Category: College

Emory women’s golf wins 2022 NCAA Division III Championship

Emory women’s golf won the team and individual title at the 2022 NCAA Division III championship.

Emory University shot 8 over in the final round to finish 23 over for the week to win the 2022 NCAA Division III women’s golf championship on Friday at Bay Oaks Country Club in Houston.

The Eagles also had the individual champ as Ellen Dong outlasted Alison Takamiya of George Fox University, winning medalist honors on the first playoff hole after each golfer finished the championship tied at 1 over. Dong’s second-round 68 tied the record at the NCAA championships.

Led by head coach Katie Futcher, Emory, located in Atlanta, won the women’s golf title for the first time in program history. Futcher was hired July of 2018. She played collegiate golf at Penn State and competed on the LPGA for nine years.

The University of Redlands came in second. George Fox was third.

Emory’s 26-stroke victory is the largest margin of victory at the Div. III women’s golf championships since 2013.

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Methodist men’s golf wins 2022 NCAA Division III Championship

Methodist won the team and individual title at the 2022 NCAA Division III Championship.

The Methodist men’s golf team made it a sweep with the team and individual titles at the 2022 NCAA Division III Championship on Friday.

The Monarchs finished 20 over to win by eight shots over Hampden-Sydney College in Howey-In-The-Hills, Florida. Huntingdon College and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps tied for third at 34 over. Emory was fifth at 40 over.

Methodist, a private school in Fayetteville, North Carolina, won its first title since 2018 and 13th team Div. III national championship overall. The school was runner-up in 2021.

Andre Chi of Methodist won medalist honors. He shot 73-70-70-70 over the four days to finish at 4 under, two better than Will Hocker of Webster. Chi is Methodist’s10th individual winner.

Nick Rubino of Hampden-Sydney and JF Aber of Wittenberg University finished tied for third at 1 under. Those four golfers were the only ones to finish under par among the 96 golfers in the championship.

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Spring-only rankings for 2022 in men’s college golf

One team stood out among the rest in the spring season.

College golf consists of a fall and spring season. The ranking below uses only tournaments from the spring season.

Vanderbilt, with only one head-to-head loss all spring, easily ranks No. 1 in the spring-only rankings. The Commodores lost to Georgia by four shots, finishing second at the Linger Longer Invitational in March.

Using the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings, the chart below shows each team’s performance only in the spring season as the men’s regional play is set to begin Monday, May 16 and end Wednesday, May 18. The best three teams from the spring not in NCAA Regional play, you ask? That’d be California, Florida Atlantic and Cincinnati (SOS: Strength of schedule).

