PGA Tour Unveils PGA Tour University
June 1, 2020
The PGA Tour unveiled PGA Tour University, a new program designed to strengthen and elevate the path to the PGA Tour through the Korn Ferry Tour, Mackenzie Tour – PGA Tour Canada, PGA Tour Latinoamérica and PGA Tour Series – China.
PGA Tour University will reward elite collegiate play with varying levels of playing access to Tours operated under the PGA Tour umbrella, while upholding the principles and virtues of collegiate athletics.
Players eligible for the PGA Tour University Ranking List will be NCAA Division I golfers who complete a minimum of four years in college.
The eligibility for each respective Tour will begin the week following the conclusion of the NCAA Men’s Division I Golf Championship. The 2021 NCAA Men’s Championship is scheduled to be held at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, from May 28 – June 2.
The PGA Tour will partner with the World Amateur Golf Ranking, which is administered by The R&A and the USGA, to create the PGA Tour University Ranking List. The WAGR system ranks the top amateurs on the basis of their average performance in counting events on a rolling cycle over the previous 104 weeks. The list will be filtered to include those players and results meeting the PGA Tour University eligibility criteria.
Events which will count towards the Official PGA Tour University Ranking List include NCAA Division I Men’s Golf events and official PGA Tour events, including the Masters, U.S. Open and The Open Championship.
The first Official PGA Tour University Ranking List will be unveiled this summer leading into the start of the 2020-21 Division I season, with the Ranking List updated each week during the season.
PGA Tour University will partner with GOLF Channel to provide extensive coverage of NCAA Division I golf to complement the Ranking List and showcase the race to the top 15. GOLF Channel is the television home for college golf, televising six college golf championships, including the men’s NCAA Championships since 2014.
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said: “With the level of immediate success from the top collegiate players in the last decade, our team has done extensive research over time and developed a plan to provide a pathway for those players as they begin their journeys into the professional ranks. By focusing our efforts on players who have completed a minimum of four years, PGA TOUR University will not deter from the college game while ensuring its graduates benefit from their maturity and experience.”
Korn Ferry Tour President Alex Baldwin said: “This is a tremendous opportunity for these players to begin their professional careers on a path to the PGA Tour. Just as importantly, we are able to continue building on the great momentum the Korn Ferry Tour and our International Tours have enjoyed in recent years by strengthening the field of competition with the addition of these collegiate stars.”
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