Ludvig Aberg (Texas Tech Athletics photo)
Texas Tech's Ludvig Aberg finished first in the final 2023 PGA TOUR University Rankings, earning him the distinction of becoming the first player to earn PGA TOUR membership via PGA TOUR University.
The native of Eslov, Sweden is expected to make his PGA TOUR debut as a professional next week at the RBC Canadian Open at Oakdale Golf Club.
Aberg was college golf's unanimous player of the year, as he swept the Haskins, Hogan and Nicklaus Awards to become just the seventh player in the history of college golf to win all three awards in the same season.
Aberg won four times in 2022-23, with back-to-back victories at the Big 12 Championships and the Norman Regional. Aberg became the first player in the history of the Big 12 Conference to win back-to-back individual medalist honors and was the only male D-I player in the country to win his conference tournament and regional.
By virtue of winning the NCAA men's individual title, Florida's Fred Biondi moved up to No. 2 in the final Ranking and will be fully exempt on the Korn Ferry Tour for 2023 season.
With all individual PGA TOUR University records finalized for the Class of 2023, below is a breakdown of the final 2023 PGA TOUR University Ranking, as well as performance benefits earned by the top 20 players.
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PGA TOUR University First Team
By virtue of finishing No. 1, Aberg earned PGA TOUR membership for 2023 and 2024.
Players who finished Nos. 2-5 in the final PGA TOUR University Ranking earned fully exempt Korn Ferry Tour membership for 2023, as well as an exemption to Final Stage of 2023 PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry – where the top five finishers and ties earn PGA TOUR cards – and the ability to accept unlimited PGA TOUR sponsor exemptions for the remainder of 2023 and 2024.
No. 1 Ludvig Aberg, Texas Tech University
• Ranked No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking since late March
• Won back-to-back Ben Hogan Awards in 2022 and 2023, joining Arizona State University’s Jon Rahm (2015 and 2016) as the only multi-time winner of the award since its inception in 1990
• Earned eight collegiate wins, including back-to-back Big 12 Conference Championship victories in 2022 and 2023
• Won the 2021 Jones Cup Invitational at Ocean Forest Golf Club in Sea Island, Georgia
• Represented the International Team at the 2020 and 2022 Arnold Palmer Cups
No. 2 Fred Biondi, University of Florida
• Won individual national title at the 2023 NCAA Championship, his fifth collegiate victory, all of which came in his final two seasons at Florida
• Earned a 2022 All-America First Team selection and two All-Southeastern Conference honors (First Team in 2022, Second Team in 2023)
• Runner-up finisher at the 2022 Latin America Amateur Championship
• Stroke play co-medalist at the 2022 U.S. Amateur Championship
• Represented the International Team at the 2022 Arnold Palmer Cup
No. 3 Adrien Dumont De Chassart, University of Illinois
• Three-time Big Ten Conference Player of the Year (2021, 2022, 2023)
• Joined Luke Donald of Northwestern University and Randy Leen of Indiana University as the only players in history to win three consecutive Big Ten Player of the Year awards
• Four collegiate wins included co-medalist honors at the 2019 Big Ten Championship
• Represented Belgium three times at the Eisenhower Trophy (2016, 2018, 2022) and four times at the European Amateur Team Championship (2017, 2019, 2021, 2022)
• Represented the International Team at the 2021 and 2022 Arnold Palmer Cups
No. 4 Ross Steelman, Georgia Tech
• Capped his collegiate career with a T2 finish at the 2023 NCAA Championship, where he held the 18-, 36-, and 54-hole leads
• Delivered the winning point in both rounds of match play at the 2023 Atlantic Coast Conference Championship, helping Georgia Tech win its first conference title since 2019
• Played two and a half seasons at his hometown University of Missouri (2019-21) and two seasons at Georgia Tech (2021-23), earning both his collegiate wins and a 2021 All-Southeastern Conference Second Team honor at Missouri, and a 2023 All-ACC honor at Georgia Tech
• Quarterfinalist at the 2021 U.S. Amateur Championship at Oakmont (Pennsylvania) Country Club
• Stroke play medalist at the 2022 Western Amateur
No. 5 Sam Bennett, Texas A&M University
• Earned the Silver Cup as the low amateur (T16 finish) at the 2023 Masters Tournament
• Won the 2022 U.S. Amateur Championship
• Named the 2022 Southeastern Conference Golfer of the Year
• Earned All-America First Team selections in 2021 and 2022
• Represented the United States at the 2021 and 2022 Arnold Palmer Cups
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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 2023, fully exempt membership on PGA TOUR Canada for 2023, as well as an exemption to Second Stage of 2023 PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry, and exempt status through the Latin America Swing of the 2024 PGA TOUR Americas season.
No. 6 William Mouw, Pepperdine University
No. 7 Ryan Burnett, University of North Carolina
No. 8 Patrick Welch, University of Oklahoma
No. 9 Ricky Castillo, University of Florida
No. 10 Yuxin Lin, University of Florida
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PGA TOUR University Third Team
Players who finished Nos. 11-20 in the final PGA TOUR University Ranking earned fully exempt membership on PGA TOUR Canada for 2023, as well as an exemption to Second Stage of 2023 PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry, and conditional status through the Latin America Swing of the 2024 PGA TOUR Americas season.
No. 11 Sam Choi, Pepperdine University
No. 12 Travis Vick, University of Texas
No. 13 Reid Davenport, Vanderbilt University
No. 14 Derek Hitchner, Pepperdine University
No. 15 Tommy Kuhl, University of Illinois
No. 16 Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira, University of Arkansas
No. 17 Ben Carr, Georgia Southern University
No. 18 Connor Howe, Georgia Tech
No. 19 Chase Sienkiewicz, University of Arizona
No. 20 Maximilian Steinlechner, North Carolina State University
Special thanks to Zach Dirlam for his contributions to this report.