Tag: Grayhawk Golf Club

Ringler: With 36 holes complete, what have we learned from 2023 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship

The Big 12 Conference is in trouble.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — One thing about playing this championship in The Grand Canyon State is it tends to feel like Groundhog Day. You know what to expect daily with everything. The only thing that tends to change is the leaderboard.

We’re now two rounds into the third year of three years at Grayhawk Golf Club for the NCAA Championship. What have we learned?

• The Raptor Course at Grayhawk continues to provide a stern test. An abundance of low scores is not something we see much of. Only one team in the previous two finals has managed to finish 72 holes in the red, that being Arizona State (3 under) in 2021. With only Illinois under-par to this point, the trend remains.

• Since the NCAA format went to match play to decide a champion, Florida has played in 11 of the 14 championships. However, the Gators have yet to play in match play. At the midway point, Florida is in good shape sitting in second place just three shots behind Illinois.

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• Illinois arrived in Scottsdale this week ranked No. 2 in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings and No. 3 in the Golfstat rankings. The Illini had lost to just eight teams all year – twice to Florida, Stanford, Auburn, Arizona, Pepperdine, Arizona State and Georgia. Through 36 holes they are losing to no one.

• Illinois posted the second-best round in the past 10 rounds at Grayhawk with a 7-under 273. The only team to go lower was Pepperdine with a 271 in the final round two years ago.

Golfweek/Sagarin rankings: Men’s team | Men’s individual
NCAA Leaderboard: Team | Individual | Photos

• Maybe the most storied program in college golf without an NCAA title is Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets have finished runner-up four times, with head coach Bruce Heppler, one of the best without a title, having three of those second-place trophies. Since Heppler started at Tech in 1995-96 season, he has led the Yellow Jackets to the championship in 20 of 25 years. Georgia Tech has made four appearances in match play, going 1-4. With senior Ross Steelman holding a three-shot lead in the individual standings, this could be the year Heppler wins that title that has evaded him.

• The Big 12 Conference, which at times has arguably been the best golf conference in any given year the past few years, may be in danger of not having a team make the 54-hole cut. Currently Oklahoma, Texas, Texas Tech and Baylor are all outside the number to make the cut. Since the beginning of match play, we have always had at least one Big 12 team find a spot in bracket play, and since 2016, a Big 12 team has been in the match play final every year. That streak is in danger.

• Oklahoma has the longest streak of advancing to match play. The Sooners have been a regular for the last six years, going 5-5 during that stretch. There is work to be done if the Sooners hope to extend the streak to seven.

• Very quietly, Virginia has worked its way into having a lot to play for over the next two rounds. Bowen Sargent’s squad, led by freshman of the year candidate Ben James, is sitting in T-7. The Cavaliers have never advanced to match play.

• That pesky .500 Rule created a lot of noise this year. Georgia and Arkansas were two of those teams that barely stayed eligible. After 36 holes, both are in the middle of the pack and have a shot to make the 54-hole cut.

• Pepperdine has made match play in each of the last two years and is in position to do so again this week. And they are doing it with three new guys in the lineup – Sam Choi, Luke Gifford and Roberto Nieves. Only William Mouw and Derek Hitchner return from the squad last year that made it to the Final FORE.

Oregon’s Gregory Solhaug withdraws from 2023 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship due to scary foot injury

Scary situation.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — It was a scary situation for Oregon junior Gregory Solhaug.

He was competing Saturday morning during the second round of the 2023 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club. While he was on a tee box, Solhaug stepped on a tee, and it went through his shoe and injured his foot, forcing him to be removed from the course and withdraw from the tournament.

Nate Krueger, the assistant athletic director of communications with Oregon, confirmed the incident with Golfweek.

Solhaug was 2 over through 10 holes (started on No. 10) when the accident happened, and his condition is unclear other than he had to withdraw.

Rick Nixon, the NCAA’s associate director for media coordination and statistics, provided this statement to Golfweek: “Oregon student-athlete, Gregory Solhaug, suffered a foot injury during the second round of the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championships and was forced to withdraw from competition. Oregon, which completed Saturday’s second round with four players, will have the option to substitute another player into their team lineup for subsequent competition rounds, as they deem appropriate.”

Golfweek/Sagarin rankings: Men’s team | Men’s individual
NCAA Leaderboard: Team | Individual | Photos

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Oregon shot 11 over during Saturday’s second round and sits at 23 over for the tournament heading into the third round.

