Tag: College Golf Notebook

Women’s college golf notebook: Ole Miss sweeps The Ally, Kentucky on top at Tar Heel Invitational

Here’s what you missed in the women’s college golf world.

Two weeks ago at the Blessings Collegiate in Arkansas, it was Mississippi State capturing the team and individual titles. This week, Ole Miss got revenge, and it did so at its rival’s event.

The Rebels captured The Ally at Old Waverly Golf Club in West Point, Mississippi, beating SMU by two shots and host Mississippi State by 19 to win for the second time this season. It was also the second win for Ole Miss senior Andrea Lignell, who shot 3-under 213 to win by two shots.

Lignell was about as consistent as you can be, shooting 1 under in every round to beat SMU’s Ellie Szeryk, who was the only other player to finish under par. James Madison’s Kendall Turner and Ole Miss’ Ellen Hume tied for third at even par.

Andrea Lignell
Andrea Lignell after winning the 2022 The Ally. (Photo: Ole Miss Women’s Golf)

In the team competition, Alabama placed fourth while Old Dominion came in fifth. SMU led heading into the final round, but Ole Miss was eight shots better than the Mustangs to come away with the win.

Meanwhile, for Lignell, her worst finish is second on the season, which came at the Blessings Collegiate.

Abby Daniel was the lowest-placing finisher for host Mississippi State, coming in at T-10. Julia Lopez Ramirez, who won the Blessings Collegiate, finished T-20.

Kentucky sweeps Tar Heel Invite

At the Governors Club in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Wake Forest came in as a big favorite after last week’s stroke-play win at the Stephens Cup before falling against Stanford in match play. However, the Demon Deacons didn’t walk away from the Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invite with the trophy.

That honor went to Kentucky. The Wildcats led Wake Forest by one stroke heading into the final round, and they were the only team in the 14-school field to shoot under par on the final day, securing the second straight team title for Kentucky.

The Wildcats finished at 4 under for the tournament, and Wake Forest finished five strokes off the pace. Host North Carolina tallied a third-place finish at 13 over while Tennessee and Michigan rounded out the top five.

Jensen Castle
Jensen Castle, who won the 2021 U.S. Women’s Amateur, captured the 2022 Tar Heel Invitational. (Photo: Kentucky Athletics)

Meanwhile, Jensen Castle, the 2021 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion, secured her first collegiate victory. She beat Duke’s Phoebe Brinker in a playoff with a par on the par-3 ninth hole. The duo finished the tournament at 7-under 209, but Castle shot 4 under in the final round to tie Brinker, who managed an even-par 72 on the last day.

Kentucky’s Laney Frye finished in third at 6 under, one shot out of the playoff. She was 1 under in the final round. The Wake Forest duo of Emilia Migliaccio and Lauren Walsh tied for fourth at 3 under.

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Men’s college golf notebook: Garrison Smith sets New Mexico State record, Texas Tech captures Big 12 match play

Here’s what you missed in the men’s college golf world.

It’s safe to say it was a good week for Garrison Smith and the New Mexico State men’s golf team.

The Aggies won the Herb Wimberly Intercollegiate for the third straight season, cruising to a 20-shot victory over second-place Seattle University and Weber State.

Smith, a senior, ran away with the individual title, shooting a 15-under 198 at University Golf Course in Las Crusas, New Mexico. The 198 total is the lowest 54-hole score in New Mexico State history. This season, Smith has yet to finish worse than third place. He has recorded two third-place finishes to go along with his victory. He had only two bogeys en route to his win.

New Mexico State was the only team to shoot below par, finishing at 20 under. California Baptist came in fourth, one shot behind Seattle University and Weber State, and Western New Mexico placed fifth at 12 over.

In the individual competition, Texas A&M Commerce’s Nathan McCulloch placed second at 8 under. Texas Tech’s Gustav Andersson placed third at 4 under, along with New Mexico State’s Aiden Thomas. Weber State’s Cameron Gray rounded out the top five, finishing at 3 under.

