The Avalanche of Golfers
Winning PGA Tour Events
at Younger Ages
When the PGA Tour eliminated Qualifying
School, or “Q School” as it was commonly known
five years ago, many in the industry worried
it could slow down the number of precocious
golfers who not only were getting tour cards
but winning PGA Tour events at younger and
younger ages.
Instead, what has happened is the average
player age on the PGA Tour has dropped.
According to the PGA Tour, the average player
age on the PGA Tour’s top 125 was 32.2 in 2017,
compared to 33.7 in 2012 when the change was
instituted, representing a drop of 4.5 percent.
When you look at the increase of players in
their 20s on the PGA Tour, the youth movement
is even more stark. In the last 10 years, the
number of golfers in their 20s with full PGA Tour
membership grew from 31 in 2007, to 49 in 2017,
and increase of almost 60 percent. The Tour’s
first event of 2018 was indicative of the trend. At
the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii,
the average age of the field was 29.7 – the first
time since 1970 that it was under 30.
Q: Why are players better prepared to play on
the PGA Tour?
A: While we do believe players are more
prepared due to playing a full season on the
Web.com Tour – we also believe this major
youth movement is being inspired by the
success of students from top golf academies in
the U.S. who are truly training student-athletes
like IJGA and BGGA.
Q: Where is this major youth movement (that
shows no indication of slowing down) coming
from?
A: Some claim it’s coming from the growing
middle classes of Asia – Japan, Korea, Thailand,
Vietnam and especially China and India – but
if Bishops Gate Golf Academy, the emerging
dominant force in junior golf, is any indication
of where the rising stars come from – they are
from every continent.
BGGA boasts 71 full-time students in 2017-18
hailing from 23 countries. While 38% hail from
Asia, the U.S. is represented with 31%. Another
16% hail from Europe, 13% from Latin America
and 3% from the rest of the world.
While students come from all around the world,
they also range in age. The program starts with
8th graders and goes to Post Graduates with
a large group stretched between 10th, 11th
and 12th grade. The average age of students
is 16.27.