Ben James, Christiaan Maas Battle For PGA Card

College golf’s postseason isn’t just about trophies anymore. It’s about who gets launched straight into professional golf.

As NCAA Men’s Golf Regionals arrive, Virginia’s Ben James and Texas star Christiaan Maas are locked in a heavyweight race for the No. 1 spot in the PGA TOUR University Ranking.

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The prize is massive ... full PGA TOUR membership for the top-ranked player after the NCAA Championship.

James still owns the lead at No. 1 with a 1247.6266 points average, but Maas has made this thing uncomfortable.

The Longhorns standout sits No. 2 at 1222.2092, trimming the gap to just 25 points after piling up five top-three finishes, including a win.

That’s real pressure.

James has been the standard all season. The Virginia star has finished inside the top five in all nine starts and is trying to become just the second player to go wire-to-wire at No. 1 in PGA TOUR University, joining John Pak in 2021.

Virginia also enters the Wake Forest Regional as a No. 1 seed after winning a second straight ACC title.

Texas, meanwhile, is loaded. Maas leads a Longhorns lineup that includes Tommy Morrison at No. 4 and Luke Potter at No. 6. Texas earned the No. 1 seed in the Texas A&M Regional, where SMU’s William Sides, ranked No. 5, will compete as an individual.

Then there’s Auburn’s Jackson Koivun, the reigning storm cloud hanging over everyone.

Koivun has already secured eligibility for PGA TOUR membership through PGA TOUR University Accelerated, and he enters the postseason after winning a third straight SEC individual title with six victories in his last eight college starts.

The NCAA format leaves no room for coasting. Six regionals will each send five teams and one low individual from a non-advancing team to the NCAA Championship at Omni La Costa in Carlsbad, California.

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Once stroke play ends June 1, the top 25 seniors in the PGA TOUR University Ranking cash in: No. 1 gets the PGA TOUR, Nos. 2-10 earn Korn Ferry Tour status and Nos. 11-25 land PGA TOUR Americas membership.

For James and Maas, every shot now comes with career-changing weight.

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