Texas Tech captures Big 12 Match Play

Ludvig Abert and Calum Scott have been terrific for Texas Tech this fall. That’s why it’s no surprise when the Red Raiders needed their duo to step up in the Big 12 match play final against Oklahoma, they did just that.

Aberg and Scott secured the final 1.5 points, as Texas Tech topped the Sooners 3.5-2.5 in the championship match at The Club at Houston Oaks in Houston to win for the second time this fall. Aberg birdied the 18th hole to put the Red Raiders up 3-2, and Scott followed that up with a big par putt to halve the 18th and earn the half point, securing the victory for Texas Tech.

Jack Wall had a 4 and 3 victory to get a point for the Red Raiders earlier in the match. Texas Tech beat defending national champion Texas earlier in the day to advance to the championship match, while the Sooners defeated in-state rival Oklahoma State. The Cowboys fell against TCU in the third-place match.

Oklahoma gets $5 million donation to renovate practice facilities

Speaking of the Sooners, their practice facilities are about to receive a big facelift.

Oklahoma announced a $5 million gift from longtime golf supporter Jerry Ransom that will support the modernization of the existing Charlie Coe Center and the creation of a new indoor golf performance center.

The upcoming facility improvements to the Charlie Coe Center will result in a renovated clubhouse that includes suites for both men’s and women’s programs and a multi-purpose area that will showcase each program’s history. Each suite will feature a locker room, a players lounge, coaches offices and a rest-and-recovery space.

In addition to these improvements, the gift will create a indoor performance center. The center will include six hitting bays equipped with world-class swing analysis technology, a putting studio, putting lab, a golf simulator and conference rooms for team instruction.

Winner of The Clerico will get exemption into Korn Ferry Tour event

Win a college event, get an exemption into a Korn Ferry Tour event.

The individual champion of next week’s The Clerico at The Oaks Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma, will also earn an exemption into one of the newest Korn Ferry Tour’s events, the Compliance Solutions Championship at Jimmie Austin Golf Club in Norman, Oklahoma.

The teams competing are Missouri State, New Mexico State, Oral Roberts, Rice, Southern Utah, Stephen F. Austin State, Texas State, University of Missouri Kansas City, Northern Iowa, South Alabama, UTSA, and Utah State. Individuals from Oklahoma State and Oklahoma will compete, too. Next week’s champion will be included in the 156-player field on June 22-25, 2023.

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Men’s college golf notebook: St. Thomas earns first Division-I win, North Carolina captures Ben Hogan Collegiate

Here’s what you missed in the men’s college golf world.

St. Thomas made history at the Big O Classic.

The school earned its first Division I victory in any sport after three second-place finishes last year. It won the 14-team tournament at Indian Creek Golf Course in Nebraska, shooting 1-under 863 for the tournament and beating host Omaha and Southern Illinois Edwardsville by five shots.

The Purple started the final day tied for the lead with SIU Edwardsville, just two shots ahead of Omaha, the host school. St. Thomas carded a one-over-289. The 863 total was only two shots off the low 54-hole score of last school year.

Matthew Raab tied his career-best round with his 3-under 69, aided by seven birdies to offset four bogeys. His 54-hole score of 214 was a career best by one shot. He placed fifth overall in the field of 93 golfers.

North Carolina gets on track in Texas

It’s safe to say North Carolina hadn’t played up to its preseason expectations through its first two tournaments of the 2022-23 season.

Yet the Tar Heels got on track in Texas against a field that featured some of the best men’s teams in the country. North Carolina captured the Ben Hogan Collegiate, finishing at 15-under 825 as a team for the week. It beat second-place Texas Tech by nine shots. The Tar Heels led after every round.

And North Carolina got a big win in large part to its big three: David Ford, Dylan Menante and Austin Greaser. The latter, who won the Western Amateur this summer, finished in a tie for third at 6 under. Texas freshman Christiaan Maas and Vanderbilt’s Gordon Sargent, who captured the 2022 NCAA individual title.

