There is a lot of talk about College Golf: the perfect step for amateur golfers to turn pro! Amateurs from all over the world therefore start with College Golf to prepare themselves for the highest possible level. In College you get the opportunity to train in the best conditions, play against the best opponents and also get a bachelor or master degree. In addition, as a college golfer you will learn to travel and train a lot, to handle golf and study in a disciplined way, to plan well and to work together. Before writing this article, we researched which top 100 players of the OWGR (Official World Golf Ranking) also played college Golf. And there are quite a few!
Of all players who are in the top-100 in September 2020, 67 are from College! This means that College Golf has brought more than half of the world top. These 67 players have played at 38 different universities. But which universities have trained the most top golfers now? See the top 5 below!
1. Arizona State University
Arizona State University (The Sundevils) currently has the most alumni in the top-100 of the OWGR. No fewer than six former students belong to the current world top: John Rahm (1), Paul Casey (24), Phil Mickelson (30), Chan Kim (83) and Matt Jones (62). In addition, Arizona State is known for its great practice facility and team building called ‘The Bird’. Check out our University Spotlight about Arizona State University!
2. Oklahoma State University
Oklahoma State University (The Cowboys) has managed to get some big names on the tour in recent years. Currently Oklahoma State can also boast 5 former students in the current top 100: Viktor Hovland (14), Matthew Wolff (32), Rickie Fowler (91), Charles Howel III (83) and Alex Noren (95).
3. University of Georgia
But The University of Georgia (The Bulldogs) is also doing good business: they currently count 4 alumni in the top 100 of the OWGR, namely Kevin Kisner (52), Brendan Todd (65), Harris English (19) and Bubba Watson (61).
4. University of Texas
The University of Texas (The Longhorns) is one of the largest and most popular universities in the US. Located in Austin Texas, the weather is always good and the conditions are optimal to develop as a player. and oh yes, the University of Texas has also trained 3 top golfers! Scottie Scheffler (18), Jordan Spieth (22) and Dylan Fritelli (88) were part of The Longhorns before starting their professional golf careers.
5. University of Illinois
The University of Illinois (Fighting Illini) is one of the top schools in the US, located in the eastern part of the state of Illinois. Despite the cold winters there, the Fighting Illini are very successful! Two alumni are (almost) in the current top 100. These are Thomas Pieters (107) and Thomas Detry (94). Our own Slamstox-Athlete Jerry Ji is now out for his second year as Fighting Illini, Go Jerry! Curious about the facilities at University of Illinois? Check out our University Spotlight!
The impressive five above offers great opportunities, but the US offers many more possibilities! There are no fewer than 1,320 universities in the US that offer a golf program. The trick is to find the one among all these schools that suits you and where you can develop best: and we are happy to help you with that!
So is it your dream to become a professional? Or would you like to combine golf with study in America? And are you, like us, convinced that College Golf is the right step for this?
Then contact our golf specialist Thijs. Or fill in the contact form on our golf page. Then we discuss the possibilities together!
