FAB FIVE
MEN
1. Oklahoma State (Last week: 1)
The Cowboys still have depth beyond that of most teams in the country, but Mike McGraw's bunch will spend the winter break in Stillwater trying to see who wants to emerge as the most reliable prospects for the No. 4 and 5 man for the starting lineup.
Next event: Fall season over

2. Alabama (NR)
Obviously there have been no problems with the transition from junior golf to college for Cory   Whitsett and Bobby Wyatt. The rookies were a big part of the Crimson Tide's two-stroke victory at Isleworth earlier this week, a great book end win to go with Carpet Capital triumph to start the fall
Next event: Fall season over

3. Florida (2)
Bad opening round at Isleworth made a comeback too tough for Buddy Alexander's group, but the Gators hung in there without their strongest lineup to finish T-3. Bank Vongvanij's individual win helps make a strong case for the senior's candidacy as the surprise performer of the fall.
Next event: Fall season over

4. Georgia Tech (NR)
What a way to claim first U.S. Collegiate title: 27-stroke victory nearly sets school record while all five starters post top-10 finishes. Yellow Jackets test in the spring will be to show they can play well away from home.
Next event: Fall season over

5. LSU (NR)
Apparently the Tiger men didn't like the women being the only one to get attention. Chuck Winsted's group comes off home victory at David Toms with runner-up to Alabama at Isleworth. Add in the victory at the Gopher Invite and it's been a very nice fall for the boys from Baton Rouge.
Next event: Fall season over


WOMEN
1. Alabama (1)
Can the Crimson Tide continue their winning ways in California? We might know after round 1 ... Alabama has the country's best first-round scoring average (71.73 average per player). Of course, they also have the third best final-round average (72.27), second best average on par-3s and 4s and third best average on par 5s.
Next event: Pac-10/SEC Challenge, Stanford GC, Palo Alto, Calif., Nov. 5-7

2. LSU (2)
The Tigers will miss Megan McChrystal at the Pac-10/SEC Challenge, as she'll skip the event to compete in Futures Tour Q School. On the flip side, it will allow the rest of the team to prove they're more than just McChrystal and the seven dwarfs.
Next event: Pac-10/SEC Challenge, Stanford GC, Palo Alto, Calif., Nov. 5-7

3. Purdue (3)
Amazing to think that the reigning NCAA champions are really kind of falling under the radar (except here, of course). Spring schedule is such that the Boilermakers really won't be meeting up with the West Coast heavyweights, but will have a chance to see some SEC schools a time or two.
Next event: Fall season over

4. UCLA (NR)
East Coast trip to North Carolina proves advantageous for the Bruins, who claim first victory of the season at the Landfall Tradition. Added bonus: Tiffany Lua captures share of first individual tournament victory. Confidence boosters all around for the folks in Westwood.
Next event: Pac-10/SEC Challenge, Stanford GC, Palo Alto, Calif., Nov. 5-7

5. USC (4)
After the Bruins victory, and the near misses by the Trojans earlier in the fall, I get a sense that USC is ready to be the next group in the winner's circle come the Stanford event.
Next event: Pac-10/SEC Challenge, Stanford GC, Palo Alto, Calif., Nov. 5-7


STAT OF THE WEEK
44
The number of golfers in the women's college game with scoring averages of 72.0 or lower, according to Golfstat as of Oct. 20.

On its own, this number might not mean much, but in context of the past few seasons, it is a significant indicator of the overriding trends we're seeing in the women's game this fall: scoring are going down.

Indeed, I wrote a story for this week's issue of Golf World on this very subject, and did research to compare that 44 number to the past five seasons. Looking at old Golfstat Cup rankings to see at approximately this same time frame each year, how many stroke averages were at 72 or lower, here are the totals I found.

2009: 27
2008: 24
2007: 18
2006: 8
2005: 6

If it seems like we're seeing a lot more lower scores this year in the women's game, well it's because we are.

Here is an even more detailed breakdown:

              Women w/stroke averages of:
            71.0/lower   71.0-71.5    71.51-72.0
2010       16                  11                 17
2009       13                  2                   11
2008       5                     8                   11
2007       3                     4                   11
2006       1                     0                   7
2005       3                     0                   3

Suffice it to say, some coaches are adjusting to the new reality:

"Even par isn't going to get it done anymore," says Alabama's Mic Potter. "There was a time when if you shot under 300 [in a round as a team], you were going to win a tournament. Well, if you shoot 300 now, you're going to be last."
 


RANDOM THOUGHT OF THE WEEK
I wonder how many coaches of schools in the Golf World men's and women's polls have hosted a high school senior on an official visit this fall? I'm setting the over under on the men's side at six; for the women at eight.


WHAT TO WATCH FOR
* Earlier this week, I wrote about a memo sent by the NCAA to coaches' associations in several sports, including golf, seeking recommendations for how to go about implementing limitations in the number of days coaches could spend recruiting prospective student athletes.
The Golf Coaches Association of America and the National Golf Coaches Association are in the process of gathering information to respond to the NCAA's Dec. 3 deadline.

