Ian Gilligan improves to No. 5 in PGA TOUR University Ranking after runner-up finish at Southwestern Invitational

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Following a runner-up finish at the Southwestern Invitational last week, Florida’s Ian Gilligan moved up three spots to No. 5 in the PGA TOUR University Ranking, establishing his highest rank since moving to No. 7 following his T16 showing at the Shriners Children’s Open in October.

Gilligan earned his second top-10 finish of the season last week off the strength of a second-round 4-under 67. The Florida senior tied the low round of the day and climbed 20 spots up the leaderboard to enter the final round T3. A final-round 70 left him one stroke shy of Vanderbilt junior Wells Williams, who finished at 5-under to take home his second collegiate title.

The top four in PGA TOUR University remain unchanged this week, as North Carolina’s David Ford (No. 1), Auburn’s Brendan Valdes (No. 3) and Arizona State’s Preston Summerhays (No. 4) are each set to compete in this week’s Amer Ari Invitational in Puako, Hawaii. Arizona State’s Josele Ballester (No. 2) will make his second career start on the PGA TOUR via sponsor exemption at the WM Phoenix Open, Feb. 6-9.

San Diego State’s Justin Hastings shared runner-up honors with Gilligan at the Southwestern Invitational and made the biggest jump inside the top 25 of the ranking, improving four spots to No. 16. Hastings has posted back-to-back top-10 finishes (T2/Southwestern Invitational, T6/The Preserve Golf Club Collegiate) in his last two college starts, in addition to his win at the Latin America Amateur Championship last month.

Pablo Ereno Perez (UCLA) was one of two PGA TOUR U players in the top 10, alongside Gilligan, to improve their ranking through the Southwestern Invitational. His T5 finish marked his third consecutive top-10 performance this season, propelling him to No. 9. UCLA’s Omar Morales dropped to No. 7 after a T57 finish, while Vanderbilt’s Jackson Van Paris fell to No. 8 following a T18 showing. Perez’s rise to No. 9 pushed Louisville’s Sebastian Moss down to No. 10.

UNLV’s Caden Fioroni returned to the top 25 through a T13 finish at the Southwestern Invitational. After starting the season with three top-15 finishes, highlighted by a T4 showing at the 2024 Trinity Forest Invitational, Fioroni jumped Mississippi’s Kye Meeks and Duke’s Luke Sample to close the week at No. 24.

PGA TOUR University Ranking

Week 5/2024