NCAA Men’s Golf Championship: Four players under par for Illinois, Florida strong in the heat and more from Saturday’s second round

Here’s what you need to know from the second round of the Men’s NCAA Championship.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The greens are starting to have a brown tint to them at Grayhawk Golf Club.

Well into the second week of the Raptor Course hosting the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Championships, the course has proved tough for college golf’s best. And it’s starting to really firm up and show its shine as the second round was contested Saturday.

Firm greens, fast fairways and penal rough make for a stern test, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a low score out there.

Four members of Illinois’ men’s golf team shot under par Saturday morning, and there’s another golfer who, even with a bogey on the par-4 18th, moved into the individual mix.

Golfweek/Sagarin rankings: Men’s team | Men’s individual
NCAA Leaderboard: Team | Individual | Photos

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Here’s a look at what happened during the second round of the men’s NCAA Championship:

Photos: 2023 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club

Here’s a look at some of the best photos from Grayhawk Golf Club.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The final week of the 2022-23 college golf season has teed off.

The 2023 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship started Friday at Grayhawk Golf Club, site of the men’s and women’s NCAA Championships for the third and final season of a three-year deal. Teams will compete in four rounds of stroke play, with the top eight advancing to match play, which begins Tuesday, May 30.

An individual champion was crowned Monday, as Florida’s Fred Biondi rallied from five shots down on the final day to claim medalist honors.

Then Wednesday, May 31, was the match play final, where the national champion was be crowned. And it is the Florida Gators wearing the crown for the fifth time in program history and first in 22 years.

Here’s a look at some of the best photos from Scottsdale.

Ringler: How hard is it to win an NCAA title? Take a look through the eyes of two of the nation’s best coaches, who have both yet to do it

Golf is hard. You know what’s even harder? Winning a national championship.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Golf is hard.

You know what’s even harder? Winning a national championship.

Just ask head coaches Mike Small (Illinois) and Matt Thurmond (Arizona State). They’re two of the very best – maybe ever – to guide college golf teams. Small is a Hall of Famer and Thurmond is certain to be one, yet these two have yet to experience what it’s like to hold the national championship trophy.

In fact, there are only 11 active coaches who have experienced that feeling.

Small and Thurmond have similar stories: Their teams are consistently very good.

Small is in his 23rd season with the Illini and has had a tee time in the NCAA finals in 16 of those 23 seasons, including 14 of the past 16 years.

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Thurmond’s 21 years coaching includes 15 years at Washington and six in Tempe, Arizona. He has seen his teams play in 16 of 20 national championships. Thurmond guided Washington to 11 finals appearances in 15 years. Washington has not made a trip to the finals since Thurmond left for Arizona State.

Since 2009, match play has decided the national champion. Small is tied with John Fields of Texas for all-time coaching appearances in match play with seven. Oklahoma’s Ryan Hybl, Alan Bratton of Oklahoma State and Vanderbilt’s Scott Limbaugh each have six. Thurmond has five – two at Arizona State and three at Washington.

We all know the story, match play levels the playing field, making it more difficult to win if you are the better stroke-play team. Oklahoma State won it all as the top seed in 2018 on its home course of Karsten Creek and remains the only No. 1 seed to do so.

Here at Grayhawk, Illinois and Arizona State are in the top 4 in the national rankings, and many would consider the two to be likely favorites – for stroke play.

Each might have a championship already, because each has won the stroke-play portion of the tournament only to be defeated in bracket play.

In 2015 at the Concession Club in Bradenton, Florida, the Illini finished two shots clear of Vanderbilt to land atop the leaderboard and earn the No. 1 seed. Small’s team beat UCLA in the opening round and then lost to Southern California in the semifinals.

Arizona State finished atop the leaderboard after 72 holes in 2021, the initial year of Grayhawk’s three-year finals run. The Sun Devils finished three shots in front of Oklahoma State. Thurmond’s squad then beat North Carolina in the opening round of match play but lost to Oklahoma in the semifinals.

And last year, Arizona State fell against Texas in the match play finals.

Small and Thurmond: Two coaches who have been on a similar path, constantly in the discussion when talking about top teams each year.

Is this the year one of them meets all the checkpoints to get his team into match play and then navigate a way to churn out three points in three matches to finally hold that trophy in the end?

Maybe, but it will be hard!

NCAA Men’s Golf Championship: Ross Steelman fuels Georgia Tech’s strong start and more from Friday’s first round

Here’s what you need to know from the first round of the Men’s NCAA Championship.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — For the last two years, Grayhawk Golf Club’s Raptor Course has proved a stern test for the best men’s college golfers, and it remained so Friday.

