American player Michael Thorbjornsen heads the PGA Tour University rankings for the 2023-24 season. Thorbjornsen tops the list of 25 college players in which several names already known in the main circuits stand out.
Michael Thorbjornsen, a senior at Stanford University (the same university that trained Tiger Woods and Rose Zhang among others), said he feels "fortunate" for the position he occupies.
Here's what Thorbjornsen had to say, according to the PGA Tour News Service:
"It feels like people are starting to recognize that the younger generation, the guys in college, we're just getting better and better. It just came at a perfect time. I'm really lucky to be in this position."
During the current season, Michael Thorbjornsen participated in four PGA Tour events, with a T17 at the John Deere Classic as his best result at this level. He also finished in the Top 20 at the DP World Tour's Dubai Desert Classic.
His collegiate golf career has been outstanding, with two wins, 14 Top 10s and 19 Top 20s and he has received a host of awards and accolades, including Ping All-America first team of 2023.
In second place on the PGA Tour U ranking is South Africa's Christo Lamprecht (Georgia Tech), champion of the 2023 Amateur Championship. Lamprecht recently made the cut at The Open Championship (including a 5-under 66 first round).
William Moll (Vanderbilt), Nicholas Gabrelcik (North Florida) and Ben Lorenz (Oklahoma), in that order, rounded out the Top 5. In sixth place is another well-known player, Maxwell Moldovan, who competed in the last US Open.
The first edition of the PGA Tour University graduated in 2021. Since then, graduates have earned 13 victories on professional tours, of which, Pierceson Coody, Adrien Dumont de Chassart and Ricky Castillo stand out.
Five graduates are currently on the PGA Tour (Ludvig Aberg, Austin Eckroat, Davis Thompson, Trevor Werbylo and Kevin Yu). Five others appear in the Top 30 of the Korn Ferry Tour and could be on the main American circuit next season.
Who are with Michael Thorbjornsen in the PGA Tour U ranking?
Here are the 25 players who are part of the PGA Tour U ranking:
1. Michael Thorbjornsen, Stanford
2. Christo Lamprecht, Georgia Tech
3. William Moll, Vanderbilt
4. Nicholas Gabrelcik, North Florida
5. Ben Lorenz, Oklahoma
6. Maxwell Moldovan, Ohio State
7. Austin Greaser, North Carolina
8. Matthew Riedel, Vanderbilt
9. Michael Brennan, Wake Forest
10. Jonas Baumgartner, Oklahoma State
11. Cole R. Anderson, Florida State
12. Frederik Kjettrup, Florida State
13. Dylan Menante, North Carolina
14. Canon Claycomb, Alabama
15. Owen Avrit, Oregon
16. Brett Roberts, Florida State
17. Herman Wibe Sekne, Purdue
18. Sampson-Yunhe Zheng, Cal
19. Barclay Brown, Stanford
20. Max Kennedy, Louisville
21. Cole Sherwood, Vanderbilt
22. Brian Stark, Texas
23. Mats Ege East, Tennessee State
24. Karl Vilips, Stanford
25. Bryce Lewis, Tennessee