAA Division I Men’s National Championship.
After the NCAA Division I Men’s National Championship, the top 25 eligible players in the rankings will earn status on either the PGA Tour, Korn Ferry Tour or PGA Tour Americas.
The player finishing top, as in Aberg’s case, earns PGA Tour membership for the rest of the season and the following season.
The top player, as well as those ranked 2nd to 5th (known as the First Team) will be given Korn Ferry Tour membership for the remainder of the season. They will also earn PGA Tour Americas membership through the Latin America Swing for the following season, while there will be no limitations on the number of PGA Tour events he can play as a non-member either that season or the following season.
Card in hand. 🤩All smiles for Ludvig Aberg. pic.twitter.com/qIEMkxLKH6May 30, 2023
The players also can accept as many PGA Tour sponsor exemptions as they wish during that period, while they receive exemptions to the final stage of PGA Tour Q-school.
Players ranked 6th to 10th (the Second Team) earn conditional Korn Ferry Tour membership until the end of the season, and will be exempt into the second stage of PGA Tour Q-school. They also receive PGA Tour Americas membership for the remainder of the season following the NCAA Division I National Championship and exempt membership for part of the following season.
The same PGA Tour Americas membership also applies to those finishing 11th to 25th (Third Team) as well as conditional membership for part of the following season. Like those finishing 6th to 10th, they are exempt into the second stage of PGA Tour Q-school.
Of the players who finished 2nd to 25th, points are accumulated on the PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour, with the top three exempt onto the Korn Ferry Tour the following season.
Players ranked 1st to 25th can also choose to remain amateur, but they won’t be able to take up PGA Tour membership and earn prize money, although they can play in its events. Any player who chooses to do that can also take up membership at any point during the season.
An add-on to PGA Tour University is PGA Tour University Accelerated, which offers a chance for a junior, sophomore or freshman to earn PGA Tour membership via a points system based on their accomplishments in college, amateur and professional golf.
They will be given membership if they accumulate at least 20 points by the end of their third year of NCAA eligibility. For example, reaching World No.1 of the WAGR offers five points, while making the cut at a Major offers one point.
Additionally, the player who wins the Division-II Jack Nicklaus Award for player of the year receives the same benefits as those finishing 11th to 25th in the PGA Tour University rankings.
