The PGA Tour’s policy board has approved a proposal to open two new pathways for college players to reach the PGA Tour.
The first pathway will see the player who finishes top in the PGA Tour University Velocity Global Ranking earn eligibility to every open and full-field event after May’s NCAA Championship. It is estimated that the player to achieve the status will earn qualification to 14 events in 2023, beginning with June’s RBC Canadian Open.
Exemptions for the other players in the PGA Tour University - namely, players finishing 2nd to 20th in the ranking, will remain the same. These include Korn Ferry Tour membership, conditional Korn Ferry Tour status, and PGA Tour Canada and Latinoamerica status.
The second pathway is via a new program, the PGA Tour University Accelerated, which will allow underclassmen the chance to earn PGA Tour membership from a points system encompassing college, amateur and professional events. For players to qualify, they will need to earn 20 points by the end of their third year of NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) eligibility.
Points are awarded based on criteria including winning a major college golf award and reaching a career high of the top five of the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Points are also awarded for tournament wins, participating in national team competitions and performances in official PGA Tour events and Majors. According to the PGA Tour, had the system been in place since 2010, Patrick Cantlay in 2012, Justin Thomas in 2013 and Patrick Rodgers in 2014 would have reached the PGA Tour as a result of it. The full breakdown of the points criteria for the PGA Tour University Accelerated is below.
In a release to explain the decision, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said: “Success at the highest levels of college and amateur golf has proven to be a strong indicator of a player’s potential as a professional golfer. The first two classes of PGA Tour University alumni have shown us that these players are ready to compete and win immediately, and these two additions to the program further strengthen our commitment to college golf and will provide future stars with direct access to the PGA Tour.”
The pathways come into effect immediately.
PGA Tour University Accelerated Points Criteria
- Winner of a major college golf award (Haskins Award - 3 points, Hogan Award - 3 points, Nicklaus Award - 3 points, Outstanding Freshman - 2 points)
- Winner of an NCAA individual championship, US Amateur or British Amateur (all 3 points). Winner of the Western Amateur, European Amateur, Latin America Amateur and Asia-Pacific Amateur (all 2 points)
- Achieving a career-best rank in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (No.1 - 5 points, No.2 - 4 points, No.3 - 3 points, No.4 -2 points, No.5 -1 point)
- Competing in official PGA Tour events and Majors - making a cut in a Tour event, a top-10 finish in a Tour event, a Major championship appearance, and making a cut in a Major (all1 point). Finishing in the top 20 in a Major (2 points)
- Participating on a national team (Walker Cup - 2 points, Palmer Cup - 1 point, World Amateur Team Championship - 1 point)
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