Tag: GCAA

Sam Houston State’s Brandt Kieschnick highlights Dave Williams National Coach of the Year Award winners

Sam Houston State responded to COVID controversy with a deep run in the postseason.

One of the best stories of the 2020-21 college golf season ended with some hardware after all.

On Wednesday the Golf Coaches Association of America and Golf Pride Grips announced the six 2021 Dave Williams National Coach of the Year Award winners, with Sam Houston State’s Brandt Kieschnick taking home Division I honors.

The Bearkats were forced to complete the Stillwater Regional without leader and star player, William Holcomb, due to COVID-19 contact tracing. His teammates rallied without him to punch their ticket to the NCAA Championship, the first in program history. Sam Houston made the first cut but lost out on a spot in match play by seven strokes.

“I am so humbled to receive this award and words can’t express how thankful I am,” Kieschnick said. “To be recognized by your peers is truly an honor. I’m so proud of this program and our team. This is a reflection of the hard work that was put in by our guys and our coaches, Tommy Chain and Robert Thompson. Everyone shares in this recognition.”

The other winners were Arkansas Tech’s Luke Calcatera (Division II), Illinois Wesleyan’s Jim Ott (Division III), Dalton State’s Ben Rickett (NAIA), Hutchinson’s Chris Young (NJCAA DI) and Parkland’s Corbin Sebens (NJCAA DII).

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Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker, Solheim Cup captain Pat Hurst advise next generation of golfers

Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker and Solheim Cup captain Pat Hurst are no strangers to resiliency.

The 2020 WGCA/GCAA Virtual Member Convention has been a fitting representation of golf this year. While each looks a little different, both have been resilient.

On Wednesday, during a recorded session hosted by Golf Channel’s Steve Burkowski, U.S. Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker and Solheim Cup captain Pat Hurst shared past experiences with facing adversity and gave a bit of advice for how coaches and players can continue to grow amid a pandemic.

“You have this dream of taking it to the next level but you never know what that means,” said Stricker. “Fortunately for me, I was able to see some success at each level. At each level I got a jolt of confidence knowing I could potentially play at that level.”

“You go through your ups and downs and you have to persevere, that’s what I did,” explained Stricker, winner of 12 PGA Tour titles. “It wasn’t always great, it took me my fourth time through qualifying school to get my Tour card, there’s always those challenges.”

The first-ever joint virtual convention began Dec. 1 and runs through Tuesday, Dec. 15. Instead of loading the schedule with hours of daily programming, events were spread out, allowing members to pick and choose various online meetings and sessions to attend, much like an a la carte menu.

Unlike Stricker, Hurst wasn’t as fortunate in the confidence department early in her professional career, despite a blistering amateur and collegiate career. The Bay Area native won the 1986 U.S. Girls’ Junior and 1990 U.S. Women’s Amateur. The year prior, Hurst was a medalist at the 1989 U.S. Women’s Amateur and won the team and individual NCAA title with San José State.

All that winning came with a price. After she left school, Hurst quit golf for a year. She had gotten to the point where she hated the game she used to love.

“I remember being out at Spyglass caddying for my now husband,” explained Hurst. “I’m at one of the most beautiful places in the world and I’m carrying his bag caddying and I’m like, ‘I hate golf. What am I doing?’”

Hurst ended up taking some time away from the game before getting the itch to return to competition. She worked her way to LPGA Rookie of the Year honors in 1995, a major championship at the 1998 ANA Inspiration and six LPGA victories. Not to mention decades of Solheim Cup experience, where she boats a 10-7-3 record (3-1-1 in singles).

As student-athletes face COVID-19 uncertainties, both captains stressed the importance of not only time, but body management, while also pointing out how the new generation of players is more prepared than ever.

“These kids start out so young, taking care of their bodies, eating right, practicing correctly, the drills that these kids do is mindblowing to me,” said Stricker. “I never did any drills, still don’t, and these kids come out on Tour with all their putting devices and drills and sticks and everything lined up just right and they’re working at it and they’re working at it correctly. They just dial it in.”

