James Hahn leads at Byron Nelson

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Demonstrating its commitment to growing and diversifying the game of golf, PGA TOUR University and the APGA Tour announced today a new program to help top Black golfers transition from the collegiate game into the professional ranks. The new APGA Collegiate Ranking identifies five players from Division I, II or III programs - including HBCUs - and exempts them into summer events on the APGA Tour as well as the Pre-Qualifying Stage of the Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament that same year starting in 2021. The announcement comes as part of the PGA TOUR's commitment to racial equity and inclusion. As part of the plan announced at THE TOUR Championship, the TOUR is pledging at least $100 million over the next 10 years to support nonprofit organizations whose services directly address the inequities and disparities that affect African-American citizens as well as underrepresented and underserved populations in the communities in which tournaments are conducted. The APGA Collegiate Ranking will ease the financial costs associated with playing developmental tours as well as application fees for the Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament. Eligible players for the APGA Collegiate Ranking are Black NCAA Division I, II or III golfers who exhaust a minimum of four collegiate years. "The APGA Tour has created a great platform for diverse competition in our sport, and we're excited to further the PGA TOUR's support of those efforts with today's announcement," said Korn Ferry Tour President Alex Baldwin. "The APGA Collegiate Ranking will deliver a tremendous avenue for more Black golfers to pursue their TOUR dreams after the conclusion of their college careers." The top five players from the APGA Collegiate Ranking will earn the following benefits for the current season once they turn professional after completion of their collegiate career: • APGA Tour membership • Entry into all remaining APGA Tour events • Travel costs associated with each APGA Tour event • Exemption into the Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament • Pre-Qualifying Stage unless otherwise exempt into another Stage The inaugural APGA Collegiate Ranking released in conjunction with the announcement highlights the top five players in the current standings, with Florida A&M University players taking four of the spots. Mulbe Dillard (1), Mahindra Lutchman (3), Ethan Mangum (4) and Cameron Riley (5) lead the Rattlers in the top five rankings, while Michigan State's Andrew Walker debuted at No. 2 on the list. "Today's APGA Collegiate Ranking announcement is a tremendous step forward for these dedicated student-athletes looking to establish a career in professional golf," offered Ken Bentley, co-founder and CEO of the APGA Tour. "Young Black players across all divisions of NCAA golf - including HBCUs - have been the most important talent resource for the APGA Tour since we launched in 2010, and this program will provide incentive for top college players to seize an incredible opportunity." The APGA Collegiate Ranking uses the Golfstat adjusted scoring average as the ranking measurement, specifically designed to capture the top players positioned to qualify for APGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament access. This ranking list will be updated periodically throughout the 2020-21 NCAA men's golf season. For more information on the APGA Collegiate Ranking or the APGA Tour, please visit APGATour.org.

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The last two winners on the PGA TOUR – Rory McIlroy and Seamus Power – have both represented Ireland in the Olympics. They were almost college teammates, as well. And not at a school that’s necessarily top of mind when you think of American powerhouses. East Tennessee State in Johnson City, Tennessee, competes in the small Southern Conference and in the Football Championship Subdivision (more commonly referred to as Division I-AA). Golf may be the school’s strongest sport, thanks in part to a pipeline from Great Britain and Ireland that included Power. The Buccaneers, led by Irishman Keith Nolan, finished third in the 1996 NCAA Championship – ahead of a Tiger Woods-led Stanford team – and twice played in the NCAA Championship during Power’s tenure. Power, who won his second PGA TOUR title Sunday at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, almost was preceded on campus by McIlroy, who won THE CJ CUP in South Carolina a week earlier to ascend to No. 1 in the world. McIlroy signed a letter of intent to play golf for the Buccaneers beginning with the 2005-06 season. “The youthful McIlroy brings an extensive and successful resume to Johnson City,” reads the news release from November 2004, which is still available online. McIlroy opted to stay in Ireland and play amateur golf, however, but ETSU’s coach at the time, Fred Warren, kept the signed letter of intent and had it framed. “I signed a letter of intent to play for ETSU, did my SAT, did everything like that so I (was) fully ready to come over and play college golf,” McIlroy said in 2015. “But at that point I knew that I really wanted to turn pro earlier than the four years he was going to be here. I had no intention of graduating at all, so I thought it was just better to play that full time amateur golf in Ireland. … By the time I was probably just getting out of college I had just won my first major, so sort of it was a good decision in the end.” The Ireland-to-ETSU connection actually was started by John Paul Fitzgerald, who played for the Buccaneers and became McIlroy’s caddie for several years. Next was Nolan, who finished T9 in that 1996 NCAA Championship and represented Great Britain & Ireland in the following year’s Walker Cup. Warren watched Power play at the 2005 European Boys’ Team Championship at Monticello Golf Club in Italy. If it had not been for the interest from East Tennessee State, Power was considering taking an accounting course at a university in Ireland, according to a New York Times article. Power still had doubts about attending ETSU even as he was on his flight bound for the States. “Where am I going?” Power told the Times. “I didn’t have a telephone. I didn’t have many dollars. If I land over here, and if something as simple as my coach isn’t at the airport to pick me up, I have no idea what I’m going to do.” According to a 2016 profile on PGATOUR.COM, Power’s scholarship actually became available after McIlroy decided to not attend East Tennessee. McIlroy played amateur golf until turning pro after the 2007 Walker Cup. Power started at ETSU in the fall of 2006 and graduated with an accounting degree in 2011. He also was a two-time conference champion. He spent several years on the mini-tours before playing his first full Korn Ferry Tour season in 2015. He was a PGA TOUR rookie for the 2017 season, but failed to make the FedExCup Playoffs in three of his first four seasons. He started 2021 ranked 429th in the world but has now risen to a career-best 32nd in the OWGR. He also is fifth in this season’s FedExCup.

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