PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – PGA TOUR University announced Wednesday that Vanderbilt men’s golf senior Wells Williams will open the 2025-26 season at No. 6 in the preseason rankings for the Class of 2026.
Williams had a spectacular junior campaign with the Dores, as he earned a Golfweek All-American honorable mention selection and was named to the All-SEC second team. He became the sixth Commodore in program history to win multiple tournaments in the same season, as Williams earned medalist honors at the 2025 Southwest Invitational and the 2025 Mason Rudolph Championship. The West Point, Mississippi, native held a scoring average of 70.65 through 37 rounds. Williams won the 2025 Southwestern Invitational with a three-round total of 5-under 208, then he closed out the regular season by winning the 2025 Mason Rudolph Championship.
His 54-hole score of 198 at the Mason Rudolph is tied for the fifth-lowest three-round total in program history. Additionally, Williams’ 15-under vs. par is tied for the fifth-lowest 54-hole vs. par score posted by a Commodore. His season-low 18-hole score of 8-under 63 set in Round 1 of the Mason Rudolph tied him for the fifth-lowest single-round total in program history.
In partnership with the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), PGA TOUR University ranks players based on the last two years of their collegiate careers. Eligible tournaments include NCAA Division I men’s team competitions, official PGA TOUR tournaments and select DP World Tour events. The Ranking Period for the Class of 2026 began Week 23/2024 and concludes June 1, 2026, following the final round of stroke play at the 2026 NCAA Championship.
The No. 1 player in the final PGA TOUR University Ranking next June will earn PGA TOUR membership, while players Nos. 2-10 will earn Korn Ferry Tour membership for 2026 and players Nos. 11-25 will earn exempt membership for PGA TOUR Americas Segment II in 2026. Finishers Nos. 2-5 will be exempt into Final Stage of Q-School presented by Korn Ferry, while Nos. 6-25 will be exempt into Second Stage.
Introduced in 2020, PGA TOUR University identifies the best players in collegiate golf and provides membership opportunities on PGA TOUR-affiliated tours. PGA TOUR University alumni have won 39 professional events, and 18 alumni earned their PGA TOUR cards for the. 2025 season. Last season, All-American Jackson Van Paris finished No. 5 in the PGA Tour University rankings to earn a full exemption on the Korn Ferry Tour…
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