The Masters Tournament tees off this week in Augusta, GA and it got us thinking -- What are the best colleges to attend if you’re aspiring to be the next Gary Player or Inbee Park? Is there a program designed for student golfers who are itching to join the PGA tour?

While there are over 700 colleges and universities that have competitive golf teams, we’ve compiled the top 10 based on division, overall academic ratings, and tuition costs:

1. Stanford University (alum: Tiger Woods)
2. University of Florida (alum: Camilo Villegas)
3. University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
4. University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
5. University of California
6. Yale University
7. Princeton University
8. Georgia Tech (alum: Matt Kuchar)
9. University of Michigan
10. Harvard University

Additionally, yes! There is a special program designed for college golf athletes whose ultimate goal is to join the PGA tour. The PGA Tour University is “a program designed to strengthen the path to the PGA Tour through developmental tours such as the Korn Ferry Tour, The Mackenzie Tour (PGA Tour Canada), PGA Tour Latinoamerica, and PGA Tour-Series China.” The program is a ranking system that gives student athletes a chance to play alongside pro golfers who may have fallen off FedEx Cup status, giving them the potential to gain sponsorships and PGA developmental tour status. 

In order to qualify for PGA Tour University, students must complete four years of college competition on an NCAA Division I team as a way to reward players for committing to their teams. Korn Ferry Tour President Alex Baldwin states “[The PGA Tour University] is a tremendous opportunity for these players to begin their professional careers on a path to the PGA Tour.”

Do you golf on the collegiate level? Are you a member of the PGA Tour University? Let us know in the comments!

Photo by Courtney Cook on Unsplash