Spring-only rankings

Rank Team Rating Tournaments SOS Won Lost Tie
1 Vanderbilt 68.66 6 25 95 1 0
2 Oklahoma 69.02 6 2 65 6 0
3 Oklahoma State 69.03 8 14 94 15 0
4 Florida 69.15 6 7 66 8 0
5 Washington 69.33 7 36 97 9 0
6 Texas 69.34 7 11 71 21 0
7 Pepperdine 69.44 8 15 90 22 2
8 Texas Tech 69.55 7 9 82 19 1
9 Georgia Tech 69.57 6 10 72 16 1
10 Arizona State 69.58 7 12 73 19 2
11 Georgia 69.73 6 1 52 19 1
12 North Carolina 69.85 6 8 60 23 0
13 Notre Dame 69.94 6 39 65 13 1
14 Auburn 70.03 7 29 73 25 0
15 Florida State 70.06 7 26 78 20 1
16 LSU 70.06 7 31 82 27 2
17 Texas A&M 70.16 7 33 67 28 2
18 Arkansas 70.16 6 5 49 28 1
19 Illinois 70.23 7 61 76 16 1
20 Wake Forest 70.36 6 3 43 24 0
21 Georgia Southern 70.36 6 63 64 13 1
22 Tennessee 70.41 7 16 65 28 0
23 New Mexico 70.47 8 27 70 33 4
24 Clemson 70.51 7 13 43 33 2
25 South Carolina 70.53 6 38 55 21 4
26 Florida Gulf Coast 70.61 7 68 65 27 1
27 NC State 70.70 6 23 44 23 7
28 North Florida 70.71 8 62 78 21 1
29 Purdue 70.72 5 45 36 24 0
30 East Tennessee State 70.73 6 53 45 20 4
31 Charlotte 70.76 8 83 79 26 0
32 Ohio State 70.78 7 89 60 25 0
33 BYU 70.79 7 67 79 24 1
34 Stanford 70.79 6 18 65 38 1
35 Duke 70.80 6 24 42 28 3
36 Arizona 70.80 6 22 47 34 1
37 Missouri 70.81 5 60 47 19 4
38 Houston 70.83 7 48 59 29 3
39 Mississippi 70.85 7 30 67 33 0
40 Oregon 70.86 7 54 86 31 0
41 San Diego State 70.88 7 34 62 47 1
42 Charleston 70.91 6 72 44 24 3
43 Louisville 70.98 6 17 37 35 3
44 Liberty 70.99 8 59 68 36 1
45 South Florida 70.99 7 35 55 36 1
46 SMU 71.01 6 20 58 36 2
47 Nevada 71.06 6 107 89 14 3
48 Alabama 71.17 5 6 29 39 0
49 Utah 71.27 6 76 52 29 1
50 Mississippi State 71.28 7 51 62 34 2
51 Colorado State 71.31 7 52 64 42 5
52 Little Rock 71.31 6 84 65 21 4
53 Kansas 71.31 6 108 74 21 1
54 Northwestern 71.32 6 47 63 38 1
55 San Diego 71.36 7 49 61 50 2
56 Virginia 71.36 7 46 54 37 0
57 UAB 71.39 8 77 73 32 5
58 Iowa 71.43 6 43 35 34 1
59 Boise State 71.48 6 111 62 26 2
60 Baylor 71.51 6 28 34 43 0
61 Oregon State 71.52 7 55 64 44 5
62 Kentucky 71.52 6 40 38 38 0
63 California 71.53 7 37 52 54 3
64 Florida Atlantic 71.53 6 119 60 27 3
65 Cincinnati 71.54 7 79 49 30 0
66 Michigan State 71.61 6 82 48 17 0
67 UC Davis 71.61 7 80 73 49 4
68 Long Beach State 71.62 7 118 93 36 1
69 Middle Tennessee Sta 71.64 6 128 62 23 3
70 Kansas State 71.64 6 64 57 25 0
71 North Texas 71.64 7 58 50 52 4
72 UCLA 71.68 8 19 43 86 0
73 Loyola Marymount 71.73 7 71 64 43 2
74 UNCW 71.73 7 136 68 28 1
75 Southern Mississippi 71.73 6 124 58 30 1
76 TCU 71.78 6 44 45 62 2
77 West Virginia 71.79 6 32 30 45 2
78 San Francisco 71.80 6 42 35 57 2
79 UNCG 71.95 6 117 51 28 0
80 Louisiana Tech 71.95 7 87 58 40 4
81 Southern California 71.98 7 4 24 70 0
82 Fresno State 72.00 6 127 74 23 3
83 UCF 72.01 6 41 31 47 0
84 Kent State 72.01 7 69 36 47 3
85 San Jose State 72.04 7 50 38 63 3
86 Virginia Tech 72.06 6 65 37 37 1
87 Penn State 72.10 6 74 36 41 2
88 South Alabama 72.10 6 100 41 41 1
89 Jacksonville 72.16 7 94 43 50 2
90 Wisconsin 72.17 5 57 23 43 0
91 UNLV 72.18 7 21 38 64 2
92 Indiana 72.19 5 90 27 33 0
93 ULM 72.20 5 104 36 34 2
94 Marquette 72.21 6 131 34 33 2
95 Furman 72.21 6 109 41 36 0
96 Wright State 72.23 7 240 78 9 0
97 Sam Houston State 72.29 7 121 48 35 1
98 Wyoming 72.30 6 78 40 50 4
99 Washington State 72.31 5 92 38 41 1
100 VCU 72.36 6 157 57 14 1
101 Iowa State 72.37 7 56 44 62 4
102 Arkansas State 72.38 6 81 32 52 2
103 Grand Canyon 72.43 7 137 58 40 3
104 Colorado 72.48 5 73 33 60 2
