{"id":668986,"date":"2026-05-27T23:26:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T23:26:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/668986\/"},"modified":"2026-05-27T23:26:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T23:26:12","slug":"pga-tour-university-no-1-ben-james-wins-regionals-leads-tourbound-race-entering-ncaa-championship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/668986\/","title":{"rendered":"PGA TOUR University No. 1 Ben James wins regionals, leads TOURBound race entering NCAA Championship"},"content":{"rendered":"

5H AGO<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

*:not(style){overflow:hidden;position:absolute;top:0px;right:0px;bottom:0px;left:0px;display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;width:100%;height:100%;}.css-g2vo12>img,.css-g2vo12>video{object-fit:cover;}.css-g2vo12::before{height:0px;content:””;display:block;padding-bottom:66.66666666666666%;}@media screen and (min-width: 768px){.css-g2vo12::before{padding-bottom:56.25%;}}]]>\"The<\/p>\n

The Virginia men\u2019s golf team after advancing from the 2026 NCAA Winston-Salem Regional at Bermuda Run Country Club. (Courtesy of NCAA)<\/p>\n

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A<\/p>\n

Change Text Size<\/p>\n

Written by Staff <\/p>\n

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. \u2013 The NCAA Championship field is set, and one event remains before the PGA TOUR University Ranking<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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<\/a> and is eligible to accept membership at the end of the collegiate season.<\/p>\n

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).<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

NCAA Championship: What\u2019s at stake and projections<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

No. 1: PGA TOUR membership<\/p>\n

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\u2019 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 \u2013 and combined with second-ranked Maas (Texas) finishing T5 at the Bryan Regional \u2013 James increased his lead atop the PGA TOUR University Ranking, from 25 points before Regionals to 61 points entering the NCAA Championship.<\/p>\n

NCAA Championship projections: James and Maas are the only two players who can finish No. 1.<\/p>\n

James will finish No. 1 if he finishes solo-third or better, regardless of Maas\u2019 finish.In order for Maas to have a chance at finishing No. 1, he must finish better than solo-seventh.<\/p>\n

Nos. 2-10: Korn Ferry Tour membership<\/p>\n

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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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:<\/p>\n

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

Nos. 11-25: PGA TOUR Americas membership<\/p>\n

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\u2019s 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\u2019s senior season includes two wins and nine top-five finishes, and he\u2019s up to No. 27 in PGA TOUR University with a chance to earn PGA TOUR Americas membership at La Costa.<\/p>\n

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\u2019 average (801.9538), players need the following finishes:<\/p>\n

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

NCAA Championship: How it works<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

1st \u2013 15 points2nd \u2013 10 points3rd \u2013 eight points4th \u2013 seven points5th \u2013 six points6th \u2013 five points7th \u2013 four points8th \u2013 three points9th \u2013 two points10th \u2013 one point<\/p>\n

PGA TOUR University ranking<\/p>\n

RankChangePlayerUniversityPoints AverageEvents1-Benjamin JamesVirginia1279.7025282-Christiaan MaasTexas1218.688263-Jase SummyOklahoma1078.3453264+2Luke PotterTexas1051.7458245-1Tommy MorrisonTexas1027.1237276-1William SidesSMU1013.0017237+2Mahanth ChirravuriPepperdine1009.8257268+2Filip JakubcikArizona1007.996239-1Wells WilliamsVanderbilt990.6642510-3Frankie HarrisSouth Carolina988.88542211-Michael Alexander MjaasethArizona State967.332412+1Tom FischerOle Miss962.87862313+1Paul ChangVirginia960.60822314-2Lance SimpsonTennessee955.37042415-Cameron TankersleyOle Miss928.09792416+1Matthew KressFlorida898.28272217-1Bryan LeeVirginia877.69392318+4Zachery PolloArizona863.73082319-1Daniel Sv\u00e4rdNorthwestern838.18362220+1Brady SiravoPepperdine831.21232621+5Garrett EndicottMississippi State829.872222-3Cohen TrolioOle Miss827.33912323-3Mesa FalleurNew Mexico819.75252424-1Ethan EvansDuke807.53432325-1Ryan VooisIllinois801.953826<\/p>\n

In partnership with the World Amateur Golf Ranking\u00ae (WAGR\u00ae), PGA TOUR University ranks players based on the last two years of their collegiate careers. Eligible Tournaments include NCAA Division I men\u2019s 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\u2019s National Championship.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"5H AGO *:not(style){overflow:hidden;position:absolute;top:0px;right:0px;bottom:0px;left:0px;display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;width:100%;height:100%;}.css-g2vo12>img,.css-g2vo12>video{object-fit:cover;}.css-g2vo12::before{height:0px;content:””;display:block;padding-bottom:66.66666666666666%;}@media screen and (min-width: 768px){.css-g2vo12::before{padding-bottom:56.25%;}}]]> The Virginia men\u2019s golf team after advancing from the 2026 NCAA…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":668987,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[71],"tags":[427,99],"class_list":["post-668986","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-golf","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/668986","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=668986"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/668986\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/668987"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=668986"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=668986"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=668986"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}