Luis Masaveu not only matched the second best performance of a Spanish golfer in the history of the US Amateur at Hazeltine, but the Madrid player also brought back a significant haul, beyond a bronze medal that distinguishes the semi-finalists of the tournament. He practically has the Challenge Tour card for 2025 secured and still has options to even achieve the DP World Tour card without needing to go through the School. We explain.
Everything has to do with the world amateur ranking and, more specifically, with the newly created Global Amateur Pathway Ranking, a new formula presented last June through which it is intended to facilitate the best amateurs in the world their access to professional circuits. It is something like the European version of the PGA Tour University, although it has much more substance.
As you already know, the PGA Tour University is an annual ranking that orders the best amateurs who are in their last year at first division universities in the United States. The Number One gets the PGA Tour card. Between 2 and 5 they have different categories in the Korn Ferry and the PGA Tour Americas. Last year the winner was Ludvig Aberg and this year the Number One and the card went to Michael Thorbjornsen. For example, in the next season that will start in September and conclude in May, Josele Ballester, the newly crowned US Amateur champion, will compete in this PGA Tour University.
Well, the Global Amateur Pathway Ranking is something similar but from the European circuit. The classification closes next October 13 and the Number One will receive the DP World Tour card for 2025. In this ranking are all the players in the world who are not in a first division university of the NCAA. In addition to the great prize for the first one, with the DP World Tour 2025 card, the next ones in the classification will also receive Challenge Tour cards and possibly from some other professional circuit, although this has not officially been announced. According to what Ten Golf has learned, the second and third classified in this Global Amateur Pathway Ranking will get the Challenge Tour card, but as we say this has not yet been officially communicated.
If it is as stated in the information we have at Ten Golf, Masaveu would practically already have the Challenge Tour card secured and would still have some possibility of conquering the DP World Tour one. Right now, Masaveu is fifth in the Global Amateur Pathway Ranking, but the results of the US Amateur have not yet been counted. With his great semi-final result, barring surprise, Luis should be at least third in this classification, only behind Wenyi Ding, a Chinese golfer who currently occupies the fourth place in the world amateur ranking, and Jacob Skov Olesen, current champion of the British Amateur and Number 16 in the world amateur ranking. Our calculations suggest that he will overtake Welshman James Ashfield and Frenchman Bastien Amat. This will be officially known this Wednesday, when the world amateur ranking is updated.
If he places third and those two cards for the Challenge Tour are confirmed, Masaveu would almost have it in his hand, as until next October 13 there are hardly any important amateur tournaments outside of American universities. However, Luis will still have the chance to score from the Open de España, a tournament that barring surprise he will play as an amateur. A good performance in Madrid would give him options to even surpass Ding and get the biggest prize of the DP World Tour card, although for that he would have to do really well, anything won’t do. Olesen is in the same situation, who is playing the Danish Golf Championship this week.
In principle, until October 13 Masaveu only plans to play the Open de España. He also had included in his calendar the first phase of the DP World Tour School, but the circuit has already informed him that with his recent performances he is exempt from this first phase and goes directly to the second in October. By the way, this Wednesday Masaveu will also debut the best world ranking of his career.
