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USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Virginia's Ben James leads PGA Tour University preseason rankings for Class of 2026
Fall is quickly approaching, which means college golf is right around the corner. The 2025-26 season is almost upon us, as plenty of the best amateurs in the game will tee it up in search of a national championship. This season, the NCAA Championship returns to Omni La Costa in Carlsbad, California, where the Northwestern women and Oklahoma State men took home titles in May. With the new season also means new PGA Tour University rankings for the Class of 2026. On Wednesday, PGA Tour U announced its preseason rankings for the Class of 2026. This will be the sixth year of PGA Tour U, with David Ford finishing in the top spot last year and earning a PGA Tour card. The preseason ranking includes players from 16 schools, with Ole Miss having four players in the preseason top 25. In all, the top 25 features players from seven countries: China, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, Sweden and the United States. In partnership with the World Amateur Golf Ranking, PGA Tour U 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 NCAA Division I men's national 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 Class of 2026 preseason rankings James is a three-time Golfweek first team All-American. He has six victories in 35 collegiate starts, and he helped the Cavaliers to a national runner-up finish at the 2025 NCAA Championship. James has represented the United States twice at the Arnold Palmer Cup (2023, 2024) and will make his second appearance at the Walker Cup in September. He has made nine starts on the PGA Tour, including the last two U.S. Opens, and finished T-33 at the Valero Texas Open in April. In 2024-25, Maas led the Longhorns with 18 rounds in the 60s and posted eight top-10s, including a victory at the Pauma Valley Invitational. A native of Pretoria, South Africa, Maas has four made cuts in seven starts on the DP World Tour, including a fourth-place finish at the Investec South African Open Championship in March 2025. La Sasso became the second player from Ole Miss to win the NCAA individual title, joining Braden Thornberry (2017). In 12 starts during his junior season, La Sasso tallied three victories and compiled the lowest scoring average (69.48) in program history en route to being named a Golfweek first-team All-American. He is making his fifth PGA Tour start of the summer at this week's 3M Open, and in September he will join James on the U.S. team at the Walker Cup. Morrison posted 10 top-20 finishes during his junior season at Texas, including his first collegiate victory at the Amer Ari Invitational. In June 2024, he became the first American to win the European Amateur and earned an exemption into the 2024 Open Championship, where he made the cut and finished T-60. Morrison has advanced to match play at The Amateur Championship the last two years. Summy's junior season included seven top-10s and a victory at the Maridoe Intercollegiate, and he led the Sooners with 20 rounds in the 60s and a 70.35 scoring average. His 2024 summer was highlighted by a runner-up finish at the Sunnehanna Amateur, and this summer he has a T-12 at the Northeast Amateur and T-3 at the Southern Amateur. Oklahoma is the only school that has produced a PGA Tour U graduate each of the first five years (2021-25), and the Sooners lead all schools with eight PGA Tour U alumni. Nos. 6-25
NBC Sports
a day ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Virginia's Ben James debuts at No. 1 in first PGA Tour U ranking
The first PGA Tour University ranking for the Class of 2026 is out. Virginia's Ben James debuts at No. 1, followed by Texas' Christiaan Maas, Ole Miss' Michael La Sasso, Texas' Tommy Morrison and Oklahoma's Jase Summy. The ranking takes into account players' results from NCAA Division-I tournaments, official PGA Tour events and select DP World Tour events, starting the week after the 2024 NCAA Championship and through next spring's NCAA Championship. The top-ranked player following NCAAs will receive full PGA Tour membership for the remainder of the 2026 season through the 2027 season. Nos. 2-10 get Korn Ferry Tour status for 2026, with Nos. 2-5 also being exempt into the final stage of Q-School at the end of the year. Nos. 6-25 are exempt into second stage, while Nos. 11-25 receive PGA Tour Americas status for 2026. Here are the top 25 players in the first ranking: The first 2025-26 PGA Tour U ranking is out. Top five: Ben James Christiaan Maas Michael La Sasso Tommy Morrison Jase Summy
USA Today
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
WNBA star Paige Bueckers confirms relationship with 'D1 girlfriend,' Azzi Fudd
On the heels of being named a WNBA All-Star, Dallas Wings rookie guard Paige Bueckers confirmed she is officially off the market after discussing her girlfriend in a recent interview. During an interview with WAG Talk, a popular social media brand highlighting "wives and girlfriends" of professional athletes, Bueckers was asked a series of questions about her "D1 girlfriend." At the end of the line of questioning, she identified her partner as her former UConn Huskies teammate Azzi Fudd. Bueckers and Fudd played together at UConn for four seasons, with the two winning an NCAA Championship this year. The questions asked by WAG Talk ranged from Fudd's basketball career to the text on the UConn guard's phone case, which Bueckers affectionately said reads: "Paige Bueckers' girlfriend". A trio of rookies, consisting of Bueckers and Washington Mystics guard Sonia Citron and forward Kiki Iriafen, are slated to play in the WNBA All-Star game on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET at the Indiana Fever's arena, Gainbridge Fieldhouse, in Indianapolis. 'We were worried for a second there' Underneath the WAG Talk interview, TikTok users flooded the comment section, with one of them calling Bueckers' announcement a "hard launch." "ok this is like THE REALL hard launch," the user commented. NaLyssa Smith, a forward for the Las Vegas Aces, commented underneath the interview: "awwwwww my baby's all grown up." Gatorade, which named Fudd its 2018-19 National Player of the Year, also chimed in on the fun in the comment section, writing, "We were worried for a second there," seemingly joking about how long it took Bueckers to answer some of the questions in the video. Jonathan Limehouse covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at JLimehouse@