Ford finished in a tie for sixth at 4 under while Menante came in a stroke behind.

TCU’s Gustav Frimodt picked his first collegiate victory. He shot 8-under 202 after 54 holes, beating Pepperdine’s William Mouw by a shot for the trophy.

The Ben Hogan Collegiate was played at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas.

Little Rock wins at Trinity Forest

Little Rock picked up a big win at Trinity Forest Golf Club in Dallas, shooting a 31 under total over three days to win the Trinity Forest Invitational. Little Rock beat SMU by three shots and Baylor by eight.

SMU’s Nathan Petronzio won the individual crown at 13-under 203. He shot 4 under in the final round to win by two shots over Furman’s Walker Crosby and North Texas’ Vicente Marzillo.

Crosby shot 7-under 65 in the final round to vault up the leaderboard. Matteo Cristoni was the highest-finishing player from Little Rock, coming in fourth at 10 under. Anton Albers was at 7 under while Jansen Smith finished at 6 under.

The win is the second this season for Little Rock and the third victory in program history.

Cameron Jourdan covers college and amateur golf for Golfweek. Got a college or amateur story? Email him at cjourdan@golfweek.com.

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Women’s college golf notebook: Minnesota freshman sets numerous records, Amari Avery, USC victorious in Chicago

Here’s what you missed in the women’s college golf world.

It has been a record-setting stretch for Minnesota freshman Luisamariana Mesones.

She has won consecutive Big 10 women’s golfer of the week awards, and those accolades have come with good reason. For two straight weeks, she has set Sunday course records as well as numerous Minnesota records.

At the Lady Paladin Invitational, Mesones shot 64 in the final round. Her score broke the Gopher women’s 18-hole record while her two-round score of 134 broke the women’s 36-hole record.

The next week, she improved on her records. She shot a final-round 8-under 62 and finished runner-up for the second straight week. She broke the women’s 18-, 36- and 54-hole records in only the third college tournament of her career,

Team wise, at the Evie Odom Invitational, Minnesota recorded a team-record round score of 17-under 263, earning a second-place finish.

USC victorious in Chicago

The USC women’s golf team didn’t get started as strongly as it wanted to this season.

The Trojans finished eighth at the Dick McGuire Invitational in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and their highest individual finisher came in T-17.

USC didn’t waste any time getting back to its winning ways after the second event of the fall. The Trojans captured the Windy City Collegiate Classic at Exmoor Country Club in Highland Park, Illinois. The Trojans had the lowest first and second round scores and were able to capitalize on the big lead for their first win of the fall.

“This was a really, really satisfying win coming off the last couple weeks of practice,” USC coach Justin Silverstein said in a release. “We had to have some very difficult and honest conversations after the New Mexico event, and I couldn’t be happier with how this group responded. They worked very hard and very smart the past three weeks, and they deserve this victory.”

USC (3-over 867) beat South Carolina by by nine strokes. Oregon finished in third.

In addition, star sophomore Amari Avery picked up her fourth collegiate victory. She’s two back from the all-time program wins mark, which Annie Park holds. Avery shot 2 over in the final round to finish at 6-under 210 for the week, one shot better than South Carolina’s Hannah Darling, who was 4 under in the final round. Texas’ Bentley Cotton placed third at 1-under 215.

Tulsa conquers difficult Barbara Nicklaus Cup

How hard is Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio? The place that Jack Nicklaus built proved extremely tough for some of the nation’s top women’s teams.

In the Barbara Nicklaus Cup, Muirfield Village played as a par-72 and to 6,362 yards. And the scores continued to tick up every single round.

Tulsa captured the tournament at 88-over 952 for the 54-hole event. Maryland finished in second at 95 over while TCU placed third at 97 over. Those were the only three programs in the eight-team field to finished better than 100 over.

88 over winning a golf tournament? Yup.

