The DP World Tour, The R&A and PGA Tour announced a new joint venture on Tuesday to create an alternative career path for the best men’s amateur players.
The program, called the Global Amateur Pathway, will reward top non-college players with berths on the DP World Tour and partner tours around the world. The highest-ranked player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (not playing NCAA Division I college golf) will receive berths on the former European Tour the following season, while further exemptions will earn berths on the European Challenge Tour. The rankings are designed to identify and rank a subset of elite male amateur players competing in qualifying tournaments based on the players’ average performances in those tournaments.
In addition to the non-NCAA entrant rule, other criteria include being at least 20 years old and ranked within the top 200 in the WAGR.
The Global Amateur Access will be integrated with the PGA TOUR Collegiate Rankings, which will provide top Division I college golfers with PGA TOUR-sanctioned tour membership at the conclusion of the NCAA Championships. It was the PGA TOUR U platform that gave European star Ludvig Aberg the opportunity to play on the PGA TOUR immediately following the conclusion of his college career in 2023.
The directives were seen as a response to LIV Golf, which has offered millions of dollars in guarantees to promising amateur players to sign with the emerging Saudi-backed league.
“This initiative perfectly exemplifies the benefits of the strategic alliances and partnerships we have forged across golf,” said Guy Kinnings, CEO of the DP World Tour, in a press release. “The best amateurs now have similar opportunities to the professionals, with a clear pathway around the globe to ultimately compete at the top of the game.”
According to the DP World Tour, several current pros could benefit from the Global Amateur Access, including Hideki Matsuyama, Tommy Fleetwood and Min-woo Lee.
The qualifying period for the inaugural ranking will end in October this year.