“Back in the day I don’t remember having workouts, which is kind of sad but its true,” added Hurst, who still remembers hitting balls on the football field through the uprights and picking her “range” on the soccer field. “We didn’t have study hall like they do. It’s more demanding on their time and I think it teaches them a lot of time management.”

“It’s definitely changed but for the better.”

 

Proposal that could have led to Division I cuts shot down by NCAA

Power Five athletic directors had asked for a blanket waiver that could have suspended non-revenue sports for up to four years.

College golf coaches and players worried that a blanket waiver from the NCAA might allow Division I programs to suspend non-revenue sports for up to a four-year period and still maintain their status can breathe a small sigh of relief after the Division I Council said it will not consider that provision.

At present, FBS schools must field at least 16 teams, with a minimum of six men’s teams and a minimum of eight women’s teams. Division I schools must field at least 14 teams.

According to a release from the NCAA:

The Council discussed the issue in response to a request from the majority of Division I conferences to consider providing a blanket waiver for all Division I members of several legislative requirements. The letter asked for the blanket waiver for a period of at least two years to allow schools to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While several legislative changes will be considered for blanket waivers, the Council indicated that sport sponsorship minimums should be removed from that list. Schools still can request sport sponsorship requirement waivers on an individual basis.

That means the schools that have been the hardest hit financially during the coronavirus pandemic are not out of the woods, but a formalized process for being granted a waiver has yet to be determined.

“Higher education is facing unique challenges, and the Division I leadership believes it’s appropriate to examine areas in which rules can be relaxed or amended to provide flexibility for schools and conferences,” said Council chair M. Grace Calhoun, athletics director at Pennsylvania. “We will prioritize student-athlete well-being and opportunities balanced with reducing costs associated with administering college sports, but a blanket waiver of sport sponsorship requirements is not in keeping with our values and will not be considered.”

This surfaced after a letter to NCAA President Mark Emmert dated April 10, in which the commissioners of the Group of Five conferences – the American Athletic, Conference USA, the Mid-American, Mountain West and Sun Belt – said: “In order to provide NCAA Division I institutions flexibility in addressing the challenges for the foreseeable future, we request temporary relief from several regulatory requirements for a period of up to four years. A blanket waiver for relief will provide institutions the ability to make prudent and necessary decisions for the financial well-being of the institution.”

Representatives of 17 coaches’ associations, including the Golf Coaches Association of America and the Women’s Golf Coaches Association, responded to Emmert.

Golfweek received a copy of the letter GCAA CEO Gregg Grost sent out to members, detailing the concern the group has over the potential waiver.

“If this waiver passes, it would mean the potential for fewer teams, fewer scholarships and fewer opportunities for student-athletes competing in Olympic and non-revenue producing sports,” the letter said. “The GCAA strongly opposes this drastic measure and has signed off on a letter with other coaches associations that was sent to NCAA President Mark Emmert.”

Although the blanket minimum was removed for the waiver, the Council still intends to work through a number of issues in upcoming weeks, including transfers and scheduling concerns.

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GCAA releases list of NCAA Division I All-Americans for 2019-20 season

The Golf Coaches Association of America has released its list of Division I All-Americans despite the 2019-20 season ending early.

The Golf Coaches Association of America has released its list of Division I All-Americans despite the 2019-20 season coming to an abrupt end last month. A total of 63 golfers received the honor, with 11 players each on the first, second and third teams and an additional 30 players earning honorable-mention honors.

Pepperdine, Florida and Georgia players make up a big chunk of the first team, with each team claiming two players each.

This week, normally occupied by conference championships, has seemingly become awards week. The three finalists for both the Haskins Award and the Ben Hogan Award were identified earlier in the week. The Women’s Golf Coaches Association revealed its list of Division I All-Americans on April 21.