105 Memphis 72.48 6 66 26 55 1
106 Toledo 72.53 6 95 31 39 3
107 UTSA 72.53 7 97 60 49 1
108 Seton Hall 72.56 7 209 89 9 1
109 Southern Illinois 72.63 6 211 54 10 2
110 SE Louisiana 72.64 5 223 48 5 0
111 Coastal Carolina 72.64 6 70 22 54 2
112 Santa Clara 72.71 8 75 38 76 1
113 Texas State 72.75 6 132 40 42 0
114 Lamar 72.76 7 140 56 41 4
115 Rutgers 72.76 6 114 34 55 1
116 Davidson 72.77 6 141 38 33 1
117 Denver 72.77 6 123 38 63 0
118 Oral Roberts 72.78 7 216 69 24 2
119 Lipscomb 72.79 7 88 29 67 3
120 Augusta University 72.81 6 98 29 41 2
121 ECU 72.82 7 110 30 51 2
122 Saint Mary’s-CA 72.84 8 96 36 77 1
123 James Madison 72.87 6 139 39 36 1
124 Wofford 72.95 6 143 49 44 1
125 Troy 72.96 6 208 55 17 1
126 Abilene Christian 72.98 7 148 70 43 2
127 Francis Marion 73.00 6 158 47 26 0
128 New Mexico State 73.02 8 125 52 65 4
129 Campbell 73.02 6 130 31 47 1
130 Appalachian State 73.04 6 161 51 33 1
131 Wichita State 73.05 5 153 43 31 1
132 Minnesota 73.05 5 85 19 46 2
133 Seattle Univ. 73.05 7 144 49 48 2
134 Rice 73.06 8 102 33 63 2
135 Louisiana 73.09 7 91 25 71 2
136 Texas-Arlington 73.12 6 150 66 32 1
137 Utah Valley 73.12 7 155 51 49 4
138 Elon 73.19 6 166 49 26 0
139 Michigan 73.21 7 86 28 65 5
140 Sacramento State 73.25 7 185 62 36 3
141 UC Irvine 73.26 7 138 41 57 4
142 Maryland 73.26 5 106 24 36 0
143 Creighton 73.26 5 182 60 21 0
144 Nebraska 73.30 5 112 25 40 0
145 Georgia State 73.32 6 105 28 50 2
146 Chattanooga 73.38 6 99 20 52 0
147 Jacksonville State 73.39 7 147 32 41 1
148 UTEP 73.40 6 120 30 62 1
149 Eastern Michigan 73.41 7 146 48 45 3
150 Mercer 73.46 6 133 41 44 1
151 Illinois State 73.46 7 135 31 54 4
152 Cal State Fullerton 73.46 7 149 40 64 1
153 Drexel 73.48 6 205 53 34 1
154 Radford 73.50 6 191 55 27 2
155 Oakland University 73.50 6 197 41 31 2
156 Richmond 73.50 7 171 37 39 1
157 Western Carolina 73.53 7 167 59 46 3
158 North Dakota State 73.58 6 228 35 28 0
159 Dayton 73.62 6 169 43 35 2
160 Valparaiso 73.64 7 235 59 29 1
161 Gonzaga 73.64 5 162 32 42 1
162 Cal Poly 73.75 7 126 20 85 0
163 Northern Illinois 73.76 5 113 10 45 2
164 Connecticut 73.76 6 198 48 34 1
165 Cal State Northridge 73.80 7 181 45 46 2
166 South Dakota State 73.81 6 188 41 34 1
167 Gardner-Webb 73.94 6 174 33 38 0
168 High Point 73.96 5 152 22 35 0
169 Ball State 73.96 6 134 23 56 1
170 Utah State 73.97 5 154 28 43 1
171 New Orleans 74.02 5 220 31 21 1
172 Charleston Southern 74.03 5 177 29 31 1
173 George Mason 74.04 7 196 55 37 0
174 Idaho 74.06 6 151 29 48 1
175 North Alabama 74.07 6 189 39 39 2
176 Temple 74.08 7 178 39 41 0
177 California Baptist 74.08 6 173 43 46 1
178 Incarnate Word 74.08 7 218 46 40 0
179 Princeton 74.08 4 186 22 34 1
180 Miami-Ohio 74.12 7 129 20 75 2
181 Boston College 74.15 5 115 19 54 3
182 UC San Diego 74.16 7 156 28 66 0
183 Old Dominion 74.17 6 183 33 46 2
184 Weber State 74.19 7 200 48 41 2
185 Rhode Island 74.23 6 280 56 18 1
186 Marshall 74.24 6 187 37 42 1
187 Western Kentucky 74.26 5 101 7 59 2
188 Pacific 74.30 6 103 25 68 1
189 Yale 74.31 5 210 32 19 1
190 Tennessee Tech 74.33 5 268 37 20 0
191 Youngstown State 74.44 6 254 37 28 2
192 Loyola-Maryland 74.44 6 184 32 42 1
193 Delaware 74.45 6 202 37 44 4
194 Long Island Univ. 74.49 6 246 39 23 2
195 Kansas City 74.53 5 160 22 50 1
196 Columbia 74.58 6 222 35 29 0
197 Sacred Heart 74.60 6 291 48 9 1
198 Kennesaw State 74.60 6 93 14 70 0
199 Towson 74.62 6 234 42 26 4
200 Georgetown 74.62 5 207 26 28 1
