PGA TOUR University Class of 2024 ranking finalized, Michael Thorbjornsen earns PGA TOUR card
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Written by Staff, PGATOUR.COM
CARLSBAD, California – Upon conclusion of stroke play at the NCAA Championship on Monday evening, the 2024 PGA TOUR University Ranking was finalized, with Stanford University’s Michael Thorbjornsen finishing No. 1 and earning PGA TOUR membership for the remainder of the 2024 season and 2025 season.
Thorbjornsen follows Texas Tech University’s Ludvig Åberg, who finished No. 1 in the 2023 PGA TOUR University Ranking, as the second player in history to earn PGA TOUR membership via a No. 1 finish in their respective PGA TOUR University classes.
Christo Lamprecht of Georgia Tech, the No. 1 player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking since last month, missed the final three rounds of stroke play due to a back injury, thus ending his chances of chasing down Thorbjornsen for the top spot in the 2024 PGA TOUR University Ranking. Lamprecht finished No. 2, earning Korn Ferry Tour membership for the remainder of the 2024 season, as well as an exemption to Final Stage of 2024 PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry.
While the top six in the PGA TOUR University Ranking remained unchanged, Stanford University’s Karl Vilips and Baylor University’s John Keefer moved into the top 10 and top 25, respectively. Vilips finished T8 at this week’s NCAA Championship and jumped from No. 14 to No. 10, while Keefer rose from No. 29 to No. 25 with a T11 finish this week.
Day in the Life at Stanford | Michael Thorbjornsen | No. 1 in PGA TOUR University
PGA TOUR University First Team
By virtue of finishing No. 1, Thorbjornsen earned PGA TOUR membership for the remainder of the 2024 season and 2025 season.
Players who finished Nos. 2-5 in the final PGA TOUR University Ranking earned fully exempt Korn Ferry Tour membership for the remainder of the 2024 season, as well as an exemption to Final Stage of 2024 PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry, and the ability to accept unlimited PGA TOUR sponsor exemptions for the remainder of 2024 and 2025.
- No. 1 Michael Thorbjornsen, Stanford University
- Played four seasons at Stanford (2021-24), earning three collegiate wins including the 2023 Pac-12 Championship and reaching as high as No. 2 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking
- Finished solo-fourth at the 2022 Travelers Championship as an amateur, marking the first top-five by an amateur on the PGA TOUR since 2017
- Won the 2021 Western Amateur with a 4-and-3 victory over Gordon Sargent in the championship match
- Made the cut at the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links at 17 years, 8 months, 29 days of age, becoming the second-youngest player to make the cut at a U.S. Open since World War II
- Won the 2018 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship at Baltusrol Golf Club, defeating Akshay Bhatia in the championship match
- No. 2 Christo Lamprecht, Georgia Tech
- Played four seasons at Georgia Tech (2021-24), earning two collegiate victories and the 2024 Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year award
- Broke the Georgia Tech program record for career scoring average (70.05) and single-season scoring average (69.16 this season), breaking records previously held by Bryce Molder (70.69 career scoring average, 69.43 scoring average in 2000-01 season)
- Named the 2024 Byron Nelson Award winner, with the award annually recognizing the outstanding scholar-athlete of the year
- Won the 128th Amateur Championship in June 2023, which earned him exemptions for the 2023 Open Championship (T74 – low amateur) and 2024 Masters Tournament (missed cut)
- No. 3 Austin Greaser, University of North Carolina
- Played five seasons at University of North Carolina (2019-24), earning three collegiate victories and four All-Atlantic Coast Conference selections
- Won the 2022 Western Amateur, defeating Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira in the championship match
- Runner-up finisher at the 2021 U.S. Amateur Championship at Oakmont Country Club
- Finished third individually and helped the United States finish third as a team at the 2022 World Amateur Team Championship (Eisenhower Trophy)
- No. 4 Matthew Riedel, Vanderbilt University
- Played five seasons at Vanderbilt University (2019-24), earning All-Southeastern Conference First Team selections in 2023 and 2024
- Earned his lone collegiate victory at the 2022 SEC Match Play presented by Jerry Pate
- Runner-up finisher at the 2024 SEC Championship
- Also recorded top-three finishes at the 2024 Valspar Collegiate (T2) and 2024 Mason Rudolph Championship (T3)
- No. 5 Nicholas Gabrelcik, University of North Florida
- Played four seasons at University of North Florida (2020-24), earning eight collegiate victories
- Four-time Atlantic Sun Conference Golfer of the Year and the 2021 Division I National Freshman of the Year
- Won the 2023 Southern Amateur Championship at The Honors Course in Ooltewah, Tennessee
- Semifinalist at the 2021 U.S. Amateur Championship at Oakmont Country Club
- Made the cut as a sponsor exemption at the 2023 Valspar Championship on the PGA TOUR
PGA TOUR University Second Team
Players who finished Nos. 6-10 in the final PGA TOUR University Ranking earned conditional Korn Ferry Tour membership for 2024, fully exempt PGA TOUR Americas membership for 2024, as well as an exemption to Second Stage of 2024 PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry.
