The PGA Tour’s Policy Board approved Monday a new proposal that will allow college golfers to gain direct access to the PGA Tour through two pathways.
The No. First, the No. PGA Tour University saw its graduates increase from 15 to 20, just before the start of the 2022/23 season. The Korn Ferry Tour membership was awarded to the top five players, and Nos. 6-10 receive conditional Korn Ferry Tour membership, while Nos. 11-20 earn PGA Tour Canada or Latinoamerica status. Except for the top player who is now a member of the PGA Tour, all exemptions are the same. According to the Tour, the No. The Tour estimates that the No. 1 player will be eligible to participate in 14 events in 2023. These include the 2023 RBC Canadian Open (June 8-11).
A new program called PGA Tour University Accelerated allows underclassmen to earn PGA Tour membership. This program rewards players for their achievements in college, professional, and amateur tournaments. To be eligible for PGA Tour University Accelerated membership, a player must have earned 20 points in their third year of NCAA eligibility by completing the following achievements.
|
Get a major college golf prize |
Haskins Award (3 Points) |
| Hogan Award (3 points) | |
| Div. I Nicklaus Award (3 points) | |
| Div. I Outstanding Freshman Award (2 points) | |
|
The World Amateur Golf Ranking has the career-best ranking. |
No. 1 (5 points) |
| No. 2 (4 points) | |
| No. 3 (3 points) | |
| No. 4 (2 points) | |
| No. 5 (1 point) | |
|
Tournament wins |
Div. Div. |
| U.S. Amateur (3 points) | |
| The Amateur (3 points) | |
| Western Amateur (2 points) | |
| European Amateur (2 points) | |
| Latin America Amateur (2 points) | |
| Asia-Pacific Amateur (2 points) | |
|
Take part in a national team competition |
Walker Cup (2 points). |
| Palmer Cup (1 point) | |
| World Amateur Team Championship (1 point) | |
|
Performance at official PGA Tour events, major championships |
2 points for top-20 finishes in major championship |
| Participate in major championship (1 point). | |
| Top 10 finish at Tour event (1 point). | |
| Cut (1 point). |
If Player A finishes 13 th at 2023 Masters, he will earn four points. 1 for competing, 1 point to make a cut, and 2 points to be a top-20 finisher at majors.
According to the Tour only three players have been granted membership through PGA Tour University Accelerated since 2010: Patrick Cantlay (2012) and Justin Thomas (2013). Stanford sophomore Michael Thorbjornsen ( 12 points and Vanderbilt sophomore Gordon Sargent [ 10 points ] are the top college players currently earning Accelerated Points.
Jay Monahan, PGA Tour Commissioner, stated in a release that “success at college and amateur levels has proven to be a strong indication of a player’s potential as a pro golfer.” “The two PGA Tour University graduates from the first two classes have demonstrated that these players are capable of winning immediately. These two new additions strengthen our commitment to college golf, and will give future stars direct access to PGA Tour.
This move comes at an important time for the Tour, as it continues its fight with LIV Golf to be the top professional golfer. The college upperclassmen will be weighing their options after seeing Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra’s success as a rookie with LIV 2022.
“Well, the PGA Tour and what they’ve created through PGA Tour University are great but they didn’t guarantee you anything,” Chacarra stated in June about his decision to leave Oklahoma State for LIV.
The Tour’s two new routes have solved that problem and will give college golfers more options to consider when thinking about their future.