Time of India
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Paige Bueckers makes it official with long-rumored girlfriend Azzi Fudd
Paige Bueckers makes it official with long-rumored girlfriend Azzi Fudd (Image Via X) A surprising confession came on Thursday night, July 17, during the 2025 AT&T WNBA All‑Star weekend in Indianapolis. Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers, 23, paused a light‑hearted WAG Talk interview on the orange carpet to answer questions about her 'D1 girlfriend. ' The playful quiz suddenly took a serious turn when Paige Bueckers replied with a name and confirming long‑standing rumors. The crowd buzzed as fans realized this was more than a tease. What started as an entertaining moment turned into a public acknowledgment of a relationship that fans have speculated about for months. Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd confirm their relationship During the interview, the host asked, 'How well do you know your D1 girlfriend?' Paige Bueckers smiled and confidently answered questions about Azzi Fudd and details like her high school, awards, ranking, dad's college team, even what her phone case said. The phone case, a viral moment, read 'Paige Bueckers' Girlfriend.' When the host prompted, 'Girlfriend reveal—it's…?' Paige Bueckers answered simply: 'Azzi Fudd.' This was her moment of confirmation, under bright lights and live cameras. Fans celebrated online. On social platforms, one wrote, 'GIRLFRIEND, we've come a long way,' while another added, 'She's cheesing mad hard too, that's her girl fr.'. The Backstory and Clues of Paige Bueckers & Azzi Fudd ralationship Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd were first teammates at UConn, where they helped win the 2025 NCAA Championship. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo After Paige Bueckers was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft for the Dallas Wings and Azzi Fudd stayed at UConn for a fifth college season, their off‑court bond grew public. In April, Azzi Fudd shared a selfie showing her phone case saying 'Paige Bueckers' Girlfriend,' fueling speculation. In July, they appeared holding hands at a Wings road game, wore matching 'A' and 'P' necklaces, and attended the 2025 ESPYs together. Paige Bueckers posted Azzi Fudd's photo from the ESPY red carpet on her Instagram story with heart‑eyed emojis. Also Read: Paige Bueckers Posts Heartfelt Mid-Season Update As Azzi Fudd Stands By Her Side Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Where Florida Ranks After Winning NCAA Championship in Early Top 25 Rankings
Where Florida Ranks After Winning NCAA Championship in Early Top 25 Rankings originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The 2024-25 season was one that Florida Gators basketball fans will never forget. A 36-4 record, an SEC title and the ultimate prize, the third national championship in program history. Advertisement Now, head coach Todd Golden and the Gators are looking for a repeat performance next season, as Florida tries to win back-to-back titles for the second time. However, with the departure of UF's three leading scorers from last year, it will be a tall task for the defending champions. On Tuesday, USA Today released its Too-Early Top 25 for the 2025-26 season, in which Florida is ranked near the top, but may not be where Gators fans expect. Florida Gators players celebrate with the trophy after defeating the Houston Cougars in the national championship game at the Deutsch-Imagn Images The national publication ranked Florida No. 5 in its preseason rankings, landing behind a pair of teams the Gators went through en route to the title. "All-America guard and Final Four MVP Walter Clayton will be hard to replace," USA Today said. "Backcourt mate Elijah Martin and Will Richard are also gone, but the Gators will defend their title with most of their inside players returning." Advertisement Florida's backcourt trio of Clayton, Martin and Richard will be big losses for Florida. Because of this, Golden hit the transfer portal with a big emphasis on the perimeter. He brought in a pair of guards in Boogie Fland from Arkansas and Princeton's Xaivian Lee. Fland scored 13.5 points to go with 5.1 assists and over one steal per game as a freshman in 2024 under John Calipari. Lee, who spent the past three seasons with the Tigers, is coming off an impressive year in which he averaged just under 17 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists per contest. Outside of Florida in the top five, USA Today's experts ranked the defending runner-up Houston Cougars No. 1, the Duke Blue Devils second, UConn Huskies No. 3 and Purdue Boilermakers one spot ahead of UF at No. 4. The Gators took down the two-time defending champion Huskies in the second round of last season's NCAA Tournament and the Cougars in the national championship game. Advertisement While the expectations for Golden and Florida from around the country are sky-high going into next season, it won't be easy to repeat as national champions. Related: Florida Trending for No. 22 College Basketball Recruit This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 8, 2025, where it first appeared.
