PGA Tour U changes eligibility rules regarding nonapproved, unranked pro events

For college players hoping to both earn status through PGA Tour University and compete in the LIV Golf Invitational Series, they will now have to pick one or the other.

PGA Tour U announced on Wednesday an amendment to its rules of regulations. Effective immediately, players will forfeit their PGA Tour eligibility if they tee it up in a professional tournament that is unranked by the Official World Golf Ranking and not otherwise approved by the PGA Tour.

The official verbiage falls under “violations of eligibility” and states the following: “All collegiate players and those who finish in the top 15 of the final Velocity Global Ranking will be ineligible for PGA Tour University and may not accept the performance benefits associated with a top-15 finish (in the current season and subsequent seasons) if such player competes in any professional golf tournament that is not ranked by the Official World Golf Ranking, excluding such events that have been previously approved by the PGA Tour.”

The LIV Golf Invitational Series, which kicks off next month in London and is set to hold eight total tournaments this year, currently does not offer OWGR points. Also, the PGA Tour on Tuesday denied its members’ requests to compete in that first LIV Golf tournament.

This news comes after last week’s report that LIV Golf had extended membership to the top six players in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, a group that includes several players currently in the PGA Tour U Velocity Global Ranking. GolfChannel.com confirmed that at least two of those players in the WAGR’s top 6 had been contacted, but so far, no further details have been obtained.

PGA Tour U also adjusted another rule, which states that inn the case of a player in the top 15 becoming ineligible for or choosing to not accept his PGA Tour U benefits, those benefits would be offered to the next eligible player at season’s end.