PGA TOUR University No. 1 Ben James wins regionals, leads TOURBound race entering NCAA Championship

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The NCAA Championship field is set, and one event remains before the PGA TOUR University Ranking is finalized for the Class of 2026. From the six NCAA Regionals last week, 30 teams and six individuals earned the right to compete for a national championship this weekend (May 29-June 1) at Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California.

PGA TOUR University will be represented by 20 of the top 25 players in the Class of 2026, led by No. 1 Ben James and his Virginia teammates No. 13 Paul Chang and No. 17 Bryan Lee. The Cavaliers won their second straight ACC Championship and were co-medalists at the Winston-Salem Regional, and they return to La Costa after a national runner-up finish last year, losing to Oklahoma State in the finals.

James is in the pole position to finish No. 1 in PGA TOUR University and earn his PGA TOUR card, but the race is not over. With a top-six finish at the NCAA Championship, No. 2 Christiaan Maas (Texas) will give himself a chance to finish No. 1 and put pressure on James. The Longhorns have three players in the top five of PGA TOUR University, as Maas is joined by teammates No. 4 Luke Potter and No. 5 Tommy Morrison.

Fresh off winning his second Ben Hogan Award on Monday, Jackson Koivun will lead top-ranked Auburn to its fifth straight NCAA Championship appearance. Koivun, the No. 1-ranked amateur in the world for the last 51 weeks, earned his PGA TOUR card last season via PGA TOUR University Accelerated and is eligible to accept membership at the end of the collegiate season.

The 72-hole stroke play event begins Friday, May 29, and after the final round on Monday, June 1, the PGA TOUR University Ranking will be finalized, with the top 25 players earning membership on the PGA TOUR (No. 1), Korn Ferry Tour (Nos. 2-10) or PGA TOUR Americas (Nos. 11-25).

After stroke play, the top eight teams will advance to match play, with the quarterfinals and semifinals taking place on June 2, and the championship on June 3.

NCAA Championship: What’s at stake and projections

The pre-tournament projections outlined below are based on some assumptions (noted in each section). Projections will continually change throughout the tournament, as points averages of players will change based on how they play at the NCAA Championship.

No. 1: PGA TOUR membership

• The player who finishes No. 1 will earn PGA TOUR membership for the remainder of the 2026 season and the 2027 season.
• NCAA Regionals impact: James’ win at the Winston-Salem Regional was his seventh collegiate victory and second Regional win, and his 10th consecutive top-five finish during his senior campaign at Virginia. With the win – and combined with second-ranked Maas (Texas) finishing T5 at the Bryan Regional – James increased his lead atop the PGA TOUR University Ranking, from 25 points before Regionals to 61 points entering the NCAA Championship.

NCAA Championship projections: James and Maas are the only two players who can finish No. 1.

• James will finish No. 1 if he finishes solo-third or better, regardless of Maas’ finish.
• In order for Maas to have a chance at finishing No. 1, he must finish better than solo-seventh.

Nos. 2-10: Korn Ferry Tour membership

• Players who finish Nos. 2-10 earn membership on Korn Ferry Tour for the remainder of the 2026 season, as well as exemptions into Final Stage (Nos. 2-5) or Second Stage (Nos. 6-10) of PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry.
• NCAA Regionals impact: Potter (Texas) won the Bryan Regional and improved two spots to No. 4 in PGA TOUR U, while Arizona’s Filip Jakubcik and Zachery Pollo shared medalist honors at the Marana Regional. With the T1 finishes, Jakubcik improved two spots to No. 8 and Pollo improved four spots to No. 18.

NCAA Championship projections: No. 10 Frankie Harris did not qualify for the NCAA Championship, and his PGA TOUR U record is complete. In order to maintain or surpass Harris' average (988.8854), players need the following finishes:

• No. 9 Wells Williams | 20th or better
• No. 11 Michael Alexander Mjaaseth | eighth or better
• No. 12 Tom Fischer | seventh or better
• No. 13 Paul Chang | seventh or better
• No. 14 Lance Simpson | sixth or better
• No. 15 Cameron Tankersley | third or better
• No. 16 Matthew Kress | second or better
• No. 17 Bryan Lee | win
• No. 18 Zachery Pollo | win

Nos. 11-25: PGA TOUR Americas membership

• Players who finish Nos. 11-25 earn exempt membership on PGA TOUR Americas for the remainder of the 2026 season, as well as exemptions into Second Stage of PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry.
• NCAA Regionals impact: Louisiana’s Malan Potgieter kept his season alive with a win at the Athens Regional, and he advanced to the NCAA Championship as an individual. After starting the season ranked No. 38, Potgieter’s senior season includes two wins and nine top-five finishes, and he’s up to No. 27 in PGA TOUR University with a chance to earn PGA TOUR Americas membership at La Costa.

NCAA Championship projections: No. 25 Ryan Voois did not qualify for the NCAA Championship, and his PGA TOUR U record is complete. In order to maintain or surpass Voois’ average (801.9538), players need the following finishes:

• No. 24 Ethan Evans | 59th or better
• No. 27 Malan Potgieter | 19th or better
• No. 31 Nathan Wang | ninth or better
• No. 32 John Daly II | seventh or better
• No. 34 Carter Loflin | third or better
• No. 35 Alfons Bondesson | fifth or better
• No. 36 William Love | fourth or better
• No. 38 Josh Hill | second or better
• No. 42 Kyle An | win
• No. 44 Simon Kwon | win
• No. 45 Thomas Georg Schmidt | win
• No. 47 Ugo Malcor | win
• No. 48 Matthew Dodd-Berry | win
• No. 51 Keaton Vo | win

NCAA Championship: How it works

For players in the PGA TOUR University Class of 2026, the points distribution for the NCAA Championship is based on a WAGR Power of 1000. Additionally, players in the current season PGA TOUR University Ranking will receive bonus points if they finish in the top 10 of the final stroke-play leaderboard, with the champion earning 15 bonus points. With these provisions, a current-year player will earn 40 points if he wins the individual NCAA Championship title.

• 1st – 15 points
• 2nd – 10 points
• 3rd – eight points
• 4th – seven points
• 5th – six points
• 6th – five points
• 7th – four points
• 8th – three points
• 9th – two points
• 10th – one point

PGA TOUR University ranking

Week 21/2026

In partnership with the World Amateur Golf Ranking® (WAGR®), PGA TOUR University ranks players based on the last two years of their collegiate careers. Eligible Tournaments include NCAA Division I men’s team competitions, official PGA TOUR tournaments and select DP World Tour events. The Ranking Period for the Class of 2026 began Week 23/2024 and concludes June 1, 2026, following the final round of stroke play at the NCAA Division I Men’s National Championship.