201 Presbyterian College 74.62 5 164 18 44 1
202 Drake 74.67 6 195 37 54 0
203 UTRGV 74.67 6 179 31 59 1
204 Northern Colorado 74.69 6 163 28 58 1
205 St. John’s 74.71 4 231 28 15 2
206 Dixie State 74.72 6 170 22 57 0
207 Rider 74.75 5 272 47 15 4
208 Morehead State 74.78 6 239 40 30 2
209 Samford 74.78 6 168 30 54 2
210 UC Santa Barbara 74.80 7 165 25 68 2
211 Winthrop 74.81 5 190 30 45 1
212 Nicholls State 74.84 5 206 22 34 2
213 Belmont 74.85 5 233 24 32 3
214 Tennessee-Martin 74.88 6 244 43 31 1
215 Eastern Kentucky 74.93 7 193 32 47 3
216 George Washington 74.94 6 192 22 62 2
217 Bellarmine 74.99 8 219 47 52 0
218 Fort Wayne 75.04 7 281 38 17 2
219 Stetson 75.04 8 265 52 31 0
220 Harvard 75.05 3 252 24 14 0
221 Army West Point 75.08 5 180 15 38 1
222 Hawaii 75.10 6 116 15 74 0
223 Bucknell 75.11 6 260 56 23 2
224 Loyola-Chicago 75.12 5 203 27 40 2
225 Lafayette 75.13 6 267 57 23 1
226 Bowling Green 75.14 5 142 11 51 1
227 Siena 75.15 6 275 41 38 3
228 Dartmouth 75.22 7 212 28 58 1
229 William & Mary 75.22 5 214 19 38 0
230 Cleveland State 75.24 6 230 31 43 2
231 Villanova 75.27 6 245 39 38 1
232 USC Upstate 75.32 5 145 9 61 0
233 Missouri State 75.34 6 227 36 39 0
234 Stephen F. Austin 75.40 6 199 14 56 1
235 UC Riverside 75.41 6 172 11 60 0
236 Houston Baptist 75.46 6 176 15 54 0
237 Northern Iowa 75.47 5 243 24 21 0
238 IUPUI 75.51 5 215 19 36 1
239 Longwood 75.52 5 225 20 33 0
240 Xavier 75.59 6 221 17 46 1
241 SIU Edwardsville 75.62 5 217 17 52 1
242 Butler 75.68 6 229 26 41 0
243 Central Arkansas 75.71 6 201 22 53 0
244 DePaul 75.74 5 194 13 54 0
245 Iona 75.79 8 287 50 42 6
246 Robert Morris 75.90 5 276 35 29 5
247 Austin Peay 75.91 4 213 16 35 1
248 Fairfield 75.93 8 289 44 35 3
249 Ohio 75.94 6 204 13 61 4
250 Northern Kentucky 75.95 5 249 22 29 0
251 Fairleigh Dickinson 75.99 4 257 14 23 3
252 Murray State 76.00 5 248 19 43 0
253 Hartford 76.01 6 241 13 47 0
254 St. Bonaventure 76.08 6 237 15 51 0
255 Air Force 76.10 5 122 17 48 0
256 Omaha 76.15 6 224 19 57 1
257 Cornell 76.22 4 255 20 25 3
258 Monmouth 76.24 5 292 33 29 0
259 Texas Southern 76.25 5 295 20 9 0
260 Southern Utah 76.25 6 175 7 79 0
261 St. Thomas 76.27 5 250 12 25 0
262 Bryant 76.37 7 286 25 25 3
263 Binghamton 76.44 6 269 18 46 0
264 Colgate 76.51 6 270 27 37 5
265 Florida A&M 76.54 6 279 15 44 2
266 La Salle 76.64 6 271 10 47 1
267 Lehigh 76.67 5 251 17 40 2
268 South Dakota 76.67 7 238 20 60 1
269 Chicago State 76.83 5 266 15 27 1
270 Western Illinois 76.86 7 264 21 44 1
271 Pennsylvania 76.89 5 242 8 45 1
272 Navy 77.05 4 159 5 48 0
273 Evansville 77.16 7 285 16 36 1
274 Mount St. Mary’s 77.16 5 278 28 37 1
275 Howard 77.23 4 261 8 38 4
276 Bradley 77.24 5 236 6 37 0
277 Holy Cross 77.31 7 259 12 77 1
278 Arkansas-Pine Bluff 77.40 5 294 12 23 0
279 Alabama State 77.42 4 298 10 12 0
280 Green Bay 77.65 5 253 7 42 1
281 Saint Joseph’s 77.67 6 232 7 64 2
282 Fordham 77.90 4 256 6 44 1
283 North Carolina A&T 77.91 5 293 12 32 0
284 Prairie View A&M 77.99 6 262 3 44 0
285 Saint Peter’s 78.09 4 290 11 33 0
286 St. Francis-PA 78.23 5 263 9 39 1
287 Detroit 78.28 5 247 8 45 0
288 North Dakota 78.45 5 226 3 51 0
289 Niagara 78.55 5 277 6 43 1
290 Canisius 78.74 3 284 3 27 0
291 Eastern Illinois 78.99 6 273 4 43 0
292 Hofstra 79.23 6 258 4 51 0
293 NC Central 79.75 5 296 9 28 1
294 Manhattan 80.07 7 282 3 64 0
295 Alabama A&M 80.31 6 288 4 49 0
296 Tennessee State 80.31 4 283 2 37 0
297 Wagner 81.30 3 274 0 30 0
298 MD Eastern Shore 81.31 5 297 0 31 0