On the surface this might not seem like a big deal, but for those involved, this could ultimately lead to a massive change in the sports. "This is going to have a huge effect on everything," a source involved in the process told me recently. "This is going to have the same kind of effect on our sport as 24 days of competition, reduction of scholarships and defined windows you can actually be with your team."

The most likely alternatives that will be offered by the GCAA and NGCA are 1) a recruiting calendar that prohibits recruiting during set periods of time, 2) a set number of recruiting days per year, which coaches could use at their discretion or 3) a hybrid of the two. In trying to give some thought about what might be the best approach for the coaches to take, my guess is that either option 2 or 3 will be the plan that gets the largest proportion of coaches supporting it. A strict recruiting calendar that has dead periods during the year creates all sorts of problems in golf considering that junior tournaments are played throughout the year. You wouldn't want to have dead periods in the summer, with AJGA events on tap. So what about the spring or fall? Well in some states, that's when the high school seasons are played. Meanwhile, it seems like every major holiday period has a junior event scheduled opposite it.

Another interesting wrinkle about the calendar approach would be what might coaches do if their schools host a junior tournament during a "dead period"? What if you work at your school's golf course as director of golf? You might actually be prevented from literally going to your job. I'm not sure how well that would sit some.

* I've mentioned it to the folks at New Mexico State in the past but I'll do it again now. Rick Reilly, the award winning journalist at ESPN, did not won the Herb Wimberly Intercollegiate in 1979, as the sports information department has mentioned repeatedly in press releases. When I first saw this note a few years back, I thought it was very cool. I contacted Colorado's sports information department to find out more about it, but learned from the school that Reilly did not play for the Buffalo golf team. I then called and mentioned it to NMSU's SID office. Sure enough, the next season, there it was again in a release. I again gave them a head's up that this was not actually true, but no correction has been made.

Last week I saw the reference yet again in their pre-tournament release. So this time around I contacted ESPN to try and have Reilly say yes or no that he won the event. The information I got back from Reilly was that he did not win it. So ... I'll be curious if New Mexico State will finally update their records prior to the 2011 Wimberly.



TOURNAMENT PREVIEWS
MEN
Kiawah Island Intercollegiate
   (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Turtle Point GC, Kiawah Island, S.C.
Nov. 1-2
Host: Charleston Southern
Field: Bethune-Cookman, Butler, Campbell, Charleston, Charleston Southern, George Washington, Indiana, Longwood, Presbyterian, South Carolina, Stetson, Towson, Western Illinois, Western Kentucky
Defending champion: Charleston Southern (35-over 899) by 11 strokes over Gardner-Webb; South Carolina's Dykes Harbin (two-over 218) by one stroke over Charleston Southern's Kelvin Day
Skinny: School's fall invitational moves from Crowfield G&CC in Charleston to Turtle Point. New venue allows it to host more schools.

Royal Oaks Intercollegiate
   (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Royal Oaks CC, Dallas
Nov. 1-2
Host: Baylor
Field: Arkansas, Baylor, Iowa, Lamar, Long Beach State, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Penn State, SMU, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, UNLV
Defending champion: Texas A&M (four-under 848) by three strokes over SMU; SMU's James Kwon (six-under 207) by two strokes over Texas A&M's Cameron Peck and Arkansas' David Lingmerth
Skinny: Iowa is trying for win No. 4 this fall, after finishing third in the event a year ago. It's been almost a month break from competition, so it will be interesting to see if the Hawkeyes might have lost their edge.

The Hummingbird Intercollegiate
   (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
CC of Sapphire Valley, Sapphire, N.C.
Nov. 1-2
Host: Western Carolina
Field: Akron, Appalachian State, Elon, Francis Marion, Furman, Gardner-Webb, High Point, IPFW, Jacksonville, Kennesaw State, Kentucky, Radford, Samford, UAB, Vanderbilt, Western Carolina, Winthrop, Wofford
Defending champion: Furman (one-under 567) by three strokes over East Carolina and Kentucky; Furman's Garland Ferrell (seven-under 135) by two strokes over Akron's Lucas Murray
Skinny: For second-straight year the tournament hosts a event-record 18-team field

Stockton Sports Commission Pacific Invitational
   (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Brookside CC, Stockton, Calif.
Nov. 1-3
Host: Pacific
Field: BYU, Charlotte, Denver, Fresno State, Kansas State, Marquette, Nevada, Oregon State, Pacific, St. Mary's (Calif.), Santa Clara, UC Davis
Defending champion: UC Davis (20-under 832) by one stroke over BYU; UC Davis' Tyler Raber (14-under 199) by four strokes over Oregon's Eugene Wong
Skinny: Solid field and very informative tournament website.

WOMEN
Lady Paladin Intercollegiate
   (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Furman GC, Greenville, S.C.
Oct. 29-31
Host: Furman
Field: Chattanooga, Detroit-Mercy, East Tennessee State, Furman, Georgia State, Jacksonville, James Madison, Longwood, Mercer, Middle Tennessee State, Nova Southeastern, Presbyterian, Rollins, Samford, South Florida, Winthrop, Wofford
Defending champion: Nova Southeastern (35-over 611) by four strokes over Campbell; Nova Southeastern's Sandra Changkija (three-over 147) by two strokes over Campbell's Mary Mattson and Furman's Stefanie Kenoyer
Skinny: Impressive group of past winners includes Betsy King, Nancy Lopez, Sherri Turner, Donna Andrews and Dottie Pepper.

