Amateur golfers don’t earn money from the sport, at least in theory. However, NIL has changed the game forever. Blurring the lines between pro and amateur golf, the initiative provides young, up-and-coming athletes an opportunity to make money and support their careers without foregoing their amateur status. However, UVA head coach Bowen Sargent believes NIL has strayed from its intended motive, negatively impacting the golfing atmosphere.

Joining the On Course podcast on the SiriusXM PGA Tour radio, Sargent discussed college golf and NIL’s place in it. He believes that the NIL has altered the way colleges approach recruits since the NCAA passed the rule in 2021. Helping college athletes earn money through sponsorships and endorsement deals, merchandise, and partnerships with companies, NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) opened doors to wider possibilities. However, not all of them are good.

While Sargent is not necessarily against young athletes having these benefits, he believes the rule has been interpreted in the wrong way. “I think it’s great that the kids can make money. I’m not a big fan of the way it actually transpired, the way the NCAA passed the initial rule, but it hadn’t really played out the way I think it was intended, and I’m not a big fan of that. I don’t think schools should be paying kids to come to play golf,” Sargent explained.

This highlights one of the biggest tensions. Some schools are now offering NIL funds as recruitment offers to their athletes. Essentially, colleges are paying golfers to commit to the program. Sargent believes that this destroys the spirit of collegiate golf, which is supposed to be about academics, athletics, and development, not financial bidding.

However, he acknowledges and approves the third-party involvement in NIL deals. With sponsor deals from independent companies and brands, athletes can leverage their marketability to earn, and not rely on school money. This ensures a free market, enforcing the true spirit of the 2021 NCAA rule change.

Mentioning the example of Ben James, a star amateur from the University of Virginia and ACC Freshman of the Year, Sargent explained what NIL should look like in practice.

“There is kind of a third-party avenue now, which is kind of what Ben has done. You know, he’s established a lot of relationships with NIL, different companies, and whatnot, and making a little bit of money there, which is good.”

These relationships also help build character while ensuring that collegiate golf doesn’t become a transaction. However, with NIL funds becoming almost bribes to lure athletes in, the state of amateur golf is becoming superficial. Recruiting priorities are shifting with athletes choosing programs with higher potential NIL income than schools with actually good coaching.

This threatens the state of the next generation of golf. Wealthier programs are attracting more athletes while the promising ones suffer. While he supports the idea of athletes earning money through the free market, Sargent criticizes schools directly using NIL funds as recruiting tools. As it turns out, many athletes are already actively exercising NIL.

But how is NIL actually impacting its benefactors? Let’s take a look at where the schools come in the NIL equation.

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Colleges can pay athletes for NIL now

The 2021 NCAA rule change allowed college athletes to make money as amateurs. But things tipped over pretty quickly with other rule changes, making the profit potential more direct. Virginia became one of the first states to step in. Issuing a radical bill in 2024, which stated that from July 1 (last year), schools could directly pay their athletes. Yes, essentially paying the golfers for being a part of the roster.

This goes directly against the NCAA’s rules, which prohibit colleges from striking an NIL deal with their own athletes. However, this bill now helps the state of Virginia to sue the NCAA if it becomes a deterrent in their NIL athlete programs. The law bans the NCAA from penalizing Virginia schools for doing this. Moreover, it allows the schools to use their athletic department or university funds for marketing or promotional appearances.

“There is a better model and a better compromise,” Virginia Tech AD Whit Babcock said. “This is absolutely a step in the right direction for the commonwealth of Virginia and the country, in my opinion.”

This incited other states, including Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Nebraska, to consider such adjustments. Following this, the NCAA reached a more nationwide settlement to prevent inconsistency throughout the country.

Under this new settlement in June 2025, the judge ruled in favor of direct NIL payments. It allows Division I schools that opt in to share revenues directly with student-athletes. The cap for the first year is $20.5 million per institution for athlete revenue sharing. That cap is scheduled to increase gradually (by roughly 4% per year) over the coming decade, potentially reaching circa $32-33 million per year.

Top schools like the University of Houston, the University of Texas, and Texas A&M University have already jumped on the wagon. While not all schools have golf programs at the moment, it brings forward the broader, more disturbing state of collegiate sports. As it appears, Bowen Sargent hit the nail on the head, with sports turning into financial transactions.