THE FAB FIVE
My look at the top five teams in the country right now
MEN
1. Stanford—The Cardinal closed with an tournament-best 283 in the final round of the Oregon Duck Invitational Tuesday, but it was too little too late to make it six wins on the season (team finish: fifth). Apparently everyone can have an off week. Next event: U.S. Intercollegiate, Stanford GC, Palo Alto, Calif., April 14-15
2. Georgia—Watching the Bulldogs practice last week back in Athens as the women’s team was hosting the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic, you see how confident the squad is. Not to mention how laid back. Next event: U.S. Collegiate, GC of Georgia, Alpharetta, Ga., April 9-11
3. Alabama—The Crimson Tide have one more event to prove their mettle before the SEC Championship. Next event: U.S. Collegiate, GC of Georgia, Alpharetta, Ga., April 9-11
4. Southern California—A six-shot victory at the Oregon Duck put the Trojans into the winner’s circle at a perfect time of the year—just as NCAAs approach. Next event: U.S. Collegiate, GC of Georgia, Alpharetta, Ga., April 9-11
5. UCLA—The Bruins struggled in the final round in Eugene (300, the third worst score on the day). O.D. Vincent’s squad is a bit of an enigma, although it’s tough to bet against them just yet. Next event: National Invitational Tournament, Omni Tucson National, Tucson, Ariz., April 2-3
WOMEN
1. Arizona State—The Sun Devils latest accuracy figures remain impressive: 83.3 percent fairways hit; 66.9 percent greens hit in regulation. Bonus points for the fact they lead the country with 31 percent GIR average inside 15 feet. Next event: Ping ASU Invitational, ASU Karsten Course, Tempe, Ariz., March 30-April 1
2. Duke—The Blue Devils have a chance to continue flexing their muscle as they competes against nearly every major competitor east of the Mississippi in the final regular season this weekend. Next event: Bryan National Collegiate, Bryan Park Champions GC, Brown Summitt, N.C., April 6-8
3. Auburn—The Tigers carded an impressive win at last week’s Liz Murphey Collegiate (after 13 tries in Athens, Ga.). Most importantly, they showed they can be victorious on a “championship” caliber courses. Next event: Bryan National Collegiate, Bryan Park Champions GC, Brown Summitt, N.C., April 6-8
4. Pepperdine—The Waves try to anchor their position in the top five by facing a standout field in Tucson. Next event: Ping ASU Invitational, ASU Karsten Course, Tempe, Ariz., March 30-April 1
5. Georgia—A disappointing eighth-place finish at the Bulldogs home tournament creates a little doubt as to whether the squad will be ready come the postseason. Only a little, but that’s a little more than a few months ago. Next event: Bryan National Collegiate, Bryan Park Champions GC, Brown Summitt, N.C., April 6-8
GOLF WORLD PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
MEN
John Streibich, Xavier
A final-round 63 at Pasatiempo GC, including a hole-in-one on the fifth, tied the Western Intercollegiate tournament record and gave the senior a one-shot win with an 11-under 199 (also a tourney record) in the event’s 61st playing.
WOMEN
Leah Wigger, Virginia
The senior All-American bogeyed her last hole to force a playoff with Purdue’s Maria Hernandez (two-over 215) at the Liz Murphey Collegiate, but she made a six-foot birdie on the first sudden-death hole for her first college win after five runner-up finishes. “I felt like I was pretty close to getting everything together last week at LSU,” Wigger said last Sunday. “This week, I had the putter going. That was the difference. It’s nice to finally get a win.”
STAT OF THE WEEK
67.8
Final-round stroke average for Florida State sophomore Caroline Westrup. When the native of Sweden shot a even-par 71 in the final round of last weekend’s Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic, it marked the first time in six events that she failed to break 70 over the last 18.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
• It wasn’t much publicized but Georgia Tech and Georgia State used one of their days of competition last weekend to play a friendly match against each other. What was interesting/revealing, was the venue: Golden Horseshoe GC in Williamsburg, Va. For the uninitiated, that’s the site of this year’s NCAA Championship. Coincidence? I think not. The Yellow Jackets used the “event” to culminate a three-day spring break trip there. The greens had been aerated, but still yielded a 68 for Tech’s Roberto Castro and 69 for Kevin Larsen as the Tech defeated State by seven shots. Give coaches Bruce Heppler and Matt Clark credit for taking advantage of an opportunity on their schedules to get in a little homework for NCAAs.
