Stanford’s Michael Thorbjornsen debuts at No. 1 in PGA TOUR University Pre-Season Ranking for Class of 2024

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla – In advance of its fourth season, PGA TOUR University today announced the Pre-Season Ranking for the Class of 2024, with Michael Thorbjornsen (Stanford) debuting at No. 1 among the rising seniors eligible for the PGA TOUR University Ranking in 2023-24. Thorbjornsen will start the season ahead of second-ranked Christo Lamprecht (Georgia Tech), who made the cut and was the Low Amateur at The Open last weekend. William Moll (Vanderbilt), Nick Gabrelcik (North Florida) and Ben Lorenz (Oklahoma) round out the pre-season top five.

Stanford, Florida State and Vanderbilt each have three players in the top 25, while North Carolina has two. In all, the pre-season top 25 includes players representing nine different countries: Australia, China, Denmark, England, Germany, Ireland, Norway, South Africa and United States.

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 2024 began Week 23/2022 and concludes May 27, 2024, following the final round of stroke play at the NCAA D-I Men’s National Championship.

The No. 1 player in the final PGA TOUR University Ranking next May will earn PGA TOUR membership, while players Nos. 1-5 (fully exempt) and Nos. 6-10 (conditional) will earn Korn Ferry Tour membership. Additionally, players Nos. 6-20 will earn fully exempt membership for the North America Swing of PGA TOUR Americas.

Eligible players in the Class of 2024 must enroll to be included in the regular season PGA TOUR University Ranking. Player Registration is open, and the complete Class of 2024 Ranking will be released in September, prior to the start of the fall season.

1. Michael Thorbjornsen (Stanford)

Last season, Thorbjornsen posted victories at the Fighting Illini Invitational and the Pac-12 Championship en route to earning PING First-Team All-America honors and being named the Pac-12 Golfer of the Year. He has qualified for the U.S. Open three times (2019, 2022, 2023) and has made the cut three times on the PGA TOUR, including a fourth-place finish at the 2022 Travelers Championship. Currently No. 2 in WAGR, Thorbjornsen has been selected to represent the United States at the Walker Cup in September.

2. Christo Lamprecht (Georgia Tech)

Lamprecht won The Amateur in July to earn entry into The Open Championship, where he earned Low Amateur honors and became the first player since 2010 to win the Silver Medal and Amateur Championship in the same year. He recorded eight top-10s and one victory in 2022-23 to earn PING First-Team All-America honors, and he helped the Yellow Jackets finish as National runner-up. Currently No. 3 in WAGR, Lamprecht is a two-time member of the Palmer Cup International Team, and this fall, he will represent South Africa at the World Amateur Team Championship for the second time.

3. William Moll (Vanderbilt)

A fifth-year senior, Moll’s 2022-23 campaign included five top-10s and a victory at the Frederica Cup. He is a three-time PING All-American, including a Third-Team selection in 2023, and was First-Team All-SEC in 2023 and 2021. This summer, Moll has posted top-10s at the Sunnehanna Amateur (T4) and Trans-Mississippi Amateur (T8).

4. Nick Gabrelcik (North Florida)

Last weekend, Gabrelcik closed with a course record-tying 64 at The Honors Course to win the Southern Amateur by one over North Carolina’s Dylan Menante (pre-season No. 13). Through three seasons at North Florida, Gabrelcik has set program records for wins (7), top-five finishes (19), rounds in the 60s (48) and single-season scoring average (69.00 in 2022-23). He is a three-time PING All-American, including a Second-Team selection in 2023, and has represented the United States at the Palmer Cup the last three years. In March, he made the cut in his PGA TOUR debut at the Valspar Championship (T69).

5. Ben Lorenz (Oklahoma)

Lorenz broke out with six top-10s in spring 2023, including a win at The Goodwin and a third-place finish at NCAA Regionals. Last season, he paced the Sooners with a 69.68 scoring average and posted the second-most rounds in the 60s (12). In 2022, Lorenz survived playoffs through Local and Sectional qualifying and earned entry into the U.S. Open at The Country Club.

PGA TOUR University Ranking – Pre-Season

Class of 2024

Since the first class graduated in June 2021, PGA TOUR University alumni have earned 13 professional victories, including three wins by Pierceson Coody (No. 1, Class of 2022). Highlights from the Class of 2023 include Korn Ferry Tour victories by Adrien Dumont de Chassart and Ricky Castillo, as well as Ludvig Aberg’s T4 finish at the John Deere Classic on the PGA TOUR.

In all, five PGA TOUR University alumni are currently PGA TOUR members: Aberg (No. 1, 2023), Austin Eckroat (No. 3, 2021), Davis Thompson (No. 2, 2021), Trevor Werbylo (No. 9, 2021) and Kevin Yu (No. 4, 2021). On the Korn Ferry Tour, five alumni are currently among the top 30 on the points list who would earn PGA TOUR membership at season’s end, and on PGA TOUR Canada, three alumni are in the top 10 of the Fortinet Cup.