Tag: college

ANNIKA Intercollegiate: Oregon walk-on wins qualifier to play in premier women’s college golf event

Sonja Tang is having a good couple weeks.

LAKE ELMO, Minn. — Sonja Tang dreamed of playing at a Division I school. It’s why she decided to take a leap of faith.

Tang, from Vancouver, Canada, played the first three seasons of her college career at University of British Columbia, an NAIA school not far from home. An opportunity arose last summer for her to make that leap, and she transferred to Oregon.

However, she did so as a walk-on. There wasn’t a scholarship available for her, but it wasn’t going to stop her from chasing a lifelong dream.

On Monday, Tang was the first Oregon player to tee off in its season-opening tournament, the 2024 ANNIKA Intercollegiate at Royal Golf Club outside of Minneapolis. Tang, who played in only one event last year, the Ducks’ home tournament, won the qualifier last week to earn a spot in the lineup, a rarity for a walk-on in today’s climate of college golf.

“I really understood her drive, that she wants to be great,” Oregon coach Derek Radley said of his first interaction with Tang. “I said, it’s going to be tough to make the line up, you know. And she said, ‘Coach, I would just be thankful for the opportunity to be around great players, and hopefully I can get better each and every day, and I’m going to do everything I can to help this team.’

“How you say no to that?”

Tong shot 5-over 77 on Monday, a three-hole stretch on the back nine undoing what otherwise was a solid day at Royal Golf Club. She was Oregon’s drop score, but that’s far from anything that matters in a season-opening tournament.

The highlight of her day was a birdie on the closing par-5 18th.

“It was a tough back nine,” Tang said. “I misjudged a couple of pin positions, and then I ended up in pretty tricky positions. But I think finishing with a birdie was pretty cool.”

Oregon’s qualifying process is similar to most schools, where a couple of spots are up for grabs after the qualifier while the rest are coaches’ picks. And the finish was worth a start in the season-opening event.

Tang buried a 40-footer for par on the 16th hole before chipping in for birdie on the 17th to take the lead from Karen Tsuru. She held on, and she was in the lineup.

Left at home for the opener was Tiffany Huang, who was a major part of the lineup last season on a Ducks’ team that made the semifinals at the NCAA Championship.

However, the support from Tang’s teammates was cause for celebration.

“They were jumping up and down and hugging on her, you know, because she’s so nice and cares about everybody, and it was pretty special for her to have this opportunity,” Radley said.

Oregon sits in fifth as a team after the opening round, 14 shots behind co-leaders Wake Forest and South Carolina, the defending champion. Duke sophomore Katie Li fired an opening 6-under 66, including an eagle on the par-5 second, and leads by one over a big pack at 5 under.

A member from the winning team at the ANNIKA Intercollegiate will earn an exemption into the LPGA’s The ANNIKA in November.

Legendary Mary Lou Mulflur to retire at season’s end after 42 years as Washington head coach

It’s an end of an era for one of the best to ever do it in women’s college golf.

It’s an end of an era for one of the best to ever do it in women’s college golf.

Mary Lou Mulflur, who is in her 42nd season as the head coach of the Washington women’s golf program, announced her plan to retire at the end of the 2024-25 season.

Mulflur was among the first golfers ever to earn a scholarship at Washington. She earned four letters as a Husky, then took over the program in 1983, two years after the retirement of her coach and mentor Edean Ihlenfeldt, who founded the program in 1974.

The highlight of Mulflur’s career was in 2016, when Washington captured the national championship. After finishing fourth in stroke play, the Huskies beat Virginia, UCLA and Stanford to earn the program’s first national title.

“Mary Lou is synonymous with Washington women’s golf, and has been a key member of this athletic department for decades,” said Pat Chun, Washington’s athletic director. “Her contributions to UW Athletics will long be remembered. On behalf of everyone in the department, we wish her a long and enjoyable retirement, and congratulate and thank her for everything she’s done for the Huskies.”

In her 41 seasons at Washington to date, Mulflur’s teams have earned an NCAA Regional berth all but once, and have advanced to the NCAA Championship 14 times. She was named national coach of the year in both 2015 and 2016, and earned Pac-10/Pac-12 Coach of the Year three times.