Tulsa women's golf
Tulsa women’s golf won the 2022 Barbara Nicklaus Cup. (Photo: Tulsa Athletics)

TCU freshman Sofia Barroso Sa won the individual title at 13 over. Tulsa freshman Grace Kilcrease tied for second two shots back, along with Maryland’s Nicha Kanpai and Furman’s Sarah-Eve Rheaume. Barroso Sa had the lowest round of the week, an even-par 72, in the second round.

Cameron Jourdan covers college and amateur golf for Golfweek. Got a college or amateur story? Email him at cjourdan@golfweek.com.

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Women’s college golf notebook: Western Carolina, Montana State set numerous records, Mississippi State wins Mason Rudolph

Here’s what you missed in the women’s college golf world.

Western Carolina could do no wrong.

The Catamounts set numerous records en route to its victory at the Aggie Invitational, their second win of the season. Western Carolina obliterated the school’s 54-hole record of 872 set a year ago by 24 strokes, finishing with a program-best 848 over the three-round event at the Players Course at Bryan Park in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Senior Madison Isaacson claimed individual medalist honors with a school-record 54-hole score of 10-under 206. She was seven strokes better than the previous school record of 213 shot by Amy Wooten in spring 2019. Isaacson carded rounds of 69-70-67, each of which either matched or bested her previous low collegiate round.

Paced by Isaacson, the Catamounts held the top five positions in the final standings with four of its scoring five and one individual grouped at the top of the leaderboard. The next four in the standings for Western Carolina – runner-up Elizabeth Lohbauer, freshman Brie Mapanao in third, redshirt freshman Kayleigh Baker in fourth and individual competitor Kaitlyn Wingnean in fifth – each posted the best finish and 54-hole scores of their career.

In the second round, the Catamounts shot a school-record 10-under 278. They won by 53 strokes over second-place Appalachian State.

Mississippi State wins Mason Rudolph

Mississippi State trailed by six shots going into the final round at the Mason Rudolph Collegiate at Vanderbilt Legends Club in Franklin, Tennessee, but the Bulldogs had one of the best rounds in team history up their sleeve.

As a team, Mississippi State recorded the fourth lowest third round in school history (7 under) to capture the title, topping Arizona by four strokes and Vanderbilt by five. The 19-under total is the fifth-lowest tally after 54 holes by the team in school history.

“It’s a very special feeling to win the Mason Rudolph Championship and a week that certainly we will all cherish for a long time,” Mississippi State coach Charlie Ewing said.

Julia Lopez Ramirez and Izzy Pellot combined to play the last five holes at 6 under. Lopez Ramirez was just 1-under on the day through 13 holes but played the last five holes in 5 under to finish at 6-under 66 for the day. The reigning SEC Freshman of the Year eagled the par-5 14th hole and birdied the last three holes, finishing in fourth at 6-under 210.

Hannah Levi also had a big tournament, finishing at 6 under. Auburn’s Megan Schofill won the individual competition at 9 under. LSU’s Ingrid Lindblad finished T-7 at 5-under 211.

Montana State, Weidig Velazquez make history at Eagle Invitational

The Montana State University women’s golf team finished second at Eastern Washington’s Eagle Invitational with an 883 (294-291-298) at the par-72, 6,000-yard Indian Canyon Golf Course. The Bobcats’ three-round score is the best single-round tournament score in program history.

Weidig Velazquez, who won the individual title, is the first Bobcat to win back-to-back individual titles in this century. She joins Jen McGregor (1993-97), Kelly Gillum (2004-09) and Melanie Wasmann (1996-2000) as the only Bobcats to win multiple tournaments.

Weidig Velazquez
Weidig Velazquez won her second straight tournament at the 2022 Eagle Invitational. (Photo: Montana State Golf)

Velazquez shot 1-under 215 over the 54-hole tournament.

Florida State holds off late-charging TCU in Schooner Classic

TCU sat in seventh place heading into the final round of the Schooner Classic at Belmar Golf Club in Norman, Oklahoma, but the Horned Frogs got hot in the third round.

