PGA TOUR University Places Top Five Collegiate Golfers in TPC Colorado Korn Ferry Tour
Austin Eckroat finished No. 3 in PGA TOUR University. (Taylor Crosby/PGA TOUR)
By Shelley Widhalm for TPC Colorado Five elite golf players don’t have to work their way into the professional ranks this year, getting a straight shot at the Korn Ferry Tour’s TPC Colorado Championship through the new PGA TOUR University. “This is a really cool, unique opportunity that historically has never been had,” said Brendan von Doehren, senior director of tournament and membership affairs for the PGA
(Professional Golfers’ Association) TOUR in Ponte Verda Beach, Fla. The PGA TOUR University is a program and a division within PGA TOUR founded June 1, 2020, that provides top collegiate golf players (NCAA Division I) with direct access to professional golf. The inaugural class finished at the end of May with the top players awarded varying levels of playing access to tours operated under the PGA TOUR umbrella. “It provides an opportunity for
the best college players and golfers to have a start in professional golf,” von Doehren said. “We think this is going to be transformational for our business as well as the greater game of golf.” NCAA Division I collegiate golfers across the nation can compete for one of 450 spots in the PGA TOUR University during their senior year of college. They are eligible for the PGA TOUR University Ranking List when they complete four years of college or three years through early graduation. “The PGA TOUR University has its ranking system, which ranks all 450 players in the country,” von Doehren said. The top ranked players are selected based on their performance at college events and are drafted into the program, similar to how college basketball players are drafted into the National Basketball Association (NBA). At the end of their senior year, players ranked in the top five slots have the opportunity to compete in the TPC Colorado Korn Ferry, which this year is July 5-11 at TPC Colorado at Heron Lakes in Berthoud. The tour is a developmental tour to land a spot to compete in the PGA TOUR, the main organizer of professional men’s golf tours. The five TPC Colorado qualifiers are
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26 TPC COLORADO CHAMPIONSHIP
Loveland Reporter-Herald – ReporterHerald.com
June 27, 2021