- No. 6 William Moll, Vanderbilt University
- Played five seasons at Vanderbilt University (2019-14), earning two collegiate wins, including the 2024 NCAA West Lafayette Regional
- Two-time All-Southeastern Conference First Team selection (2021, 2023)
- Posted a strong summer of 2023 on the amateur circuit, reaching the Round of 32 at the U.S. Amateur Championship and posting top 10s at the Sunnehanna Amateur (T4), Southern Amateur Championship (T7) and Trans-Mississippi Amateur (T8)
- No. 7 Cole Sherwood, Vanderbilt University
- Played four seasons at Vanderbilt University (2020-24), earning three collegiate wins including the 2023 Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational, where he defeated Christo Lamprecht in a playoff
- Named a 2022 All-America First Team selection and garnered All-Southeastern Conference First Team honors in 2022 and 2024
- Defeated Michael Thorbjornsen to reach the quarterfinals of the 2022 Western Amateur
- No. 8 Frederik Kjettrup, Florida State University
- Played four seasons at Florida State University (2020-24), earning three collegiate victories including co-medalist honors at the 2024 Atlantic Coast Conference Championship
- Three-time All-ACC selection (2022, 2023, 2024) and the 2023 ACC men’s Golf Co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year
- Reached the Round of 16 at the 2020 Amateur Championship at Royal Birkdale
- No. 9 Gustav Frimodt, Texas Christian University
- Played five seasons at Texas Christian University (2019-24), earning collegiate victories at the 2022 Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational and was co-medalist at the 2024 Big 12 Conference Championship
- Semifinalist at the 2023 North and South Amateur, fell to future PGA TOUR winner Nick Dunlap in the semifinals
- Quarterfinalist at the 2023 Western Amateur
- No. 10 Karl Vilips, Stanford University
- Played four seasons at Stanford University (2021-24), earning his lone collegiate victory at the 2024 Pac-12 Conference Championship
- Runner-up finisher at the 2023 North and South Amateur Championship, falling to future PGA TOUR winner Nick Dunlap in the championship match
- Reached the quarterfinals of the 2019 U.S. Amateur Championship at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club, was eliminated on his 18th birthday
PGA TOUR University Third Team
Players who finished Nos. 11-25 in the final PGA TOUR University Ranking earned fully exempt membership on PGA TOUR Americas for 2024, as well as an exemption for Second Stage of 2024 PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry.
- 11. Mats Ege, East Tennessee State University
- 12. Michael Brennan, Wake Forest University
- 13. Ben Lorenz, University of Oklahoma
- 14. Sampson-Yunhe Zheng, University of California, Berkeley
- 15. Dylan Menante, University of North Carolina
- 16. Jonas Baumgartner, Oklahoma State University
- 17. Ryggs Johnston, Arizona State University
- 18. Canon Claycomb, University of Alabama
- 19. Herman Wibe Sekne, Purdue University
- 20. Maxwell Moldovan, Ohio State University
- 21. Petr Hruby, University of Washington
- 22. Bryce Lewis, University of Tennessee
- 23. Santiago De la Fuente del Valle, University of Houston
- 24. Ben Van Wyk, University of Georgia
- 25. John Keefer, Baylor University
Final 2024 PGA TOUR University Ranking
Final Rank | Previous Rank | Player (College) | NCAA Championship |
1 | 1 | Michael Thorbjornsen (Stanford University) | T101 |
No. 1 Earns PGA TOUR Membership | |||
2 | 2 | Christo Lamprecht (Georgia Tech) | SUB |
3 | 3 | Austin Greaser (University of North Carolina) | T46 |
4 | 4 | Matthew Riedel (Vanderbilt University) | T27 |
5 | 5 | Nicholas Gabrelcik (University of North Florida) | T15 |
Nos. 2-5 Earn Fully Exempt Korn Ferry Tour Membership | |||
6 | 6 | William Moll (Vanderbilt University) | T49 |
7 | 8 | Cole Sherwood (Vanderbilt University) | T25 |
8 | 7 | Frederik Kjettrup (Florida State University) | T49 |
9 | 9 | Gustav Frimodt (Texas Christian University) | -- |
10 | 14 | Karl Vilips (Stanford University) | T8 |
Nos. 6-10 Earn Conditional Korn Ferry Tour Status, Fully Exempt PGA TOUR Americas Membership | |||
11 | 11 | Mats Ege (East Tennessee State University) | T18 |
12 | 10 | Michael Brennan (Wake Forest University) | T85 |
13 | 13 | Ben Lorenz (University of Oklahoma) | T35 |
14 | 12 | Sampson-Yunhe Zheng (University of California-Berkeley) | T94 |
15 | 17 | Dylan Menante (University of North Carolina) | T31 |
16 | 15 | Jonas Baumgartner (Oklahoma State University) | T94 |
17 | 19 | Ryggs Johnston (Arizona State University) | -- |
18 | 20 | Canon Claycomb (University of Alabama) | -- |
19 | 16 | Herman Wibe Sekne (Purdue University) | T106 |
20 | 18 | Maxwell Moldovan (Ohio State University) | T59 |
21 | 21 | Petr Hruby (University of Washington) | -- |
22 | 22 | Bryce Lewis (University of Tennessee) | T35 |
23 | 23 | Santiago De la Fuente del Valle (University of Houston) | -- |
24 | 25 | Ben Van Wyk (University of Georgia) | -- |
25 | 29 | John Keefer (Baylor University) | T11 |
Nos. 11-25 Earn Fully Exempt PGA TOUR Americas Membership |