“I have been so incredibly fortunate to have competed for Washington and to have been the head coach since December 1, 1983,” Mulflur said. “But this day is not about me. It is about this amazing institution and more importantly, the incredible student-athletes that represent Washington every day. The young women that I have had the privilege of being around during my career have given me so much more than I could ever give them.”

Members of the Washington Huskies golf team celebrate as head coach Mary Lou Mulflur raises the trophy after winning the 2016 NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship against Stanford at Eugene Country Club on May 25, 2016 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

Mulflur, who was inducted into Women’s Golf Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2013, grew up in Portland, Oregon, where her father was the sports editor of a newspaper. After leading Grant High School to the state title – twice earning the state’s individual medalist honors – she came to Washington for college. She has also been inducted to both the Grant High School and the Portland Interscholastic League Halls of Fame.

At Washington, she won three individual tournament championships and continued to play in both pro and amateur events long after her college career ended. Mulflur earned the NCGA Founders Award for her service to the sport in 2010 and has played a number of roles in the WGCA and the NCAA. She was also on the advisory board for the longtime local LPGA event in Seattle, the SAFECO Classic.

“Yes, winning the 2016 national championship is certainly the highlight of my career,” Mulflur said. “However, the relationships that I have established, and still maintain, over all this time is what I will treasure the most. Watching those student-athletes grow into women with families and children is so incredibly gratifying and I wouldn’t trade my time with them for anything.”

Mulflur is the Washington athletic department’s longest-tenured employee. She will coach the Huskies through the end of the 2024-25 season before retiring. Washington begins its 2024-25 season Sept. 16-17, at the Leadership and Golf Invitational at Chambers Bay Golf Course in University Place, Washington.

Third annual Folds of Honor Collegiate loaded with top teams to kick off college season

The Folds of Honor Collegiate kicks off Monday, Sept. 9. 

The Folds of Honor Collegiate has grown to become one of the top events in the country to kick off the season.

Played at American Dunes Golf Club in Grand Haven, Michigan, the Folds of Honor Collegiate has a loaded field with some of the top teams in the country, the service academies and HBCU programs.

On the men’s side, the field includes No. 5 Florida State, No. 7 Texas, No. 8 Illinois, the 2022 Folds of Honor Collegiate champion, No. 15 Arizona, No. 16 Alabama and No. 24 Ohio State.

For the women, No. 3 Texas highlights the field, along with No. 6 Florida State, including World No. 1 amateur Lottie Woad, No. 19 Arizona and more.

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In addition, the schools represented in the 2024 Folds of Honor Collegiate have had a collective 2,646 recipients of a Folds of Honor scholarship, totaling $12,108,700 in educational impact. In just the 2023-24 academic year, 475 Folds of Honor recipients attended these schools for a combined impact of $2,260,000.

The field:

  • Air Force
  • Alabama
  • Arizona
  • Arkansas
  • Arkansas Pine Bluff
  • Army
  • Baylor
  • Colorado State
  • Florida State
  • Grand Valley State
  • Howard
  • Illinois
  • Kansas
  • Kentucky
  • Michigan State
  • Navy
  • North Carolina
  • Notre Dame
  • Ohio State
  • San Jose State
  • Texas
  • Tulsa

The three-day, 54-hole stroke play Folds of Honor Collegiate kicks off Monday, Sept. 9.

National Golf Invitational returning in 2025 to Ak-Chin Southern Dunes for third edition next spring

It’s back!

It’s back!

The National Golf Invitational, the NIT of college golf, is returning for its third year next spring. Ak-Chin Southern Dunes in Maricopa, Arizona, will host the event for the third straight year.

Next year, the NGI will again feature a men’s and women’s championship, each with a maximum of 18 teams playing 54 holes of stroke play. Women will play first, May 8-11, with the men the following week, May 15-18.

“I feel like there is real momentum and awareness for the NGI,” said Golfweek‘s Lance Ringler, the tournament director of the NGI. “This will be the third season of this postseason championship and the feedback from the first two have been very good.”

The NGI gives teams on the outside of the NCAA postseason a chance to have a season-ending championship of their own.

There will be a slight change to how teams are invited this year. The NGI will continue to invite teams based on ranking, but also invite teams that are under .500 in ranking order that are outside the number to earn an at-large bid into NCAA regionals.