The opening round of the NCAA Men’s Golf Championship teed off Friday, and scoring conditions were difficult. A reminder, for the men, Grayhawk plays as a par-70 (not like the par-72 it did for the women) and at 7,289 yards.

Last year, Vanderbilt, North Carolina and Oklahoma were at 14 over following four rounds of stroke play. This year, it looks like that score could be in play again with the golf course expected to play more difficult as the week goes on.

No team shot under par in the morning wave, though Georgia Tech was able to card an even-par round.

Golfweek/Sagarin rankings: Men’s team | Men’s individual
NCAA Leaderboard: Team | Individual

Here’s a look at what happened during the first round of the men’s NCAA Championship:

2023 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship: Staff picks, what to watch for at Grayhawk Golf Club

Here’s who we’re picking to win the national title.

The 2023 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship concludes two long weeks of college golf in the desert at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Thirty teams and six individuals will compete for national titles, with the individual champion being decided after four rounds of stroke play Friday, May 26 to Monday, May 29. After the third round, the field will be cut to the top 15 teams for the final round.

Those 15 will then be cut to eight, and the format will switch to match play, with the team champion being crowned Wednesday, May 31.

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As the first round of competition begins, Golfweek‘s college staff made predictions for the bracket and who will take home the trophies. Take a look at our picks, and follow our coverage from the championship all week.

Golfweek/Sagarin rankings: Men’s team | Men’s individual
More NCAA Championship: Meet the teams, individuals in the field

Lance Ringler

Match play

Vanderbilt
Illinois
Georgia Tech
Florida
Arizona State
Mississippi State
Florida State
Oklahoma

Team champion: Florida

Individual champion: Connor Howe, Georgia Tech

Cameron Jourdan

Match play

Vanderbilt
Arizona State
Oklahoma
North Carolina
Georgia Tech
Illinois
Stanford
Florida

Team champion: Georgia Tech

Individual champion: Ludvig Aberg, Texas Tech

The favorite, three who could challenge and dark horses for the 2023 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship

Starting Friday, the NCAA Men’s Golf Championships gets underway from Grayhawk Golf Club.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — With one tournament left on the calendar, it’s time for the stars to shine.

Thirty teams and six individuals will battle it out, beginning with four rounds of stroke play, starting Friday and concluding Monday when an individual champion will be crowned. Then the top eight teams will advance to match play, which begins Tuesday, and the finals will be Wednesday, when the team champion will be crowned.

Ahead of the first round of competition, Golfweek takes a look at some of the players to watch, including the favorite, those who could challenge for the individual crown and some dark horses who could make a run.

Golfweek/Sagarin rankings: Men’s team | Men’s individual

Ringler: Stanford nearly perfect as Grayhawk chapter closes

Those memories are so much more if you just look a little deeper.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — As Wake Forest won its first NCAA Championship Wednesday, the Grayhawk Golf Club chapter of women’s golf closes.

The chapter consisted of four years but only three championships due to the Covid year in 2020.

There was much we already knew about this week-long finale to the season, because we have seen it since 2015 when the women’s championship first went to match play to find a champion.

The championship is long. The teams that play in the final match will have a tee time eight times during the event. Continuing to teach how important endurance is. How important getting quality rest is.

But did we learn anything new?

We learned that Stanford was nearly perfect at Grayhawk.

The Cardinal won the fictional stroke-play national championship in each of the three years here in Scottsdale compiling a head-to-head stroke-play record of 75-0. And let’s remind everyone that individually, Stanford players won the individual title in each of the three championships at Grayhawk. Rachel Heck won the title in 2021, followed by Rose Zhang claiming the last two in 2022 and 2023.

Total domination for three years but with just one team title. We should be talking about dynasty. Instead, with just one title it may just be a side note in future tournament talk.

Walker’s squad was the lone team to play in match play all three years. However, match play put the wrinkle in what was almost perfection in this chapter. The Cardinal went 4-2 winning the title just one time in 2022.

Head coach Anne Walker talked about how difficult Grayhawk can play.

“The course is so penalizing that errant shots immediately added up to big numbers, poor speed on the greens resulted in doubles and undisciplined strategy was costly,” she said. “The course exposed player’s weaknesses and we were pretty fortunate to have five steady players through all three years that helped us be in position to advance to match play.”

It was demanding and Stanford was the best each year in handling those demands, except for those two match play losses – Arizona in 2021 and USC this year.

“I think we performed well (at Grayhawk) over the three years because we had great depth in our lineup,” said Walker.

