Vanderbilt’s Jackson Van Paris wins Amherst Regional, moves to No. 4 in PGA TOUR University Ranking

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Vanderbilt’s Jackson Van Paris moved up to No. 4 in the PGA TOUR University Ranking after winning the NCAA Amherst Regional at Poplar Grove Golf Club last Wednesday.

With the win, Van Paris moved into the top five of the ranking for the first time since October 2024. Players who finish in the top five of the ranking earn exempt Korn Ferry Tour membership for the remainder of the season and an exemption into the Final Stage of PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry.

North Carolina’s David Ford maintains his hold on the No. 1 spot in the ranking after finishing T11 at the Urbana Regional. Auburn’s Brendan Valdes (No. 2) finished T5 at the Auburn Regional, Florida’s Ian Gilligan (No. 3) finished T37 at the Bremerton Regional and Arizona State’s Jose Luis Ballester (No. 5) finished T9 in Bremerton.

In addition to Van Paris, Michigan’s Hunter Thomson won the Urbana Regional and moved into the top 25 for the first time this season. Thomson, who currently holds the No. 20 spot after entering regionals at No. 28 in the rankings, is the first Canadian to enter the top-25 in the 2024-25 season. Also winning his regional was Utah’s Braxton Watts (Bremerton Regional), who will enter the NCAA Championship at No. 42 in the ranking, while UCLA’s Omar Morales moved up two spots to No. 6 after finishing T2 at the Auburn Regional.

In all, 18 of the top 25 players are on teams that advanced to the NCAA Championship, which will take place May 23-28 in Carlsbad, California, at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa. The seven players who did not advance are No. 1  David Ford (UNC), No. 7 Sebastian Moss (Louisville), No. 9  Algot Kleen (LSU), No. 13  Justin Hastings (San Diego State University), No. 21  Enrique Dimayuga (SMU), No. 23  Kieron Van Wyk  (College of Charleston) and No. 25  Nicholas Mathews (NC State).

Also winning his Regional was Florida State’s Luke Clanton (Tallahassee Regional), who has earned his PGA TOUR card via PGA TOUR University Accelerated and will make his pro debut at the RBC Canadian Open, June 5-8. This week, Clanton was named the recipient of the Ben Hogan Award presented by Baird, and he is one of 10 finalists for the Haskins Award presented by Stifel.

Auburn sophomore Jackson Koivun, also a finalist for the Haskins Award, recorded his third win of the season at the Auburn Regional, and he would earn his PGA TOUR card with a top-10 finish at the NCAA Championship, a result that would secure his 20th point in PGA TOUR University Accelerated.

The individual NCAA champion will be determined by 72 holes of stroke play, and the Class of 2025 PGA TOUR University Ranking will be finalized following the final round on Monday, May 26. The top 25 players in the final ranking will earn the following performance benefits:

• The player who finishes No. 1 will earn PGA TOUR membership for the remainder of the 2025 season and for the 2026 season.
• Players who finish Nos. 2-5 earn exempt membership on the Korn Ferry Tour for the remainder of the 2025 season and are exempt into Final Stage of PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry.
• Players who finish Nos. 6-10 earn exempt membership on the Korn Ferry Tour for the remainder of the 2025 season and are exempt into Second Stage of PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry.
• Players who finish Nos. 11-25 are exempt on PGA TOUR Americas for the remainder of the 2025 season and are exempt into Second Stage of PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry.

PGA TOUR University Ranking – Week 20/2025