With a final-round 12-under 268, the third lowest round of the week, TCU vaulted into second place, but Florida State’s 4 under final round was enough to give the Seminoles the title.

Florida State led after every round, taking control with a 13-under 267 in the first round. Lottie Woad finished in eighth at 5 under while Charlotte Heath finished ninth a stroke behind.

TCU’s Caitlyn Macnab shot 6-under 64 in the final round to finish at 10 under and beat Iowa State’s Karisa Chul-Ak-Sorn by one shot. Chul-Ak-Sorn also shot 6 under in the final round.

Cameron Jourdan covers college and amateur golf for Golfweek. Got a college or amateur story? Email him at cjourdan@golfweek.com.

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Men’s college golf notebook: Vanderbilt continues to dominate stroke play, five players all shoot same 54-hole score

Here’s what you missed in the men’s college golf world.

The Vanderbilt men’s golf team has been nearly unbeatable in stroke play since the start of the 2022 spring season.

That hot streak has continued into the fall. At the SEC fall event, Vanderbilt shot 39 under, beating second-place Tennessee by four strokes. Since the spring, the Commodores are 135-1-2 in stroke play.

Vanderbilt’s Matthew Riedel took home the individual title at 13-under 197, beating a trio of golfers by one shot. Mississippi State’s Garrett Endicott, Tennessee’s Jake Hall and Vanderbilt’s Gordon Sargent, the 2022 NCAA individual champion, all finished at 12 under.

In the match-play portion of the event, Vanderbilt squared off against Tennessee at Old Overton Club in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, and it was the Volunteers knocking off the Commodores, 3-2. Redshirt freshman Lance Simpson, redshirt junior Jake Hall and redshirt junior Bryce Lewis won their matches to give Tennessee the victory and the sixth tournament title for coach Brennan Webb.

Tennessee
Tennessee won the 2022 SEC Fall Match Play. (Photo: Tennessee Athletics)

The tournament win marks the Volunteers’ first team title since the 2020 Lamkin Grips San Diego Classic, which took place just before the COVID-19 shutdown.

Hall, who finished tied for second place in the stroke play portion of the event, gave Tennessee its first win of the day, pulling away from Vanderbilt’s Cole Sherwood on the back nine after a back-and-forth front nine to capture a 3&2 win. After trailing by a hole to William Moll through 15 holes, Simpson won three straight from hole 16 on, eventually capturing a 2-up victory to give Tennessee its second match win of the day. Despite a furious comeback from Vanderbilt’s Reid Davenport, who won four of five holes on the back, Lewis recorded a tie on 18 to secure the 1-up win and give Tennessee the team title.

Kansas State’s impressive feat

It’s something that’s hard to believe, even seeing it with your own eyes.

The Wildcats won the Old Town Collegiate at Old Town Club in Winston Salem, North Carolina, on Tuesday, but they did it in an incredibly impressive fashion.

All five of Kansas State’s players finished at 1-under 209 for the tournament. Every one. The Wildcats finished at 12 under for the tournament as a team, but Cooper Schultz, Will Hopkins, Nicklaus Mason, Laurenz Schiergen and Tim Tillmanns each finished with the same 54-hole score.

The Wildcats, which shot 4 over in the final round, beat Wake Forest by one stroke in the team competition. The five players finished tied for 16th. It’s the second victory this fall for Kansas State.

Texas Tech wins loaded Inverness Intercollegiate

Ludvig Aberg helped guide Texas Tech to victory in one of the strongest fields of the fall slate.

Texas Tech captured the Inverness Intercollegiate at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio, shooting 1 over for the tournament and beating second-place Georgia Tech by six strokes. Oklahoma finished in third and Virginia came in fourth.

Aberg finished tied for fifth at even par 213. His teammate, Calum Scott, finished second at 5 under and two strokes behind Georgia Tech’s Christo Lamprecht. Virginia freshman Ben James and Ohio State’s Maxwell Moldovan tied for third at 2 under.