 

Oklahoma is No. 1 in final spring 2022 Bushnell/Golfweek Division I Coaches Poll

The Sooners received all 22 first-place votes.

It has been a monumental few weeks for Oklahoma.

Winners of the 2022 Big 12 title, the Sooners are also the No. 1 overall seed in the 2022 NCAA postseason. OU will host the Norman regional at Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club starting Monday.

Add to that, Oklahoma is No. 1 in the final spring 2022 Bushnell/Golfweek Div. I Coaches Poll after receiving all 22 first-place votes.

The top six remain unchanged, as Oklahoma State, Vanderbilt, Arizona State, Pepperdine and Texas come in behind OU.

The 2022 Division I regionals are set for May 16-18. The advancing teams will then convene at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, for the NCAA Championships, May 27- June 1.

Rank University (First-place votes) Points Previous
1 Oklahoma (22) 550 1
2 Oklahoma State 518 2
3 Vanderbilt 503 3
4 Arizona State 467 4
5 Pepperdine 456 5
6 Texas 443 6
7 North Carolina 431 8
T-8 Texas Tech 391 7
T-8 Washington 391 9
10 Florida 337 15
11 Georgia Tech 318 12
12 Georgia 308 T-10
13 Texas A&M 292 17
14 Arkansas 260 T-10
15 Notre Dame 218 13
16 Wake Forest 213 16
17 Stanford 201 18
18 Auburn 189 14
19 Illinois 165 20
20 Tennessee 135 19
21 LSU 112 23
22 Florida State 99 T-21
23 Clemson 68 25
24 South Carolina 37 24
25 Mississippi 17 T-21
Others receiving votes: New Mexico (10); Purdue (9); East Tennessee State (5); Kansas (2); New Mexico State (2); NC State (2); Oregon (1).

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Barry holds on to top spot in final spring 2022 Bushnell/Golfweek Division II Coaches Poll

The Buccaneers finished second in their regional and has advanced to the 2022 NCAA Division II Championships.

No change at the top as Barry checks in at No. 1 in the final Bushnell/Golfweek Division II Coaches Poll for spring 2022.

Barry, which finished second in the South/Southeastern regional, received all but one of the 21 first-place votes.

The Buccaneers were followed in the top five by Arkansas Tech, Lee, North Georgia and Limestone, which collected the other first-place vote while jumping up five spots to No. 5.

Colorado State-Pueblo is No. 19, one of four teams in the poll who were unranked last time out.

The 2022 NCAA Division II Championships will take place May 16-20 at TPC Michigan in Dearborn, Michigan.