“Our main focus is continuing to inform the coaches and administrators that this is happening and to prepare for it,” Ringler said.

Last year, the Washington State men and Rutgers women won the second NGI titles. Anthony Delisanti from Valparaiso won the men’s individual title, and Jacksonville State’s Jinger Heath took home the women’s individual crown.

To stay up to date with updates from the NGI, follow its Instagram page here.

Luke Clanton wins Mark H. McCormack Medal as world’s top amateur, eyes PGA Tour card

Clanton earns spots in two majors thanks to the achievement.

To say it has been the summer of Luke Clanton may be an understatement.

Five made cuts in six PGA Tour events, three of those being top-10 finishes, the first amateur to do so since Jack Nicklaus in 1961. A runner-up finish at the NCAA Championships. Three collegiate wins dating to the spring.

On Wednesday, Clanton was awarded the Mark H. McCormack Medal as the leading male in the 2024 World Amateur Golf Ranking.

“Winning the McCormack Medal is an honor I will cherish forever,” Clanton said in a release. “This award represents not just my efforts, but also the incredible family support I have. This will inspire me to keep pushing boundaries and to pursue my dreams with even greater determination. I’m proud to join the ranks of those who have achieved this distinction.”

Next summer, Clanton earned exemptions into the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont and the 2025 Open Championship at Royal Portrush.

The American rose to the top of the men’s ranking after a Round of 64 victory at the U.S. Amateur at Hazeltine National Golf Club last week. Over the summer, Clanton became the first amateur to record consecutive top 10s on the PGA Tour since 1958. A week after finishing T-10 in the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic, the Florida State first-team All-American finished runner-up in the John Deere Classic. He most recently recorded a solo fifth place finish at the Wyndham Championship in North Carolina.

Clanton also made his U.S. Open debut at Pinehurst and became the first amateur in championship history to record consecutive rounds in the 60s with back-to-back 69s in the second and third rounds. He would finish T-41.

Luke Clanton hugs his caddie after finishing No. 18 during Round 3 of Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club in Detroit on Saturday, June 29, 2024.

During this past collegiate season at Florida State University, Clanton finished fifth in the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship and fifth in the NCAA Stanford (Calif.) Regional, leading the Seminoles to the NCAA Championship, where they fell to Auburn in the championship final. Clanton shared runner-up honors with five other golfers in the NCAA Division I Championship at the Omni La Costa Resort’s North Course, one stroke behind winner Hiroshi Tai of Georgia Tech. Clanton went 2-1 in match play, losing to Auburn’s JM Butler in the championship match, 2 and 1.

Now, Clanton turns his sights toward earning a PGA Tour card, which he could do before finishing his junior year.

Thanks to PGA Tour University Accelerated, players earn points based on their accomplishments in college, amateur and professional golf, and they will earn PGA Tour membership if they amass at least 20 points by the end of their third year of NCAA eligibility. Clanton is at 14 points, and there’s a good chance he gets to 20 by next spring.

He gets points for every made cut and top 10 in PGA Tour events. Three points are also up for grabs for every major college golf postseason award. For majors, he gets points for competing in them, making the cut and placing top 20.

It’s likely Clanton will get a few more Tour starts, and he’s guaranteed spots in two major championships. Dominate the college level this season, win some awards, and Clanton could join Gordon Sargent as players to earn a Tour card and making the jump after the NCAA Championship next May.

World No. 4 amateur Wenyi Ding no longer at Arizona State. What’s next?

Ding won’t compete for the Sun Devils this fall, a school spokesperson confirmed to Golfweek.

Wenyi Ding, the No. 4 amateur in the world, is no longer on the Arizona State men’s golf roster.

Ding will remain an amateur for the foreseeable future, but he won’t compete for the Sun Devils this fall, a school spokesperson confirmed to Golfweek. Ding, who won the Southern Amateur this summer, withdrew from the U.S. Amateur field last week because of an undisclosed injury.

Last spring, Ding made a stellar collegiate debut. He posted five top-six finishes, including a record-setting win at the Amer Ari Invitational. He earned first-team All-America honors and was expected to be one of the top collegiate players this season.