• It was fun to get to see Arkansas women’s assistant coach Shauna Estes leading the Lady Razorbacks to a third-place finish at last weekend’s Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic. For starters, she is a former All-American with the Bulldogs and had been medalist in the event back in her playing days, giving her plenty of incentive/motivation to do well in her return trip to Athens. More interestingly, you saw someone very comfortable being in charge. This was the fourth tournament Estes has been the acting head coach this spring with head coach Kelley Hester on maternity leave (she had a baby girl two weeks ago, mom and daughter are doing well), and it was the best finish yet. She has a natural rapport with the players and is as competitive as ever. She’ll continue to lead the team at next week’s Susie Maxwell Berning event and probably the SEC Championship later in April (although Hester is expected to make an appearance at SECs). If I’m a school searching for a person to oversee my program in the next few years, one of the first calls I make is to Estes.
• As you may/may not have read, I tried a new strategy for picking my NCAA men’s hoops bracket last week by using the records of the schools’ golf teams as the criteria for who advanced and who went home. For the record, I did get two final four squads (Florida and UCLA), although my champion, Southern California, got knocked off early.
TOURNAMENTS TO WATCH
MEN
Administaf Augusta State Invitational
(For live scoring, link here to Golfstat)
March 30-April 1
Champions Retreat GC, Evans, Ga.
Field: Auburn, Augusta State, Clemson, Coastal Carolina, East Tennessee State, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Houston, Minnesota, North Carolina, N.C. State, North Florida, Notre Dame, South Carolina, Tennessee, USC-Aiken, Virginia, Virginia Tech
Defending champion: Coastal Carolina (10-under 854); Scott Brown, USC-Aiken, (nine-under 207)
Skinny: The tournament, started by the Augusta Golf Association in 1979, will be played for a second year at Champions Retreat. The event’s timing—held the weekend prior to the Masters—allows teams to stick around and watch the Monday practice day at Augusta National. Two players in the 2007 Masters field have won the ASU event: Phil Mickelson (Arizona State, 1989) and Tim Herron (New Mexico, 1993). One coach of a team in the event has also earned medalist honors twice: John Inman, North Carolina 1982 and 1983. Inman is the only repeat winner of the tournament.
Diet Pepsi Shocker Classic
April 2-3
Wichita CC, Wichita, Kan.
Host: Wichita State
National Invitational Tournament
April 2-3
Omni Tucson National Resort, Tucson, Ariz.
Host: Arizona
Hal Sutton Intercollegiate
April 2-3
GC at Stonebridge, Bossier City, La.
Host: Centenary
Ogio Pacific Coast Invitational
April 2-3
The Alisal River Cse., Santa Barbara, Calif.
Host: UC-Santa Barbara
WOMEN
Ping/ASU Invitational
(For live scoring, link here to Golfstat)
March 30-April 1
ASU Karsten Course, Tempe, Ariz. (Par 72, 6,230 yards)
Field: Arizona, Arizona State, California, Long Beach State, Missouri, New Mexico, Oregon State, Oklahoma State, Pepperdine, Stanford, Texas A&M, Tulsa, UCLA, UNLV, USC, Vanderbilt, Washington
Defending champion: UCLA (one-over 865); Adriana Zwanck. Arizona (six-under 210)
Skinny: The event, first started in 1965, has a standout field with 10 of the top 25 teams in the most recent Golf World/NGCA coaches’ poll, including six of the top 10.
Ryder Florida Women’s College Championship
March 30-April 1
Don Shula’s Golf Resort, Miami Lakes, Fla.
Host: Miami (Fla.)
John Kirk/Lady Panther Intercollegiate
April 2-3
Eagles Landing CC, Stockbridge, Ga.
Host: Georgia State
Field: Augusta State, Arkansas State, Birmingham Southern, Campbell, Coastal Carolina, East Carolina, East Tennessee State, Elon, Georgia State, Jacksonville State, Louisville, Maryland, Memphis, Mercer, Mississippi, Richmond, Western Carolina.
BYU Dixie Classic
April 3-4
Entrada at Snow Canyon, St. George, Utah
Host: BYU
Field: Arizona, BYU, California, Colorado State, Weber State
Anteater Invitational
March 26-27
Dove Canyon GC, Dove Canyon, Calif.
Host: UC-Irvine