Rank Team (First-place votes) Points Previous
1 Barry (20) 524 1
2 Arkansas Tech 485 2
3 Lee 475 3
4 North Georgia 442 8
5 Limestone (1) 404 10
6 Lincoln Memorial 378 5
7 Oklahoma Christian 367 6
8 Georgia Southwestern 356 13
9 Carson-Newman 353 4
10 Florida Southern 307 14
11 Central Missouri 280 16
12 West Florida 267 9
13 South Carolina-Aiken 250 7
14 Midwestern State 228 17
15 Nova Southeastern 219 11
16 Lander 150 15
17 Rogers State 148 12
18 Columbus State 134 18
19 Colorado State-Pueblo 133 NR
20 Barton 132 19
21 West Georgia 124 24
22 Saint Leo 110 T-20
23 Indianapolis 97 NR
24 Grand Valley State 79 NR
25 Missouri – St. Louis 67 NR
Others receiving votes: Findlay (49); Belmont Abbey (44); Henderson State (35); Colorado Mesa (25); Clayton State (22); Delta State (16); Lynn (12); Texas A&M Commerce (12); Erskine (11); Queens University of Charlotte (10); McKendree (6); Harding (6); Cameron (5); Flagler (4); Western Washington (3); Newberry (3); Livingstone (2); King (2); Tampa (2); Northeastern State (2); Union (TN) (1); St. Thomas Aquinas (1); Virginia Union (1).

 

Keiser is No. 1 in final spring 2022 Bushnell/Golfweek NAIA Coaches Poll

Keiser ended its spring 2022 men’s golf campaign where it began: at the top.

Keiser ended its spring 2022 men’s golf campaign where it began: at the top.

The Seahawks, who dominated the Sun Conference Championship with a 27-shot victory, is No. 1 once again in the Bushnell/Golfweek NAIA Coaches Poll, the final poll of the spring season.

College of Coastal Georgia is No. 2, while South Carolina Beaufort is No. 3, followed by Southeastern and Ottawa (AZ).

The 2022 NAIA Championship is set for May 17-20 at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois.

Rank Team (First-place votes) Points Previous
1 Keiser (16) 400 1
2 College of Coastal Georgia 379 3
3 South Carolina Beaufort 354 2
4 Southeastern (Fla.) 350 T-19
5 Ottawa (AZ) 344 4
6 British Columbia 297 6
7 Texas Wesleyan 295 10
8 Oklahoma City 291 5
9 Dalton State 290 7
10 Point 248 8
11 Wayland Baptist 226 12
12 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical (AZ) 211 11
13 Bellevue 204 13
14 Lewis Clark State 201 9
15 Taylor 161 17
16 Reinhardt 160 16
17 Southwestern Christian 155 15
18 Victoria 121 14
T-19 The Master’s University 107 24
T-19 Tennessee Wesleyan 104 21
21 Morningside 68 NR
22 Lindsey Wilson 55 T-19
23 SCAD Savannah 50 22
24 Truett-McConnell 32 25
25 William Woods 22 23
Others receiving votes: Faulkner (21); Central Methodist (12); Sterling (11); Missouri Valley College (10); Lawrence Tech (5); Roosevelt (5); St. Ambrose (4); Midway (2); Milligan (2); William Baptist (1); William Carey (1); Benedictine University at Mesa (1).

 

A Q&A with the coach whose team got the last at-large berth in the NCAA Regionals: ‘We’ll be ready’

The top five teams from each regional, along with the top individual not on those teams, will advance to the national championships.

The Colorado State men’s golf team earned an at-large berth to one of six NCAA Regionals, with a chance to advance to the national championships.

The Rams were the last at-large team selected to participate in a regional tournament, getting the No. 11 seed in the Bryan (Texas) Regional, hosted by Texas A&M, from Monday through Wednesday at Traditions Club.

The top five teams from each regional, along with the top individual not on those teams, will advance to the national championships May 27 to June 1 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.

CSU is making its 20th appearance in an NCAA Regional and first since 2019. The Rams advanced to the national championships in 1999 and 2011. CSU’s A.J. Ott played in the postseason as an individual last year, qualifying for the Stillwater (Oklahoma) Regional and finishing in a tie for second there to reach the national championships.

We caught up with 10th-year CSU coach Christian Newton to discuss the Rams’ success this season.

Question: What does it say about this year’s team getting to the NCAA regionals? Because that’s not an easy task.

Newton: No, it’s not, I’m very proud of them. I’m proud of how far we’ve come.

We had a bit of a tumultuous year. We’ve lost players to suspensions. We’ve lost them to a player who got hit in the head with a golf ball and got a concussion. We’ve had two back injuries. We’ve just had a lot of issues to deal with amongst the team, so we’ve had a lot adversity.

