As the fall season winds down, PGA Tour University has seen a shake-up at the top this month. Preston Summerhays and his Arizona State teammate, Jose Luis Ballester, held the top two spots when the season kicked off. 

Now, Auburn’s Brendan Valdes sits atop the rankings with UNC’s David Ford on his heels. 

While the top spot is the most coveted in the rankings, there is a lot at stake for the seniors and graduate students who could earn status and on various tours around the world. 

 

Before we look at the top 10, here is a breakdown of what players receive for various positions.

No. 1 ranked player - Earn PGA TOUR membership for the then-current season and will be placed at the end of the Top 5 Finishers and Ties from the Q-School category (i.e., eligible for open, full-field PGA TOUR events), beginning the week following the conclusion of the NCAA Division-I National Championship through the end of the current season; and earn PGA TOUR membership the season immediately following his finish in PGA TOUR University and will be placed in the category for the Previous Season’s Leading Finisher on the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai and Korn Ferry Tour Points List, subject to reshuffles.

No 1-5: Earn conditional membership (as described below) on Korn Ferry Tour for the then-current season beginning the week following the conclusion of the NCAA Division-I National Championship through the end of the current season;

No. 6-10: Earn conditional membership (as described below) on Korn Ferry Tour for the then-current season beginning the week following the conclusion of the NCAA Division-I National Championship through the end of the current season;

No. 10-25: Earn membership on PGA TOUR Americas for the then-current season and will be exempt into all open, full-field Segment II – North America Swing events beginning the week following the conclusion of the NCAA Division-I National Championship through the end of the current PGA TOUR Americas season;

ABOUT PGA TOUR UNIVERSITY RANKINGS

PGA Tour University provides a direct path from college golf to the professional ranks, with top-ranked college seniors gaining immediate access to PGA Tour-sanctioned circuits based on the PGA TOUR University Ranking. After the NCAA D-I Men’s National Championship, the top 20 seniors in the final rankings earn PGA Tour (No. 1), Korn Ferry Tour (Nos. 1-10), or PGA Tour Americas (Nos. 6-20) membership. Rankings are determined by points from two years of NCAA D-I men’s tournaments, PGA Tour events, and select professional tournaments, calculated weekly.

Through PGA Tour University Accelerated, high-achieving underclassmen can also earn PGA Tour membership by accumulating 20 points based on accomplishments across college, amateur, and professional golf within three years.

Here are the top ten players as of October 23, 2024.

Brendan Valdes - Auburn - 1076.6983 

Valdes has accrued points both as an Auburn standout and while playing in professional events. He has qualified for the last two U.S. Opens, both earned him points in PGA Tour U. He’s recorded ten top-ten finishes and won twice since June of 2023 when he could start earning PGA Tour U points. This fall, Valdes has a T18 at the Inverness Intercollegiate, a T11 at The Valero Texas Intercollegiate, and a runner-up at the Ben Hogan College Invitational. 

David Ford - North Carolina - 1066.5052

David has had a sparkling fall as the leader of a team that some thought might have a bit of a drop off after losing Austin Greaser and Dylan Menante to graduation last year. This is Ford’s team now, and he’s playing like it. He’s finished in the top-ten in all four fall starts, and he’s won his last two tournaments (Ben Hogan Invitational and Williams Cup). The Williams Cup is not part of this week’s ranking, so it’s likely Ford will chip into Valdes’ lead in the October 30, 2024 rankings.

Jose Luis Ballester - Arizona State - 1064.3586

The U.S. Amateur champion has backed up his August triumph at Hazeltine with some solid performances this fall. He won his first collegiate event at theFighting Illini Invitational; he also finished T2 at the Sahalee Players Championship and fifth in the Williams Cup.

Preston Summerhays- Arizona State - 1057.6272

The points leader at the start of the season kicked off the year with a strong title defense at the Sahalee Players Championship. Summerhays has won twice since the start of his junior year. He has slipped to fourth place due to two disappointing performances. He finished T44 at the Fighting Illini and T25 at the Ben Hogan. He bounced back with a 12th place at the Williams Cup. 

Omar Morales - UCLA - 1043.4752

Morales sits in the all-important fifth spot in the rankings. The 2023 Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate champion finished T5 this year, his best finish this fall. He also record a T7 in the Fighting Irish Classic and a T11 in the Tindall. Like Valdes, Morales has played in the last two U.S. Opens. He has also recorded nine top-tens since last fall. 

Jackson Van Paris - Vanderbilt - 997.9293

Van Paris has had a consistent fall without any eye-popping results. He’s been inside the top 20 in each but has not cracked the top 5 in any event. His highest finish was 6th place at Inverness. 

Ian Gilligan - Florida - 983.7381

Gilligan jumped from 11th place and was the biggest mover of any player in the top 20 this week due to his impressive 16th-place finish in the PGA Tour’s Shiner’s Championship. The 2024 Western Amateur champion also recorded a T8 at the Sahalee Players and a T17 at the Fighting Illini.

Jackson Buchanan - Illinois - 959.9750

A 2024 U.S. Amateur runner-up, Buchanan had a good start to his year for Illinois with a third place in the Folds of Honor. A T55 in the Fighting Illini and a T10 in the Windon Memorial Classic are his other counting results this fall. 

Sebastian Moss - Louisville - 951.4712

Moss has the most wins of any player in the PGA Tour U rankings with four. This fall he won the Fighting Irish Classic and was co-medalist in the Bearcat Invitational. He’s finished 11th (Inverness) and 3rd (Blessings Collegiate Invitational) in his other two events. 

Enrique Dimayuga - Southern Methodist - 949.5530

Dimayuga won three events in a row last spring to leap up the rankings, and now he’s holding onto the tenth spot. The Philippines native has two counting results this fall. He finished second at Inverness and T19 at the Valero Texas Collegiate. 

NEXT FIVE:

Algot Kleen - Louisiana State - 947.8343

Pablo Ereno Perez - UCLA - 927.5186

Drew Goodman - Oklahoma - 925.5531

Calum Scott - Texas Tech - 917.1464

Tiger Christiansen - Arizona - 915.2688

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