Walker added: “Grayhawk has been a fantastic host venue. The golf course is demanding and has tested the nerves and patience of the world’s best. It rewards the best golf shots and that has produced three terrific championships.”

Ole Miss won its first national title in 2021 at Grayhawk, with Stanford winning the 2022 event and Wake Forest this year.

“The student-athletes have thoroughly enjoyed being in Scottsdale, getting to know the local community and Grayhawk staff,” said Walker. “We will forever have wonderful memories of our time in Arizona for the championships.”

Those memories are so much more if you just look a little deeper.

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Wake Forest changed its practice, preparation and play style, and in return it won the first NCAA Women’s Golf Championship in school history

It’s the first title for the Wake Forest women’s golf team in program history. 

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Emilia Migliaccio thought her college golf playing days were over.

She played four years for the Wake Forest women’s team but earned her bachelor’s and had entered a two-year graduate program. She remained around the team and coach Kim Lewellen often.

One day, Migliaccio went to her coach and told her about a dream she had. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Migliaccio still had a year of eligibility she could use. 

That dream? To play college golf again. 

She told Lewellen, who remembers a different version of the story. Migliaccio was a teacher’s assistant, but Lewellen said she knew Migliaccio didn’t love it. She saw a moment of weakness in her player.

“I’ve got a spot for you if you want it.”

Migliaccio accepted. And now, she’s a national champion.

Wake Forest captured its first women’s golf national title in school history Wednesday at Grayhawk Golf Club, and Migliaccio put the first point on the board against USC. The Demon Deacons won 3-1 and dominated from the first hole. 

“I was craving the feeling to be nervous again on the first tee,” Migliaccio said. “That’s why I play college golf. That’s why I love it. That’s why I’m not turning professional because I realized this is what I love to do.”

Migliaccio, who get married in a month, has a centerpiece for her wedding table, something teammate Rachel Kuehn has planned for some time.

Migliaccio was in the first match off Wednesday afternoon, and she took a 1 up lead after the first hole and never turned back, beating Cindy Kou 4 and 2. 

During Wake Forest’s first tournament this season at the ANNIKA Intercollegiate, Lewellen said Migliaccio was like an extra coach on the course. However, she wasn’t the only experienced Demon Deacon on the roster.

There were also seniors Lauren Walsh and Kuehn, who earned the other two points to clinch the championship. Kuehn, in a star-powered matchup against USC’s Amari Avery, won 6 and 4. Walsh captured the title on the 16th green, beating Brianna Navarrosa with a 3-and-2 victory. 

“These three have played at extremely high levels,” Lewellen said. “They’ve played on Curtis Cups, they’ve played on Palmer Cups, they’ve played in (U.S. Women’s) Opens, they’ve played in U.S. Ams. 

“They’ve played at extremely high levels and extreme pressure and turned it into a positive. That’s what made this team so special.”

There was also maturity in the team. Wake Forest has had disappointing finishes the last couple years at Grayhawk. Last year, it didn’t make the 15-team cut after Sunday’s third round of stroke play. In 2019 at Blessings Golf Club, Lewellen and Migliaccio came up short in the championship match.

The Demon Deacons overhauled their schedule. They made an effort to get more familiar with playing desert golf. The elevation and temperature and conditions. They changed how they practiced. They changed their mindset. 

“We tailored our practices not to the next tournament but tailored them to what do we need to do to win the national championship,” Kuehn said. “To come back and get some revenge on this golf course and on the field was really nice.”

USC freshman Catherine Park, who finished runner-up in the individual competition, earned the Trojans’ lone point, a 3 and 1 win against Carolina Lopez-Chacarra.

However, that was the lone shining moment for USC. 

Not only did Migliaccio win her first hole, so did Walsh and Kuehn. By the seventh hole, Walsh was 5 up. At the turn, Kuehn was 3 up. Migliaccio birdied the 14th and 15th holes to take a commanding 3 up lead with three to play.

Migliaccio gave credit after the match to Mimi Rhodes, a junior who was pivotal to Wake forest’s success during the grueling six days in the desert. Rhodes was 2 up with two to play and a birdie putt on the 17th green when Walsh clinched the title on the 16th green. 

“I’m just so proud of her,” Migliaccio said of Rhodes. 

Wake Forest changed its mindset coming into the season. It was championship or bust. The Demon Deacons changed how they prepared, practiced and played. And it paid off. 

“The past two years, everything happens for a reason,” Kuehn said. “And if it took the last two years to get us where we are today, it was all worth it.”

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