But they’ve been awesome. We were ranked as high as (No.) 110 in the country to start the spring, and we’ve just kind of scrapped our way back and ended up being the last team to get into the NCAA regionals.

We had some really great wins coming down the stretch. I think it just says a lot about their adversity and kind of what they fought through, so I’m very proud of them.

Q: Having an individual Mountain West champion is something that hasn’t happened often for CSU golf. What was that like for Connor (Jones) and the program?

A: That was really awesome. He had been peaking. He was playing really well but maybe just had lost a little confidence in his putting. And then he made a switch, switched a few things up with his putting, and in the last four events he played really well. He finished second in an event, and then he’s just had a lot of solid finishes.

And then for him to go to Mountain West and win there was awesome. He had maybe as big as a five-shot lead at one time, and then that lead dwindled down to nothing. He was tied for the lead, and then he birdies the 17th hole the last day to go up by one and pars the last to win.

So, I think it says a lot about him, what he’s quietly done. If you look at where he came from; Connor’s a transfer from (University of Denver), and was in and out of their lineup last year. He comes here, he plays every single time and then he ends up winning the Mountain West individual title. He has an incredible story.

Colorado State men’s golf coach Christian Newton, right, helps Connor Jones prepare for a shot during the Ram Masters Invitational Sept. 20-21, 2021, at Fort Collins (Colo.) Country Club.

Q: How much did that second-place finish as a team at the Mountain West Championships boost your chances of earning an at-large berth to the NCAA regionals?

A: It was huge, because basically the week before we had beaten Nevada and Boise (State), who were both teams that were in the top 50 that were in. Pretty much going to conference, I thought we would have to win or finish second.

So we go to conference, and we beat New Mexico to go to 2-1 against those guys on the year, and they were top 25, and beat Nevada and Boise again to have a 2-0 record against Boise and a 2-2 record against Nevada. It was huge.

I thought we would be really close by where we were by finishing second. I didn’t realize it would be so close as to where we were the last ones in.

Q: How exciting is this given that you were doing so well before COVID-19 shut down the 2020 season?

A: It is rewarding. We had it going, ranked (No.) 19 in the country when we got shut down in 2020, and it’s been a hard road back. Some programs have really benefitted from some of the things that happened with COVID. I don’t necessarily know if we would have benefitted. I think we’ve just had some real challenges, roster management and, in general, things that you do within the program.

So, for us to kind of start playing well and make it back into the postseason says a lot about where the program is. We don’t lose any of those starters, which is awesome, and we’re going to add two really good players, as well.

Things are looking back on the up and up for the program.

Q: Going back to some of the impacts of COVID-19 restrictions on your program, you had a number of international players on that team that I assume were affected even more by restrictions than the players from Colorado faced. How did they navigate their circumstances?

A: Basically they couldn’t get back over (to the U.S.). Restrictions for golf in Europe were not like they were here, where golf went gangbusters here. In Europe, everything was closed. We had a couple Swedes and an English player, they weren’t even able to play golf.

So, they’re out for the fall and then they roll back in here in Colorado in January, where obviously things are a little more challenging for golf, as well. We had some specific challenges as it related to those international players even getting back into the States. There were times I didn’t even think we’d get them back.

So, yeah, there have been a lot of challenges. I’m thankful for the way the team has handled it, and we really just took it day by day. We just said you know we’re writing a story here, and we’re going to write it as good as we can, and we’re going to make the ending really awesome.

The ending was not looking very good come December. But we certainly changed course and ended up writing a pretty cool story.

Q: It seems like your team is playing its best golf at the end of the year, with a lot of top finishes here in the past month?

A: Yes, and they’re very capable of getting one of those top-five spots. We’ve been close before. We’ve been fifth and lost in a playoff. We’ve been seventh and a couple shots back. So they’re highly capable of doing it, and I’ve told them that. They don’t have to do anything special (this) week; they just have to be themselves. A lot of times teams will show up and try a little harder because it’s the NCAA postseason. We’re just going on. We just have to be who we are and let the chips fall where they will.

Q: If you’re not able to advance to the national championships as a team, what are the chances some of your players advance as individuals? I know those are hard spots to get.

A: (Bryant) Davis and Connor would have gone on as individuals already. An individual advancing’s tough. A.J. Ott did it last year, and he had to finish second (at regionals) to do it. So, you’re pretty much looking at a top-five finish to get that done. There are guys that are capable of doing that, but we’re going to focus on the team advancing, so everybody gets to go.

Q: What do you know about this course?

