How Does PGA Tour University Work?

PGA Tour University was introduced in 2020 to offer a clear and formal pathway for the best collegiate players to enter the professional ranks.

The most notable graduate to date is surely Swedish star Ludvig Aberg, who turned professional in June 2023 after finishing top of that season’s PGA Tour University ranking. By the end of the year, he had been named to the successful European Ryder Cup team and won his first PGA Tour title at the RSM Classic before going on to populate part of the world's top-10 for the first time in March 2024.

Speaking ahead of the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational, Aberg spoke highly of the incentive that helped to fast-trick his PGA Tour career.

He said: "It’s been great. I was sort of the first guy to take advantage of it, which was awesome. It definitely propelled my career and gave me a really nice start. Brendan von Doehren has done a tremendous job with that program and making it better, and I think it’s just going to keep getting better."

The rise of Aberg is a clear example of the PGA Tour University system fulfilling its brief, but how does it work?

WHAT IS PGA TOUR UNIVERSITY?

PGA Tour University is open to NCAA Division I players, but there are eligibility requirements, including a stipulation that they have a World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) and have played a minimum of five eligible tournaments during the first year of the ranking period.

There are other requirements, including meeting the minimum PGA Tour age, but as long as a player is eligible, he will be part of the PGA Tour University system, which ranks players in their final two years of college based on their average performance in eligible tournaments.

Generally, in tournaments, players receive points towards their total equivalent to the points awarded by the WAGR, with some exceptions including the NCAA Division I Men’s National Championship.

After the NCAA Division I Men’s National Championship, the top-25 eligible players in the rankings will earn status on either the PGA Tour, Korn Ferry Tour or PGA Tour Americas.

The player finishing top, as in Aberg’s case, earns PGA Tour membership for the rest of the season and the following season.

The top player, as well as those ranked second to fifth (known as the First Team) will be given Korn Ferry Tour membership for the remainder of the season. They will also earn PGA Tour Americas membership through the Latin America Swing for the following season, while there will be no limitations on the number of PGA Tour events he can play as a non-member either that season or the following season.

The players also can accept as many PGA Tour sponsor exemptions as they wish during that period, while they receive exemptions to the final stage of PGA Tour Q-school.

Players ranked sixth to 10th (the Second Team) earn conditional Korn Ferry Tour membership until the end of the season, and will be exempt into the second stage of PGA Tour Q-school. They also receive PGA Tour Americas membership for the remainder of the season following the NCAA Division I National Championship and exempt membership for part of the following season.

The same PGA Tour Americas membership also applies to those finishing 11th to 25th (Third Team) as well as conditional membership for part of the following season. Like those finishing sixth to 10th, they are exempt into the second stage of PGA Tour Q-school.

Of the players who finished second to 25th, points are accumulated on the PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour, with the top three exempt onto the Korn Ferry Tour the following season.

Players ranked first to 25th can also choose to remain amateur, but they won’t be able to take up PGA Tour membership and earn prize money, although they can play in its events. Any player who chooses to do that can also take up membership at any point during the season.

WHAT IS PGA TOUR U ACCELERATED?

An add-on to PGA Tour University is PGA Tour University Accelerated, which offers a chance for a junior, sophomore or freshman to earn PGA Tour membership via a points system based on their accomplishments in college, amateur and professional golf.

There are six over-arching points categories in PGA Tour U Accelerated, including: win a major college golf award, career-best rank in the WAGR, tournament wins, performance at D-I NCAA Individual, participate in a national team competition, and performance in official PGA TOUR events and major championships.

For example, reaching World No.1 of the WAGR offers five points, claiming either the Nicklaus, Hogan or Haskins awards gives three points apiece, while appearing at a Major offers one point with an extra point available if the golfer makes the cut. Players will be given PGA Tour membership if they accumulate at least 20 points by the end of their third year of NCAA eligibility.

Additionally, the player who wins the Division-II Jack Nicklaus Award for player of the year receives the same benefits as those finishing 11th to 25th in the PGA Tour University rankings.

Vanderbilt's Gordon Sargent was the first beneficiary of the Accelerated program back in October 2023, and he was eventually followed by Florida State's Luke Clanton in February 2025.

Talking about the Accelerated arm of PGA Tour U weeks after winning the Genesis Invitational - a Signature Event - Aberg said: "You’re going to get a lot of guys coming over to college, and it gives you the incentive to stay in school and try to get those points, just like Luke did with the Accelerated program.

"So it’s going to make college golf better. At the end of the day, it’s going to make the PGA Tour better, I think."

PGA TOUR U ACCELERATED POINTS

Below is the list of achievements players are rewarded for in the PGA Tour U Accelerated program.

WIN A MAJOR COLLEGE GOLF AWARD

• Haskins Award - (Three points)
• Hogan Award - (Three points)
• D-I Nicklaus Award - (Three points)
• D-I Outstanding Freshman Award - (Two points)

CAREER-BEST RANK IN THE WAGR

• No. 1 - (Five points)
• No. 2 - (Four points)
• No. 3 - (Three points)
• No. 4 - (Two points)
• No. 5 - (One point)
• Lifetime 26 weeks as No. 1 - (One point)
• Lifetime 52 weeks as No. 1 - (One point)

TOURNAMENT WINS

• D-I NCAA Individual - (Two points)
• US Amateur - (Two points)
• The Amateur - (Two points)
• Western Amateur - (One point)
• Jones Cup - (One point)
• Northeast Amateur - (One point)
• Southern Amateur - (One point)
• European Amateur - (One point)
• Latin America Amateur - (One point)
• Asia-Pacific Amateur - (One point)
• African Amateur - (One point)

PERFORMANCE AT D1 NCAA INDIVIDUAL

• Top-10 and ties - (One point)

PARTICIPATE IN A NATIONAL TEAM COMPETITION

• Walker Cup - (Two points)
• Palmer Cup - (One point)
• World Amateur Team Championships - (One point)

PERFORMANCE IN OFFICIAL PGA TOUR EVENTS AND MAJORS

• Top-20 finish in a major championship - (Two points)
• Compete in a major championship - (One point)
• Made cut in a major championship - (One point)
• Top-5 finish in an official PGA TOUR event or select DP World Tour events - (One point)
• Top-10 finish in an official PGA TOUR event or select DP World Tour events - (One point)
• Made cut in an official PGA TOUR event or select DP World Tour events - (One point)