Auburn's Brendan Valdes becomes new No. 1 in PGA TOUR University Ranking

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Auburn’s Brendan Valdes moved up three spots to No. 1 in the PGA TOUR University Ranking after a runner-up finish at the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational at Colonial Country Club. Valdes takes hold of the No. 1 spot for the first time this season after Arizona State’s Preston Summerhays spent the first three weeks of the season atop the ranking.

Valdes started his fall season as the No. 3 player in the PGA TOUR University Ranking after racking up nine top-10s and a win in his junior season. Valdes, along with Jackson Koivun, were the only players on Auburn’s 2023-24 National Championship team to start every team event of the season. Valdes earned 2023-24 First Team All-SEC honors and represented the United States in the 2024 Palmer Cup.

North Carolina’s David Ford jumped four spots in the ranking to No. 2 after claiming his third career individual title at the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational. Ford started the 2024 fall season as the No. 8 player in the ranking. Through the end of last season, Ford had the best scoring average in North Carolina program history (70.58) and joined Davis Love III and Dustin Bray as the only Tar Heels to be named All-ACC in their freshman, sophomore and junior seasons.

A 5-under 65 in the second round that included seven birdies set the tone for Ford, who finished the weekend at 9-under, three strokes clear of Valdes. With the win, Ford earns an exemption into the 2025 Charles Schwab Challenge, held at Colonial Country Club. Ford has made three career starts on TOUR, most recently at the 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Valdes and Ford are both expected to be in the field at The Williams Cup presented by STITCH Golf, which will run from Oct. 20-22.

Arizona State’s Josele Ballester and Summerhays sit at Nos. 3-4, while UCLA’s Omar Morales holds the No. 5 spot. Morales’ teammate, Pablo Ereño Perez, made the biggest move among top 25 players in this week’s ranking, moving up six spots to No. 11 after sharing medalist honors with Utah junior Davis Johnson at The Tindall at Aldarra Golf Club.

PGA TOUR University Ranking

Week 40/2024