The DP World Tour's Global Amateur Path is an initiative launched in partnership with the R&A and PGA Tour to bridge the gap between amateur and professional golf for male non-college golfers. Launching in 2024, the program provides elite amateur golfers with a pathway to the pros on the DP World Tour (formerly the European Tour).
The top 20 players in the World Golf Amateur Ranking (WAGR) who qualify at the end of the ranking period will receive Tour cards for next season. The program complements existing programs such as the PGA Tour Collegiate, which offers similar opportunities to top-ranked college golfers at the conclusion of the NCAA Championships.
Together, these two programs ensure that elite golfers in all amateur categories have the opportunity to compete on the professional tour. Here's what PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said about the program (via DP World Tour):
“Global Amateur Pathways partners with PGA TOUR University to ensure emerging amateurs have an understandable and achievable route as they enter the world of professional golf. We invest heavily in providing our rising stars with a path to the top. Clear Pathways These pathways—Global Amateur Pathway, PGA TOUR University and PGA TOUR University Accelerated—play a critical role in identifying and developing elite amateur players.”
The global amateur pathway extends beyond the DP World Tour. It provides exemptions for the following partner tours (via DP World Tour):
- european challenge tour
- Sunshine trip
- Australian Challenger PGA Tour
- Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI)
- PGA Tour Americas
The following are the eligibility criteria for the Global Amateur Pathway rankings (via DP World Tour):
- Not an active NCAA Division I player
- Be 20 years of age or older at the end of the calendar year of the relevant ranking period
- WAGR enters the top 200
- Players who are not in the top 200 of WAGR at the end of the registration period, but are in the top 100 of WAGR at any time before the end of the late registration period for the relevant season (September 20, 2025)
Registration for this global amateur pathway ranking period is open from now until June 30 and will end on October 13. Rankings will be announced on the official webpage every week.
Ding Wenyi tops 2024 global amateur channel rankings
Ding Wenyi topped the inaugural Global Amateur Pathway Rankings, qualifying for the DP World Tour 2025 season. The 19-year-old is rated the world's third-ranked amateur at WAGR and has soared on the European Tour after winning the Asia Pacific Amateur Championship in late 2024.
The former Arizona State University golfer makes his professional debut in 2024 at the Challenge Tour Hangzhou Open in his native China. Here's what Ding had to say about the program that helped him play professional golf (via the PGA Tour):
“I’m excited to start my career and look forward to competing on the DP World Tour next season. The Global Amateur Pathway has given me an incredible opportunity and I’d like to thank the DP World Tour, the R&A and the PGA Tour for supporting me. and my fellow amateur players achieve their goals.”
The inaugural Global Amateur Pathways Program was a huge success. Since then, Ding has competed in five tournaments as a professional and even achieved a top-five finish at the ISPS Handa Australian Open in November 2024.
Edited by Tushar Bal