The DP World Tour, the PGA Tour and The R&A have launched a new initiative to help the world’s best male non-collegiate amateur golfers join the professional ranks.
The Global Amateur Pathway will offer a route for the players to earn a place on the DP World Tour and partner circuits around the world.
The new initiative is designed to complement the PGA Tour University, which hands the best Division I college players membership to the PGA Tour and those it sanctions after the NCAA Championship.
The Global Amateur Pathway will offer a DP World Tour card to the top 20 non-collegiate male amateurs according to the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) for the following season.
It’s promised that it won’t stop there, either, with more exemptions in the pipeline for the European Challenge Tour. Meanwhile, the DP World Tour and PGA Tour are also working with seven other Tours to rubber-stamp their participation.
DP World Tour CEO Guy Kinnings explained that strategic alliances throughout the game have made the move possible. He said: “This initiative is the perfect example of the benefits that come from the strategic slliances and partnerships that we have forged across the game of golf.
“The very best amateur players now have similar opportunities to their professional counterparts, with clear pathways across the globe to ultimately compete at the pinnacle of the game.
“This complements the opportunities for collegiate players via PGA Tour University, and there is no better example of the benefits of that programme than young European Ryder Cup star Ludvig Aberg, who has grasped every opportunity that has come his way with both hands.”
CEO of The R&A Martin Slumbers is equally enthusiastic about the pathway. He said: “We care deeply about amateur golf and developing pathways for the most talented players from different regions of the world is one of our fundamental priorities. It is key to the sustainable future of the sport."
Slumbers, who will step down from his role by the end of the year, also explained it may not just be restricted to the men's game. He said: “We look forward to watching them progress in their careers and will now explore the opportunities to introduce a similar pathway in the women’s game.”
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said: “Building on the success of PGA Tour University over the last four years, the Global Amateur Pathway will ensure the best young players from around the world can earn their way onto golf’s biggest stages more efficiently than ever before.”
The initiative's potential can be seen by observing the career paths of players including Tommy Fleetwood, Hideki Matsuyama and Min Woo Lee, who each needed to rely on sponsor exemptions to break into the professional game. With the Global Amateur Pathway, there will now be another way for players with similar potential to have a more defined path to becoming a professional.
To be eligible, amateurs must not be a current NCAA Division I player and must be at least 20 by the end of the calendar year of the relevant ranking period. They also must be in the top 200 of the WAGR, while those outside it at the end of the registration period need to be in the top 100 at any point before the late registration period in the relevant season.
The first Global Amateur Pathway ranking period will end on 13 October, with the first exemptions will be awarded for the 2025 season.
The ranking will be will be published every week on the Global Amateur Pathway page after the registration period, with qualification ending on 13 October.
