PGA TOUR University No. 1 Ben James opens with 4-under 68 at NCAA Championship
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University of Virginia men’s golf team competes in worst-ball putting challenge
CARLSBAD, Calif. – Virginia senior Ben James opened with a 4-under 68 at the NCAA Championship and remains in a strong position to finish No. 1 and earn his PGA TOUR card when the Class of 2026 PGA TOUR University Ranking is finalized on Monday. San Diego senior Ian Maspat (PGA TOUR U No. 60), Arizona State junior Connor Williams and Alabama sophomore William Jennings shot rounds of 6-under 66, and they share a one-stroke lead entering Saturday’s second round at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa.
James started the week 61 points ahead of Texas senior Christiaan Maas (No. 2), who carded a first-round 76. Should James finish the season atop PGA TOUR University, he would join Florida State’s John Pak (2021) as the only players to be ranked No. 1 every week during his senior season. James’ teammate Bryan Lee (No. 17) shot a first-round 71 as the No. 4-ranked Cavaliers are T10 at even par.
For the No. 3-ranked Longhorns, Luke Potter (No. 4) paced Texas with a 4-under 68, while Tommy Morrison (No. 5) recorded a 3-under 69. Maas was the fourth counting score for Texas, who are T6 with a team total of 1-under.
No. 30 UCLA tops the team leaderboard at 8-under, followed by No. 1 Auburn at 4-under. Jackson Koivun finished T2 (2024) and T4 (2025) in his previous two starts at the NCAA Championship, and the Auburn junior is T15 after a first-round 70. Koivun 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.
Louisiana’s Malan Potgieter qualified as an individual by winning the Athens Regional, and that victory moved him to No. 27 in PGA TOUR University. Needing to finish 19th or better in order to have a chance to move into the top 25 and earn PGA TOUR Americas membership, Potgieter opened with a 4-under 68 and is T5 through 18 holes.
What’s at Stake
After the final round of stroke play on Monday, June 1, the Class of 2026 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).
| PGA TOUR U finish | 2026 membership | First event as a member |
| No. 1 | PGA TOUR | RBC Canadian Open (June 11-14) |
| Nos. 2-10 | Korn Ferry Tour | OccuNet Classic presented by Amarillo National Bank (June 11-14) |
| Nos. 11-25 | PGA TOUR Americas | Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open presented by Syndeo (June 25-28) |
PGA TOUR University class of 2026
Projections after first round of NCAA Championship
| Projected rank | Official rank | Player | University | R1 NCAA Championship |
| 1 | 1 | Benjamin James | Virginia | T5 |
| 2 | 2 | Christiaan Maas | Texas | T100 |
| 3 | 4 | Luke Potter | Texas | T5 |
| 4 | 3 | Jase Summy | Oklahoma | T56 |
| 5 | 8 | Filip Jakubcik | Arizona | T5 |
| 6 | 5 | Tommy Morrison | Texas | T9 |
| 7 | 6 | William Sides | SMU | DNQ |
| 8 | 7 | Mahanth Chirravuri | Pepperdine | T15 |
| 9 | 10 | Frankie Harris | South Carolina | DNQ |
| 10 | 9 | Wells Williams | Vanderbilt | T56 |
| 11 | 11 | Michael Alexander Mjaaseth | Arizona State | T56 |
| 12 | 14 | Lance Simpson | Tennessee | T35 |
| 13 | 12 | Tom Fischer | Ole Miss | T100 |
| 14 | 13 | Paul Chang | Virginia | T139 |
| 15 | 15 | Cameron Tankersley | Ole Miss | T56 |
| 16 | 16 | Matthew Kress | Florida | T35 |
| 17 | 17 | Bryan Lee | Virginia | T25 |
| 18 | 18 | Zachery Pollo | Arizona | T35 |
| 19 | 19 | Daniel Svärd | Northwestern | DNQ |
| 20 | 27 | Malan Potgieter | Louisiana | T5 |
| 21 | 20 | Brady Siravo | Pepperdine | T35 |
| 22 | 23 | Mesa Falleur | New Mexico | DNQ |
| 23 | 21 | Garrett Endicott | Mississippi State | T74 |
| 24 | 24 | Ethan Evans | Duke | T25 |
| 25 | 22 | Cohen Trolio | Ole Miss | T130 |