However, Ding’s decision to not play for Arizona State this fall likely has to do with his position in the Global Amateur Pathway ranking, where he sits No. 1. The ranking rewards the top non-collegiate amateur each year with a DP World Tour card.

In order to be eligible for the ranking, a player must “not be a current NCAA Division-I player” and “be at least 20 years of age by the end of the calendar year.” Ding turns 20 in November.

The first exemptions will be awarded for the 2025 season.

Even with Ding’s departure, the Sun Devils have a loaded roster for the 2024-25 season. Highlighting the roster is world No. 7 and 2024 U.S. Amateur champion Josele Ballester and Preston Summerhays, the PGA Tour University No. 1 in the Class of 2025 and world No. 6.

Donald Trump’s granddaughter commits to Miami to play college golf

“I would like to thank my Grandpa for giving me access to great courses and tremendous support.”

Kai Trump, the eldest granddaughter of former President Trump, announced Sunday her verbal commitment to play collegiate golf at the University of Miami.

Kai, 17, will join the Hurricanes in the 2026 signing class. The post doesn’t mention whether she will attend the school on scholarship, but she gave a shoutout to the former President, saying, “I would like to thank my Grandpa for giving me access to great courses and tremendous support.”

She has played with Donald Trump in the spotlight before during a LIV Golf pro-am. As far as rankings, she hasn’t played any qualifying events to be ranked in the World Amateur Golf Ranking or in the American Junior Golf Association’s rankings.

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“I am beyond excited to announce my verbal commitment to the University of Miami. I would like to thank my mom, Vanessa, and my dad, Don, for always supporting me through my journey,” Kai said in her post, which you can see here.

During an address at the Republican National Convention in July, Kai said about her grandpa: “He calls me during the middle of the school day to ask how my golf game is going and tells me all about his. But then I have to remind him that I’m in school and I’ll have to call him back later.”

After NCAA settlement agreement, these big changes are coming to college golf

In the past, there were no roster limits while scholarships were 4½ for men and 6 for women.

It won’t happen immediately, but there are major changes coming to college golf soon.

The NCAA, the Power Five conferences and lawyers for the plaintiffs in three antitrust cases concerning the compensation of college athletes on Friday filed documents asking a federal judge in California to provide preliminary approval of a proposed settlement that would include a nearly $2.8 billion damages pool for current and former athletes and dramatically alter other fundamental aspects of how the association’s top level of competition is governed.

Division I schools would be able to start paying athletes directly for use of their name, image and likeness (NIL), subject to a per-school cap that would increase over time.

And while athletes would continue to have the ability to make NIL deals with entities other than their schools, the settlement would allow the NCAA to institute rules designed to give the association greater enforcement oversight of those arrangements. The NCAA also would be allowed to have rules requiring athletes to make progress toward a degree in order to receive the payments proposed under the settlement.

Especially for college golf, another significant change would be roster caps. Scholarship limitations also would go away in all sports, though each sport would now be subject to roster caps. For college men’s and women’s golf, the cap will be nine players, which means schools can fund up to nine full scholarships but cannot have more than nine athletes in any given season.

In the past, there were no roster limits while scholarships were 4½ for men and 6 for women. Looking at specifically the Power 4 Conferences (SEC, Big 10, Big 12 and ACC), Oregon State men’s coach Jon Reehoorn posted on social media those roster caps would result in a reduction of about 65 spots for next year with the current numbers.

Include the rest of Division I, that number rises exponentially.

Another issue is the possible cuts coming down the road. While it may not happen initially, there are likely to be numerous sports at schools across the country to be on the chopping block because of the changes, including college golf programs.

While nothing is likely to happen in the 2024-25 season, Friday’s ruling is likely the tip of the iceberg as it comes to changes down the road in college golf.

Countdown to Kickoff: Nick Saldiveri is the Saints Player of Day 64

Countdown to Kickoff: Nick Saldiveri is the New Orleans Saints Player of Day 64. A successful season for Saldiveri has him playing well in the starting lineup:

We’re counting down to the days to the start of the New Orleans Saints’ 2024 regular season by highlighting each player to own the corresponding jersey number, and Day 64 brings us to a very important name: Nick Saldiveri.

