UF MGOLF | Kress starts at No. 23 in PGA TOUR University Class of 2026 Preseason Ranking

The ranking marks back-to-back seasons Florida had a golfer ranked in the preseason release.

PONTA VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Florida men’s golfer Matthew Kress will start at No. 23 in the PGA TOUR University Class of 2026 Preseason Rankings, the TOUR announced Wednesday.

The ranking marks back-to-back seasons Florida had a golfer ranked in the preseason release. Since the program began in 2020, the Gators have had four players finish in the final rankings with Ian Gilligan finishing No. 4 and earning Korn Ferry TOUR status the rest of this season. The other include – Fred Biondi (No. 2), Ricky Castillo (No. 9) and Yuxin Lin (No. 10).

Kress finished a strong junior campaign where he earned PING All-American honors. Earning the top finish at the NCAA National Championships, he finished T9 at 3-under behind three straight rounds of under par (71-69-70) that awarded him All-Tournament team. He also had the best finish in the lineup at NCAA Regionals with a runner-up performance at 11-under. After a rough fall of no better finish of T45, Kress had a strong spring with three consecutive finishes of T9 and finished with a stroke average of 71.9 – fourth best on the team

Kress also graduated this spring with Summa Cum Laude distinction and earned his bachelor’s degree in Economics. His round of 65 was tied for the lowest round on the team this season as his 11-under tournament score was team best. In postseason match play, he had two big victories with a 5&4 win vs. Texas A&M in the SEC Championship Finals and a 3&1 victory against Texas in the National Championship Quarterfinals.

In partnership with the World Amateur Golf Ranking(r) (WAGR(r)), PGA TOUR University ranks players based on the last two years of their collegiate careers. Eligible Tournaments include NCAA Division I men’s team competitions, official PGA TOUR tournaments and select DP World Tour events. The Ranking Period for the Class of 2026 began Week 23/2024 and concludes June 1, 2026, following the final round of stroke play at the 2026 NCAA Championship.

The No. 1 player in the final PGA TOUR University Ranking next June will earn PGA TOUR membership, while players Nos. 2-10 will earn Korn Ferry Tour membership for 2026 and players Nos. 11-25 will earn exempt membership for PGA TOUR Americas Segment II in 2026. Finishers Nos. 2-5 will be exempt into Final Stage of Q-School presented by Korn Ferry, while Nos. 6-25 will be exempt into Second Stage.

PGA TOUR University Preseason Ranking
Class of 2026

Rank

Name

University

Ben James

Virginia

Christiaan Maas

Texas

Michael La Sasso

Ole Miss

Tommy Morrison

Texas