Cameron Jourdan covers college and amateur golf for Golfweek. Got a college or amateur story? Email him at cjourdan@golfweek.com.

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Women’s college golf notebook: Jeanne Sutherland leads Nebraska to victory; Ball State’s Kiah Parrott sets program record

Here’s what you missed in the women’s college golf world.

Nebraska women’s golf coach Jeanne Sutherland nearly retired from college coaching.

Last year, she took a job as an associate head coach with the Cornhuskers after spending the better part of the past 30 years leading Texas A&M (1992-2007) and SMU (2011-21). Sutherland took over at Nebraska after Lisa Johnson, who led the Husker program the past three seasons, moved to Portland, Oregon, following her husband, John Johnson, who was named the athletic director at Portland State.

And now, Sutherland’s Nebraska women’s golf team is off to a terrific start to the 2022-23 season.

A week after finishing runner-up at the Green Wave Classic, three shots behind LSU, the Cornhuskers captured the Badger Invitational at University Ridge Golf Course in Verona, Wisconsin. Nebraska, which finished at 1-under 863, was the only team to finish under par for the tournament. It beat second-place Notre Dame and Old Dominion by 11 shots.

“These first couple of weeks have been awesome,” Sutherland said. “The girls have really come in and worked. Everything has fallen into place.”

Sutherland said the team learned a lot after its final round in Louisiana, and it was able to take those lessons and capitalize.

Freshman Kelli Ann Strand, who won in her first collegiate start last week, finished tied for fourth after a 5-under 67 in the final round. She was 3 under for the week. Miu Takahashi finished eighth at 1 under. 

Rutgers senior Leigha Devine and Notre Dame sophomore Montgomery Ferreira tied for first at 7-under 209, setting a new 54-hole scoring record at the Badger Invitational. Devine also aced the par-3 12th hole during the second round.

Leigha Devine
Rutgers senior Leigha Devine after the 2022 Badger Invitational. (Photo: Wisconsin Athletics)

Six-year drought snapped

Ball State junior Kiah Parrott set numerous records en route to her first collegiate victory at the Brittany Kelly Cardinal Classic at The Players Club in Yorktown, Indiana.

What’s more, Parrott became the first Ball State golfer to win an individual title since 2017, and she set a 54-hole scoring record at 9-under 207, beating the old record by nine shots. She had 14 birdies in the tournament.

“Winning the tournament this week means the world, especially because it was our home tournament and the first home tournament I have gotten to play in,” Parrott said.

Loyola-Chicago picked up the team victory, and it was the first for coach Brandy Johnston, who came from Division III Carthage College in Wisconsin.

Wake wins again

Wake Forest collected its second win in as many weeks in come-from-behind fashion at the Mercedes-Benz Intercollegiate at Cherokee Country Club in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Demon Deacons shot 12 under in the final round and finished at 21-under 831 for the tournament, beating Central Florida by three shots. Virginia held the 36-hole lead and finished in third at 16-under 836.

UCF’s Tunrada Piddon shot 11-under 202 to win the individual competition, beating Wake Forest’s Rachel Kuehn and Tennessee’s Bailey Davis by one shot. Wake Forest’s Carolina Lopez-Chacarra finished a shot behind Kuehn and Davis at solo fourth.

More transfer news

The NCAA Division I Board of Directors recently made changes to the transfer portal, including opening and closing dates for specific sports. For men’s golf, the portal will open May 4, 2023, and close June 17 2023. For women’s golf, it will open April 27, 2023 and close June 10, 2023. There will also be a window for golfers to enter between Dec. 1-15, 2022.

In addition, the Division I Council is now permitting athletes who plan to enroll at another program after graduating to enter the transfer portal at any time.

Cameron Jourdan covers college and amateur golf for Golfweek. Got a college or amateur story? Email him at cjourdan@golfweek.com.

