For many of you, it’s winter, which means the long-awaited first round of golf of 2020 is far in the distance thanks to cold temperatures and snow on the ground.
That’s not the case for college golfers, as the spring season begins with the best of the best teeing it up across the country over the next few weeks with their eyes on the ultimate prize: May’s NCAA Championship in Phoenix.
If you weren’t following the men’s game last fall, you missed quite the show. No team nor player has separated themselves from the pack, meaning the race for the national title is up for grabs.
Here are five teams and players to watch this spring.
MORE: Five women’s teams, players to watch
RANKINGS: Men’s Individual | Men’s Team
Five teams to watch
Oklahoma primed for another title run
The 2017 national champions are back at the top and there’s no reason to believe we won’t see Oklahoma back in match play at this year’s NCAA Championship in Phoenix. Head coach Ryan Hybl has the Sooners at No. 1 entering the spring for the first time in program history, led by seniors Quade Cummins, Garett Reband and Thomas Johnson. This team has experience, a deep roster and unfinished business after a quarterfinal exit at last year’s NCAA Championship at the hands of rival Texas.
Can Georgia Tech keep winning?
One of the most talented rosters in the country resides in Atlanta, and we’re seeing that talent flourish this season. Georgia Tech won its first event of the fall at the Carpet Capital Collegiate and tied Baylor for first at the Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational. The Yellow Jackets also took down Cal, UCLA and Duke en route to the title at the Cypress Point Classic. It’s the last go-around for a senior-driven team, led by 2019 U.S. Amateur champ Andy Ogletree, Luke Schniederjans and Tyler Strafaci. But don’t forget about junior Noah Norton and sophomores Ben Smith and Connor Howe, who complete a well-rounded team that proves it has what it takes to win in both stroke and match play. Now, they just have to carry that ability into the spring.
SMU Mustangs no longer a dark horse
After a tumultuous year in 2019, SMU – the 30th seed out of 30 teams – went on a joyride at the NCAA Championship, winning a playoff against Clemson to place in the top eight and qualify for match play. Jason Enloe’s team is back, ranked No. 12 in the country, and boasts arguably one of the nation’s best 1-2 punches with juniors Noah Goodwin and Mac Meissner. Watching the Mustangs last season, the team had something you just couldn’t put your finger on, an “it” factor that a lot of teams don’t have. Last year, they trashed expectations and earned a seat at the table. This year, they’re ready to feast.
Wake Forest ready to reclaim No. 1
If there’s a word to describe this year’s Wake Forest team, it’s confident. The Demon Deacons spent time at No. 1 earlier this season, but the men from Winston Salem, North Carolina enter the spring season at No. 6. Head coach Jerry Haas has just one senior on this year’s team in Eric Bae, but don’t let that fool you. The team has seen impressive production from juniors Marco Steyn and Parker Gillam, who has the nation’s lowest score of the year with a 60 in the opening round at the White Sands Intercollegiate, where he went on to take first place. Sophomores Alex Fitzpatrick and Eugenio Chacarra, as well as freshman Mark Power, have also been key for a Wake Forest squad that hasn’t finished worse than fourth all season.
Texas Tech not slowing down
Win. Win. Win. Fourth. That’s how Texas Tech started the fall, and there’s no signs of slowing down from head coach Greg Sands’ squad. The Red Raiders had at least two players in the top five of each of their three stroke play events, including two different winners in Sandy Scott and Andy Lopez. Their third win of the season came at the Big 12 Match Play, where they dominated one of college golf’s best conferences and proved to be a menace of a match play opponent. With six events this spring before the Big 12 Championship, it’s unlikely to expect Texas Tech to keep winning at the rate displayed last fall. But if anyone can do it, it’s Texas Tech.
Five players to watch
Adrien Pendaries, Duke
Meet the top-ranked player in the Golfweek/Sagarin Men’s Collegiate Individual Rankings, and for good reason. Adrien Pendaries finished in the top seven in three stroke-play tournaments for Duke and boasts a 5-1 fall match-play record for the Blue Devils. Not only is he No. 1 in the rankings, he also leads the nation in par-4 scoring (3.84).
Though he’s still chasing that elusive first win of the season, Pendaries’ consistency to always be in the mix and his match play chops make Duke a dangerous postseason team (especially with the ACC Championship moving to match play).
Peter Kuest, BYU
All eyes will be on BYU’s Peter Kuest this spring after a blistering hot fall campaign. The senior was Mr. Reliable early and often for the Cougars with wins at the William Tucker Intercollegiate and Nick Watney Invitational in addition to a top five and top ten. Pendaries may be No. 1 in the rankings, but Kuest isn’t far behind. In fact, he’s first in the country in scoring (67.93), eagles (nine) and par-5 scoring (4.33).
John Augenstein, Vanderbilt
John Augenstein set high expectations for his senior season after a runner-up finish at the 2019 U.S. Amateur this summer, and he hasn’t disappointed, earning two top-five finishes among strong fields at the Nike Golf Collegiate and Crooked Stick. His experience not only at the U.S. Amateur, but also at last year’s NCAA Championship, will be key for No. 34 Vanderbilt if they have any shot at making a run at a title.
Cole Hammer, Texas
The highlight of the fall for the former No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (now No. 2) came with an appearance at the Houston Open in October. In no way is that a knock on Hammer’s college season, which features two top 10s in four events. Instead, expect to see a lot more this spring from the sophomore star, who earned consecutive T-1 finishes around this time last year as a freshman. In fact, Hammer and the Longhorns return to the site of the first of those top finishes at the Southern Highlands Collegiate, March 1-3 in Las Vegas.
Jonathan Brightwell, UNCG
The senior from Charlotte, North Carolina started the season on fire with a T-4 finish at the Badger Invitational and followed that with consecutive wins at the Rod Myers Invitational and Wolfpack Fall Intercollegiate. He cooled off towards the end of the fall with T-10/T-11 finishes, but Brightwell has proven he belongs in the conversation as one of the best players in the country.
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