Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra sent shockwaves through collegiate golf Wednesday when he announced he will return to Oklahoma State as a fifth-year senior for the 2022-23 season.

“I am convinced that an additional year of hard work in Stillwater will allow me to continue to grow academically and personally, which will only prepare me better for the PGA Tour and my professional career,” Lopez-Chacarra said in a statement released on social media. “That said, I look forward to teeing it up for the Pokes again next season.”

This news was particularly surprising because Lopez-Chacarra found himself third in the most recent edition of the PGA Tour University ranking.

The top five players in PGA Tour U after the 2022 spring season will receive:

• Korn Ferry Tour membership and exemptions into all open, full-field events beginning the week following the conclusion of the NCAA Division-I National Championship through the end of the regular season
• Exemption into Final Stage of the current season’s Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament
• Exemption onto a PGA Tour international tour the following year

Lopez-Chacarra’s lead over University of Oklahoma’s Logan McAllister, who occupied fourth place, was roughly 92 points. For context, the gap from McAllister to ninth-place Alex Fitzpatrick is also 92 points.

Lopez-Chacarra will be eligible for PGA Tour U again next season, and his points will be accrued from both the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons.

The Oklahoma State star has won twice this spring, with victories at the Amer Ari Invitational in Hawaii, which included a final-round 62, and the National Invitational Tournament last month in Tucson.

Lopez-Chacarra will look to lead the second-ranked Cowboys to a national championship later this season at Grayhawk.