First Team

John Augenstein, Vanderbilt

John Axelsen, Florida

Ricky Castillo, Florida

Quade Cummins, Oklahoma

Cooper Dossey, Baylor

Peter Kuest, BYU

William Mouw, Pepperdine

Trent Phillips, Georgia

Garett Reband, Oklahoma

Sahith Theegala, Pepperdine

Davis Thompson, Georgia

Second Team

Jonathan Brightwell, UNCG

Pierceson Coody, Texas

Austin Eckroat, Oklahoma State

Noah Goodwin, SMU

Evan Katz, Duke

Mac Meissner, SMU

Andy Ogletree, Georgia Tech

John Pak, Florida State

Adrien Pendaries, Duke

Mark Power, Wake Forest

Sandy Scott, Texas Tech

Third Team

Puwit Anupansuebsai, San Diego State

Devon Bling, UCLA

Sam Choi, New Mexico

Angus Flanagan, Minnesota

Christopher Gotterup, Rutgers

Walker Lee, Texas A&M

Yuxin Lin, Southern California

David Perkins, Illinois State

Jovan Rebula, Auburn

Cameron Sisk, Arizona State

Trevor Werbylo, Arizona

Honorable Mention

Sam Bennett, Texas A&M

Jacob Bridgeman, Clemson

Davis Bryant, Colorado State

William Buhl, Arkansas

Ryan Burnett, North Carolina

Parker Coody, Texas

Spencer Cross, Tennessee

Reid Davenport, Vanderbilt

Hunter Eichhorn, Marquette

Alex Fitzpatrick, Wake Forest

Ryan Gerard, North Carolina

Isaiah Jackson, Memphis

Johnny Keefer, Baylor

Jamie Li, Florida State

John Murphy, Louisville

Rhys Nevin, Tennessee

AJ Ott, Colorado State

Leo Oyo, San Diego State

William Paysee, Texas A&M

Rhett Rasmussen, BYU

Nolan Ray, Lipscomb

Jack Rhea, ETSU

Matthias Schmid, Louisville

Tyler Strafaci, Georgia Tech

Jack Trent, UNLV

Kieran Vincent, Liberty

Tim Widing, San Francisco

Jamie Wilson, South Carolina

Noah Woolsey, Washington

Jonathan Yuan, Liberty

 

GCAA, WGCA among those opposing NCAA waiver that could cut programs

Representatives of 17 coaches’ associations, including the Golf Coaches Association of America and the Women’s Golf Coaches Association, have written to NCAA President Mark Emmert opposing a recent proposal from a group of college conference …

Representatives of 17 coaches’ associations, including the Golf Coaches Association of America and the Women’s Golf Coaches Association, have written to NCAA President Mark Emmert opposing a recent proposal from a group of college conference commissioners that the association consider providing schools temporary relief amid the coronavirus pandemic from several Division I membership requirements. This includes one that sets the minimum number of varsity teams Bowl Subdivision schools must field.

At present, FBS schools must field at least 16 teams, with a minimum of six men’s teams and a minimum of eight women’s teams. Division I schools must field at least 14 teams.

In a letter to Emmert dated April 10, the commissioners of the Group of Five conferences – the American Athletic, Conference USA, the Mid-American, Mountain West and Sun Belt – said: “In order to provide NCAA Division I institutions flexibility in addressing the challenges for the foreseeable future, we request temporary relief from several regulatory requirements for a period of up to four years. A blanket waiver for relief will provide institutions the ability to make prudent and necessary decisions for the financial well-being of the institution.”

The coaches’ groups, from so-called non-revenue sports, have responded with a letter in which they expressed concern that a temporary waiver of the sport-sponsorship requirement would result in permanent cuts.

“The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic places a lasting burden on both higher education and intercollegiate athletics alike,” the letter says, “but slashing opportunities for students is not the solution. … Reducing the minimum sports sponsorship requirement that would open the door to eliminating sports should not be an option.”

