James Claims No. 1 Spot, Three Hoos on Initial PGA Tour U Rankings

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia rising senior Ben James is ranked No. 1 on the PGA TOUR University Class of 2026 Preseason Ranking. He is joined by teammates Paul Chang (No. 18) and Bryan Lee (No. 20) in the top 25 that was released on Wednesday (July 23).

Virginia was one of three schools nationally (Texas-3, Ole Miss-4) to have three or more student-athletes included on the first PGA Tour U Preseason Ranking of 2026. The program was first instituted in 2020 and it marks the first time UVA has placed three players in the top-25 in the preseason.

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.

In partnership with the World Amateur Golf Ranking® (WAGR®), 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.

PGA TOUR University Preseason Ranking
Class of 2026

No. 1 Ben James (Milford, Conn.)

James is UVA’s first three-time PING All-America First Team honoree with six victories in 35 collegiate starts, and he helped the Cavaliers to a national runner-up finish at the 2025 NCAA Championship. Currently ranked No. 2 in WAGR, 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 T33 at the Valero Texas Open in April.

No. 18 Paul Chang (Tianjin, China)

Chang put together a banner season for the national runner-up Cavaliers in 2024-25. In his just second year with the program, Chang earned honorable mention All-America distinctions from the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) and was an All-ACC selection for the first time. Chang was UVA’s hottest golfer down the stretch, taking home medalist honors at the NCAA Reno Regional, with a 10-under 206. He became just the second Cavalier in program history to win an individual NCAA Regional title. Chang also went 4-1 in match play competition that included two wins at ACC Championships. He is currently ranked No. 46 in WAGR.

No. 20 Bryan Lee (Fairfax, Va.)

Lee is a two-time All-ACC and two-time PING East All-Region honoree in his three seasons as a Cavalier. He made his PGA Tour debut last month at the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club. Lee has one win (2024 Puerto Rico Classic) and 12 top-10 finishes as a collegian. At the 2025 ACC Championships, Lee was the opening round leader after shooting a 5-under, 67 and finished T-6 in individual competition. He served as the anchor for all three match play rounds at ACC Championship, winning his semifinal match on the 21st hole to defeat Clemson and rallied to win four of his last five holes to clinch UVA’s first ever ACC Championship on the 18th hole. Lee holds the No. 22 spot on the most recent WAGR.