Playing college golf in the US offers its competitors plenty of incentives including the opportunity to play regular events at a high level and pathways to the professional game, such as the PGA Tour University in the men’s game.
However, some tournaments go one step further, handing the winner an exemption to a professional event and the chance for the budding stars to pit their wits against some of the best players in the game. Here are some of the most high-profile events that give the winner a coveted spot in a professional tournament.
The Southern Highlands Collegiate is hosted by the University of Las Vegas and, in 2024, Florida State junior Ian Gilligan won by one shot to earn a place in the PGA Tour's Shriners Children's Open at TPC Summerlin later that year.
The Valspar Collegiate Invitational is another with the incentive of a PGA Tour start to the winner. In March 2024, another Florida State junior, Luke Clanton, who made headlines at that year’s US Open with a finish of T41, claimed victory at the tournament. That earned him a start at the 2025 Valspar Championship at the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook.
February’s Genesis Invitational Collegiate Showcase not only takes place at one of the most prestigious venues in the US, the Genesis Invitational’s Riviera Country Club, but it also hands the winner a place at the co-sanctioned DP World Tour and PGA Tour event the Genesis Scottish Open.
The tournament attracts some of the world’s best players as it comes immediately before The Open and is one of the DP World Tour’s prestigious Rolex Series events. In 2024, Boise State University sophomore Cole Rueck took the honors to ensure he lined up against the likes of Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa, and eventual winner Robert MacIntyre at the Renaissance Club event.
The Valero Texas Collegiate also offers the winner a place in a PGA Tour event, the following year’s Valero Texas Open, and in 2024 Ben James won to claim his place in the TPC San Antonio event.
In women’s college golf, the University of South Carolina’s Hannah Darling won the 2024 Therese Hession Regional Challenge to book her place in the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship.
Another event that offers an exemption into an LPGA Tour event is the ANNIKA Intercollegiate, where a member of the winning team is offered a sponsor's exemption to the ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican. In 2024, Louise Rydqvist from the University of South Carolina was selected to compete in the prestigious event.
Also, while not a college event, another opportunity for women's college golfers comes with the Augusta National Women’s Open, where the winner receives exemptions into four of the five Majors.
The annual Arnold Palmer Cup, which features a mixed US team against a mixed international team of college golfers offers another means of reaching a pro event.
Each year, a man and woman from the teams are voted on by their peers to receive exemptions into either PGA Tour signature event the Arnold Palmer Invitational or women’s Major the Amundi Evian Championship. Auburn's Jackson Koivun and Wake Forest's Rachel Kuehn, who has now turned professional, were the two to receive exemptions in 2024.
Meanwhile, the individual winner of the men’s NCAA Division I Championship earns an exemption to the US Open and The Masters. Georgia Tech's Hiroshi Tai won in 2024. For the women’s equivalent, a place in the US Women’s Open is offered, and Texas A&M University's Adela Cernousek had the honor the same year.