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The letter comes from associations representing coaches in baseball, softball, volleyball, wrestling and golf, among others.

Meanwhile, Golfweek received a copy of the letter GCAA CEO Gregg Grost sent out to members, detailing the concern the group has over the potential waiver.

“If this waiver passes, it would mean the potential for fewer teams, fewer scholarships and fewer opportunities for student-athletes competing in Olympic and non-revenue producing sports,” the letter said. “The GCAA strongly opposes this drastic measure and has signed off on a letter with other coaches associations that was sent to NCAA President Mark Emmert.”

The letter also asked members to avoid using student-athletes to fight for the cause, saying, “we do not think they should be on the front lines.”

Meanwhile, the WGCA tweeted to followers something in the same spirit, asking members to help spread the word.

Substitution, .500 Rule likely to be big topics at college golf coaches convention

Substitution, NCAA regional seeding, the .500 rule and even an NIT-type tournament for college golf will be on the table in Las Vegas.

Next week, the college golf coaching community assembles in Las Vegas for the annual Golf Coaches Association of America and Women’s Golf Coaches Association national conventions.

The one topic that is certain to be discussed is the substitution rule. This past fall, it appeared that substitutions would be permissible during regular-season tournaments, however there was some confusion on exactly how it would work. That resulted in the following announcement being sent to coaches in August:

The Division I Men’s Golf Committee has delayed the implementation of substitutions for regular-season play until the 2020-21 season. The committee is fully supportive of substitutions for regular-season play and will confer with coaches during the 2019-20 season and at the GCAA Convention for implementation. 

How substitution will work when it is finally implemented next fall should be a hot topic in Las Vegas, especially considering that some coaches don’t support the idea.

A few questions must be addressed. For example, will teams be allowed to have individuals competing in the event and will that individual be allowed to be inserted into the lineup as a substitute? Or can a coach only substitute a player who has not yet played that event? Maybe an even bigger question is how substitution will figure into individual rankings.

San Jose State prepares for the 2019 NCAA Women’s Championship at the Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Ark.

Also expect a discussion on NCAA regional sites. Seeding conversations will likely continue around the possibility of awarding hosting opportunities to top seeds, which rewards a team for having a good season.

There has been some chatter in the college-golf world that some coaches would like to see the.500 Rule eliminated in men’s golf. The .500 Rule requires a team to have a head-to-head won-loss record of 50 percent or higher against Division I teams.

The rule was first implemented for the 2007-08 season, and four teams did not meet the requirement that year. As a result, those teams – Arizona, Vanderbilt, Northwestern and Minnesota – all missed out on at-large berths into the NCAA postseason.

Since that initial year, only seven teams total have missed playing in the postseason. For the most part, coaches have figured out how to schedule accordingly.

On the women’s side, .500 Rule conversations continue mostly in the mid-major community. However, it’s doubtful this discussion has any momentum heading into Las Vegas.

My take on the .500 Rule remains unchanged. It has been good for the men’s game and I am in favor of it for both men and women, but it is not necessary.

Duke women’s golf coach Dan Brooks, left, shakes hands with Wake Forest women’s golf coach Kim Lewellen after setting pairings for the final match at the 2019 NCAA Women’s Championship. (AP Photo/Michael Woods)

If there’s another topic that should be discussed at the convention, it would be the addition of a postseason tournament – picture something like the National Invitation Tournament in college basketball.

Why? There are many schools investing in their golf programs, but the reality is many of those schools, which are mid-majors, can’t keep up and compete year after year with teams in the Power Five conferences.

On the women’s side the Power Five schools dominate the NCAA championships, to the tune of 90 percent of the field coming from the Power Five leagues in each of the past four years. It’s just below 80 percent for the past three years on the men’s side.

An NIT for college golf could be a good reward for a program that is investing in the sport. It could provide the opportunity to compete for a championship against programs that are both similarly sized and similarly funded.

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