The PGA Tour University Accelerated program for underclassmen was appropriately named because two players made up a lot of ground in a short period of time.
The difference is the way Luke Clanton and Jackson Koivun accumulated their points.
Clanton, a junior at Florida State, hit the 20-point mark to earn a PGA Tour card in just over nine months. It started with him qualifying for the U.S. Open last June and then making the cut.
Clanton earned 14 of his 20 points through his performance in PGA Tour-sanctioned events. He made the cut in nine of 12 tournaments, had four top 10s and twice was runner-up, at the John Deere Classic and the RSM Classic.
The other six points came from reaching No. 1 in the world amateur ranking (5 points) and staying No. 1 for at least 26 weeks (1 point).
Koivun, a sophomore at Auburn, is playing in the Arnold Palmer Invitational this week on a sponsor exemption. He has 18 points, meaning he can secure a PGA Tour card by finishing in the top 10. Making the cut would put him at 19 points.
He got there primarily based on his astonishing freshman season.
Koivun won twice (including the SEC Championship) and was five times a runner-up (including the NCAA Championship). He won the three versions of college player of the year with the Haskins Award, Hogan Award and Nicklaus Award. Each of those awards were worth three points, even though all of them are based on a vote from various committees.
Luke Clanton finally has his PGA Tour card, but he’s so much more than that
The Florida State junior’s journey to Tour membership started on artificial greens in Hialeah, Florida, and ended Friday, not too far away, at PGA National.
That adds to 11 points for Koivun.
He also earned one point for being selected to play in the Palmer Cup, and he received four points for being No. 2 in the world amateur ranking. He played only three PGA Tour events, making the cut at the Memorial (52nd) and Farmers Insurance Open (tie for 56th).
The PGA Tour has tweaked the requirement, such as adding an additional point for a top 10 on the PGA Tour and a top 20 in a major. But it has not recommended changes to criteria that gives three points for winning what amounts to the same award.
Imagine if Alabama football received credit for an additional national title in the four years (before title games were created) they finished No. 1 in the AP and the coaches poll.
The Haskins Award is the oldest, dating to 1971, and is a vote of college players, coaches and media. The Nicklaus Award dates to 1988 and the winner is picked by the Golf Coaches Association of America. The Hogan Award began in 1990 and includes all tournaments for a college player. It is determined by a selection committee that includes past winners.
Koivun became the eighth player to sweep all three awards, most recently done in 2023 by Ludvig Åberg.
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