What are realistic expectations for the second-year pro? What does a successful 2024 season look like for him? And what road brought him here? Let’s answer all those questions:

  • Name (Age): Nick Saldiveri (23)
  • Position: Offensive line
  • Height, weight: 6-foot-6, 316 pounds
  • Relative Athletic Score: 9.47
  • 2024 salary cap hit: $1,188,570
  • College: Old Dominion
  • Drafted: Fourth round in 2023 (New Orleans Saints)
  • NFL experience: 1 year

Saldiveri played right tackle almost exclusively in college, but the Saints converted him to left guard as a rookie last year and the new offensive coaching staff is keeping him there. And the early returns are encouraging. Saldiveri initially split reps at left guard with veteran pickup Shane Lemieux at organized team activities before dominating first-team snaps at minicamp. He did leave the final day of minicamp practice early with a soft-tissue injury (either a hamstring or groin muscle) but it isn’t expected to be serious, and he should be full-go when the Saints regroup for training camp.

A successful season for Saldiveri will have him playing well in the starting lineup. All of the offensive linemen drafted after him in the top half of Round 4 played more snaps than he did as a rookie, though we should remember Saldiveri’s rookie season ended with shoulder surgery, which he opted to undergo sooner so it wouldn’t disrupt his offseason. He also missed part of the spring last year with a calf injury, so durability may be a concern here. It’s at least something to monitor moving forward. Hopefully he’s as strong a fit in Klint Kubiak’s offense as the Saints envision. If Saldiveri can be part of a much-needed youth movement along the offensive line, that’s a win.

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Need something to cheer for at 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic? How about the strong contingent of amateurs

The kids are good.

If it were any other week at Detroit Golf Club, 15-year-old Miles Russell wouldn’t be allowed into the locker room. Good for him it’s not an ordinary week.

Members have to be 16 to go into the locker room, but surely they’ll make an exception for Russell, who’s in the field this week at the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic on a sponsor exemption. In April, he became the youngest player in Korn Ferry Tour history to make a cut. Now, he’s making his first PGA Tour start in the Motor City.

“This has always been the goal, to play at the highest level,” Russell said. “Don’t know, kind of just happened a little faster than I was thinking it might, but it’s just what happens when you have some good play.”

In addition to Russell, Nos. 2, 3 and 4 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking – Jackson Koivun, Ben James and Luke Clanton – are teeing it up this week in Detroit.

Koivun recently helped Auburn win its first national championship and won every major individual award, including the Fred Haskins Award, and he’s on the verge of earning a PGA Tour card by summer’s end. If you didn’t know, he was only a freshman last year.

Then there’s James, the 2023 Phil Mickelson Award winner for Freshman of the Year. The rising junior at Virginia nearly won the NCAA individual championship last month at Omni La Costa and was on the 2023 Walker Cup team.

Don’t discount Clanton, either. The incoming junior at Florida State finished the year as the top-ranked golfer in the NCAA golf rankings. He also made the cut at the U.S. Open two weeks ago and helped the Seminoles to a runner-up finish at the NCAAs.

In a field that is lacking of the PGA Tour’s biggest stars, perhaps the amateurs can carry the torch this week. Three of the best players in college golf, plus the 15-year-old stud who is gaining popularity by the tournament, could be a shot in the arm for the Tour this week.

For Russell, it’s just another chance to prove he belongs.

“I have my own goals, but my goal is just to come out here and have fun,” Russell said. “That’s my main goal, have fun, maybe learn something, take something to my next event.”

Min Woo Lee has taken notice of Russell. A talented golfer in his amateur days, Lee said he was nervous when he teed it up in events at that age, but he also just tried to go out and just play golf.

“Again, he’s only 15, so I don’t think there’s going to be a lot of, you know, too much expectation,” Lee said. “Obviously he’s a great golfer. I mean, he’s got plenty of time to turn pro and still, yeah, years ahead of him. Hopefully he has fun and doesn’t beat me, but does well.”

When asked about Russell on Tuesday, Willie Mack III, who punched his ticket into the tournament thanks to his win Sunday in the John Shippen,  was joking about the locker room situation for Russell.

“Yeah, he’s been playing well,” Mack said. “Hopefully he plays well this week and keep going.”