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Men’s college golf notebook: Washington State makes history at Husky Invitational; three aces in the same tournament

Here’s what you missed in the men’s college golf world.

The Washington State men’s golf team accomplished something Tuesday it never had before: the Cougars won a tournament in the western half of its state.

Washington State captured its rival hosts tournament, the Husky Invitational held in Bremerton, marking the first time the Cougars have won a tournament in the western portion of the state. WSU finished at 4-over 868, three strokes clear of USC and five ahead of the host Huskies.

“We got off to a shaky start, but give our guys credit. They just hung in there and clawed their way back and just seemed very patient and just played until they were no holes left,” Washington State coach Dustin White said. “You couldn’t really draw a better way to start your season.”

The win was the fourth for White during his tenure with the Cougars.

Junior Jaden Cantafio and senior Pono Yanagi both finished in the top five on the individual leaderboard. Cantafio led the Cougars after he shot 4-under 68 in the final round to finish at 3-under 213, which was solo third. He moved up 15 places over his final round, which included five birdies and an eagle on the par-4 18th. Cantafio ended his day one stroke behind Washington’s Taehoon Song and five strokes behind USC’s Jackson Rivera, who won the tournament. Yanagi finished at 2-under 214 for the tournament, tied for fifth.

“The teams that we were paired with and that we were competing with, these are these are high-level teams and you know, a lot of respect goes to those guys,” White said. “I mean, it’s hard to win in college golf, and anytime you get a chance to be in contention, there’s no other feeling that’s like it. So we’re just really appreciative of the fact that we had some teams that pushed us, and I think we all made each other better.”

Oregon finished in fourth, one shot behind Washington, and Long Beach State tallied a fifth-place finish.

Rivera, a sophomore, has finished in the top 10 in four of his past five starts. It’s the first win of his college career.

Craziness at in Fort Collins

In terms of craziness, there was plenty of it at the Ram Masters Classic at Fort Collins Country Club in Colorado. There were three holes-in-one, an albatross and a tournament record tied during the two-day, 54-hole event.

UC San Diego’s Eliot Bunyaviroch aced the par-3 second hole with an 8-iron in the first round. Creighton’s Shaun Campbell hit a pitching wedge on the ninth hole in the second round, and his ball went in the cup. Then Texas A&M Commerce’s Kittiphong Phaithuncharoensuk made an ace on the par-3 14th during the second round. Northern Colorado’s Garrett Willis then had an albatross, an 8-iron from 210 yards on the par-5 first hole in the second round.

Host Colorado State finished at 17 under for the tournament, tying the event record.

Big win for Cardinal, Thorbjornsen

Elsewhere, Stanford got a signature early-season win against a packed field at the Fighting Illini Invitational at Olympia Fields, beating second-place Florida and Illinois by 13 shots.

The Cardinal, ranked second in the Golfweek Sagarin rankings, shot even during the final round. Stanford led after every round, and junior Michael Thorbjornsen earned his first collegiate victory. He finished at 7-under 203, beating Florida’s Ricky Castillo and Illinois’ Adrien Dumont de Chassart by one shot. Thorbjornsen became the first Cardinal to win the tournament since Maverick McNealy in 2015.

Arizona State’s Ryggs Johnston finished solo fourth at 5-under 205 while Tommy Kohl of Illinois was solo fifth at 4 under.

More transfer news

The NCAA Division I Board of Directors recently made changes to the transfer portal, including opening and closing dates for specific sports. For men’s golf, the portal will open May 4, 2023, and close June 17 2023. For women’s golf, it will open April 27, 2023 and close June 10, 2023. There will also be a window for golfers to enter between Dec. 1-15, 2022.

In addition, the Division I Council is now permitting athletes who plan to enroll at another program after graduating to enter the transfer portal at any time.

Cameron Jourdan covers college and amateur golf for Golfweek. Got a college or amateur story? Email him at cjourdan@golfweek.com.

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