A: The team has not played it. I’ve been there recruiting probably 10 years ago. I’ve done some homework with some coaches that have played there. It sounds like it’s a long golf course. It’s very challenging. They had a spring tournament there this year, and Texas A&M won with 30-over (par). I think it’s going to be hard, the wind may blow, and it’s going to be hot.

We’ll be ready. We’re going to go out early and try to get acclimated to the grass and temperature and give it our best shot.

Kelly Lyell reports on CSU, high school and other local sports and topics of interest for the Coloradoan. Contact him at kellylyell@coloradoan.com, follow him on Twitter @KellyLyell and find him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/KellyLyell.news.

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Meet the 24 teams and 12 individuals to advance to the 2022 NCAA Div. I Women’s Golf National Championship

Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, will host the national championship, May 20-25.

College golf’s championship season is off and running, with all eyes on the Arizona desert.

After three rounds of play across six regionals, a total of 24 teams and 12 individuals not on a qualifying team have punched their tickets to the 2022 NCAA Div. I Women’s Golf National Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, May 20-25.

USC set a national record for regional titles with its 14th on Wednesday, claiming the Stanford regional by eight shots over hosts Stanford and LSU. On the flip side, Oregon claimed its first regional title by sweeping the Albuquerque regional, while junior Briana Chacon earned the program’s first individual title by four shots.

Check out all 24 teams and 12 individuals who will be competing for a national title.

Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings: Women’s team | Women’s individual

Teams

  • Alabama
  • Arizona State
  • Arkansas
  • Auburn
  • Baylor
  • Florida State
  • Georgia
  • LSU
  • Michigan
  • Mississippi State
  • Oklahoma State
  • Oregon
  • Purdue
  • San Jose State
  • South Carolina
  • Stanford
  • TCU
  • Texas
  • Texas A&M
  • UCLA
  • USC
  • Vanderbilt
  • Virginia
  • Wake Forest

Individuals

  • Letizia Bagnoli, Florida Atlantic
  • Camryn Carreon, UTSA
  • Ruby Chou, Iowa State
  • Marina Escobar Domingo, Florida
  • Taglao Jeeravivitaporn, Iowa State
  • Emily Mahar, Virginia Tech
  • Jana Melichova, Old Dominion
  • Anna Morgan, Furman
  • Leila Raines, Michigan State
  • Viera Permata Rosada, Sam Houston
  • Chiara Tamburlini, Ole Miss
  • Natalia Yoko, Augusta

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NCAA Women’s Regionals: USC wins big in Stanford, a San Jose State sweep and more from Wednesday’s final round

Everything you need to know for the final rounds of regional play.

College golf’s championship season rolls on with regionals this week, with the women first to play.

There were six regional championship sites that featured 12 teams and six individuals (72 teams and 36 individuals, total), with play beginning on Monday, May 9 and ending Wednesday, May 11. The top four teams (24 total) and the top two individuals (12 total) not on a qualifying team from each regional advanced to the national championship at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, May 20-25.

Below you’ll find a recap, as well as a breakdown of what to watch for from each regional as the final round concludes from all six sites.

Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings: Women’s team | Women’s individual

PGA Tour University changes eligibility rules as first LIV Golf event approaches

Players set to receive PGA Tour University benefits have a big decision to make regarding their professional futures.

Greg Norman has said that amateurs would be able to play in his Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series, but those in the top 15 of the PGA Tour University Ranking who are considering the rival golf entity may want to think otherwise.

The Tour has previously stated that it “reserves the right to make final determinations regarding a player’s eligibility in PGA Tour University,” and Wednesday Golfweek learned of two amendments, effective immediately.

Players who finish inside the top 15 of the final ranking will be ineligible for PGA Tour University, “and may not accept the performance benefits associated with a top-15 finish (in the current season and subsequent seasons) if such player competes in any professional golf tournament that is not ranked by the Official World Golf Ranking, excluding such events that have been previously approved by the PGA Tour.”

If a player is deemed ineligible or decides not to accept the benefits, they will be offered to the next eligible player in the final ranking. The first LIV Golf Invitational Series event is scheduled for next month, June 9-11, in London. As of now, the LIV Golf events do not offer OWGR points.

More: PGA Tour denies releases for LIV Golf event

The PGA Tour University Ranking is based on results and level of competition. After the 2022 NCAA Men’s Golf National Championship ends June 1, the top‐15 players in the Class of 2022 will earn status on the Korn Ferry Tour or a PGA Tour international tour.

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