Colorado Christian University’s Xavier Bighaus, Howard University’s Marcus Smith round out top 3

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA – APGA Tour and PGA TOUR officials today announced the first Bridgestone APGA Collegiate Ranking for the 2024-25 season, with College of Charleston’s Kieron van Wyk holding the top spot in the initial ranking. Colorado Christian University’s Xavier Bighaus is in second place and Howard University’s Marcus Smith sits in third.

Eligible players are black golfers from NCAA Division I, II, III and NAIA programs (including HBCUs) who complete a minimum of four years of college eligibility. The Bridgestone APGA Collegiate Ranking, which provides its ranking based on a Strokes Gained points system through a partnership with Clippd, runs through the completion of the collegiate regular season.

The top five eligible players in the final Bridgestone APGA Collegiate Ranking will earn the following:

· Scholarship access to APGA Tour events through the duration of the APGA Tour season (i.e., the 2025 Bridgestone APGA Collegiate Ranking class will gain access to remaining full-field events in 2025).

· Scholarship access into the pre-qualifying round of PGA TOUR Qualifying School presented by Korn Ferry for the following season.

· The No. 1 player in the final Bridgestone APGA Collegiate Ranking will receive a sponsor exemption into the Korn Ferry Tour’s 2025 UNC Health Championship.

· Monetary support in the following areas related to the development of the top five’s professional careers:

o Travel to eligible APGA Tour event

o Home course membership

o Instruction

o Equipment/fitting

Additionally, the top-ranked player as of November 15, 2024, who has not previously been awarded the benefit, will receive an exemption into the 2024 APGA Farmers Insurance Invitational as an amateur.

Ranking as of October 30, 2024:

The APGA Collegiate Ranking was announced in October 2020 through a partnership between the PGA TOUR and the APGA Tour, with Bridgestone becoming presenting sponsor of the Bridgestone Collegiate Development Program in 2023. Alongside the Bridgestone APGA Collegiate Ranking, these player development programs are part of the PGA TOUR’s Pathway to Progression, which aims to create a developmental pathway for a historically underrepresented group of golfers.

· Any player who wants to be removed from the list because they have decided to return to college and complete their last year of eligibility needs to inform the PGA TOUR Pathways to Progression team no later than April 15, 2025.

· Players interested in opting into the program can register here.

· Full rankings will be updated monthly here.

ABOUT PGA TOUR PATHWAY TO PROGRESSION
First announced in March of 2023, the PGA TOUR Pathway to Progression player development program is a comprehensive effort to achieve greater diversity in golf through an increased focus on developing talent from diverse and historically underrepresented groups in the junior and collegiate golf spaces.

The Bridgestone Collegiate Development Program– aligning the PGA TOUR’s Pathway to Progression collegiate activities and the Bridgestone APGA Collegiate Ranking’s goal to provide top Black collegiate players with transitional support in the professional ranks – will elevate the level of awareness and competitive opportunities for diverse college golfers while providing tangible career development opportunities.

ABOUT APGA TOUR
The APGA Tour was established in 2010 as a non-profit organization with the mission to bring greater diversity to the game of golf. The APGA Tour Board of Directors works to accomplish this by hosting and operating professional golf tournaments, player development programs, and mentoring programs, and by introducing the game to inner city young people. In addition to conducting up to 18 tournaments awarding more than $800,000 in prize money and nearly $100,000 in bonus money in 2022, the APGA has organized a Player Development Program to aid young minority golfers as they work to chase their goals in professional golf.