College golf has increasingly become a window into the next generation of PGA Tour stars. It has helped tremendously that the NCAA Championship has been televised since 2014. That brought college stars right into golf fans’ living rooms, showing exactly the level of play that’s out there.
To reflect on the top college players of the past decade is to play a game of “remember them when.” The resumes are deep on these players, and each made a contribution to his team or his program that was beyond meaningful. These players raised the bar in college golf, and showed just how deep the talent pool is.
Here are the top 10 men’s college golfers of the decade followed by a few honorable mentions (in alphabetical order).
Top 10
Patrick Cantlay, UCLA
Cantlay spent 55 weeks as the No. 1 player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, a record he held until Jon Rahm broke it in 2016. He turned pro in 2012 after his sophomore season at UCLA, but it was his freshman season that caught the nation’s attention. Cantlay won four events in the 2010-11 season, including the NCAA San Diego Regional, and finished second at the NCAA Championship, where he led the Bruins to match play. In two years Cantlay had 14 top 10 finishes and 24 rounds in the 60s.