Pat Bradley Invitational
   (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Pelican Preserve, Fort Myers, Fla.
Oct. 31-Nov. 2
Host: Florida International
Field: Bethune-Cookman, Cincinnati, Daytona State, Drake, Florida Atlantic, Florida Gulf Coast, Florida International, Maryland, Murray State, North Texas, Oakland (Mich.), South Alabama, Stetson, Troy, Western Michigan
Defending champion: Furman (six-over 870) by seven strokes over South Florida; USF's Shena Yang (eight-under 208) by three strokes over UCF's Valentina Fontaine
Skinny: Amazing to think that a junior college team (Daytona State) might be the favorite. Meanwhile, host Florida International, however, is No. 25 in the Golfstat team ranking.

The Alamo Invitational
   (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Briggs Ranch, San Antonio
Oct. 31-Nov. 2
Host: UT-San Antonio
Field: Baylor, Central Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas State, Nebraska, Notre Dame, SMU, TCU, Texas A&M, UT-San Antonio, Tulane, Tulsa, UCF, Wisconsin
Defending champion: Tennessee (one-over 289) by three strokes over Notre Dame and Texas A&M; Notre Dame's Annie Brophy and Tennessee's Nathalie Mansson (two-under 70)
Skinny: Second edition of the event hopes to go longer than last year's rain-shortened one round affair.

Challenge at Onion Creek
   (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Onion Creek GC, Austin, Texas
Nov. 1-2
Host: Texas State
Field: Arkansas-Little Rock, Augusta State, Coastal Carolina, Denver, Eastern Michigan, Gonzaga, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Kennesaw State, Michigan, San Francisco, Texas State, Xavier
Defending champion: Texas A&M (one-under 839) by three strokes over San Francisco; Texas A&M's Julia Boland (four-under 206) by one stroke over Texas A&M's Ashley Freeman
Skinny: Curious to see how low the scores might be as the tournament's yardage at Onion Creek is listed at 5,944 with a par 70.

Turtle Bay Collegiate Invitational
   (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Turtle Bay Resort, Laie, Hawaii
Nov. 2-4
Host: Hawaii
Field: BYU, British Columbia, Hawaii, Portland State, Princeton, Southern Illinois, UC Irvine
Defending champion: UC Davis (four-over 868) by nine strokes over UCLA; USC's Lizette Salas (eight-under 208) by five strokes over UC Davis' Amy Simanton and San Jose State's Cristina Corpus
Skinny: Smaller field than usual, not to mention an unusually diverse one.

Oklahoma State and Oklahoma City remained atop Division I and NAIA Golf World/Nike Golf men's coaches' polls while North Alabama jumps into the top spot in the Division II poll and Guilford fills the No. 1 slot in the Division III poll. Voting for the polls closed Oct. 22.

Alabama, Nova Southeastern and Methodist all keep their claim to the No. 1 ranking in the latest Golf World/NGCA women's coaches' polls. Voting for the polls closed Oct. 22.

The Golf Coaches Association of America will welcome seven new members to its Hall of Fame next month in Las Vegas, inducting six coaches who have each won a national championship during their college careers and one journalist who has chronicled more than two dozen NCAA men's championships.

Five coaches--California's Steve Desimone, USC-Aiken's Michael Carlisle, Oklahoma City's Kyle Blaser, Bob Alpers of St. John's (Minn.) and Texas Wesleyan's Bobby Cornett--remain active at their schools. Desimone started coaching the Golden Bears in 1980 and helped the team gain varsity status in 1982 before eventually leading them to the 2004 NCAA Division I title. Carlisle, Alpers and Blaser got their starts in the 1990s and have won 12 national championships between them. Cornett returned to the job in 2009 after coaching at Texas Wesleyan from 1985-99.

Also being honored is Floyd Horgan, who oversaw the Brevard CC program and was Hal Sutton's coach at Centenary in the late 1970s/early 1980s, and Ron Balicki, a veteran writer  with Golfweek magazine who has covered college and amateur golf since the 1980s.

Here are some thumbnails on the honorees, who will be formally inducted during the GCAA's national convention at the Tropicana Hotel on Dec. 6


Bob Alpers, St. John's (Minn.), 1992-present
    Two NCAA D-III titles (2007, '08); eight conference championships; 21 All-Americans; 2007 national coach of the year

Ron Balicki, Golfweek, 1983-present
    Covered 26 consecutive NCAA D-I championships dating back to 1985; stories have been recognized as award winners by the Golf Writers Association of America

Kyle Blaser, Oklahoma City, 1998-present
    Seven NAIA national titles; 11 conference championships; 21 All-Americans; six-time NAIA national coach of the year

Michael Carlisle, USC-Aiken, 1991-present
    Three NCAA D-II titles (2004, '05, '06); eight conference championships, 45 All-Americans; one NCAA player of the year; three-time national  coach of the year

Bobby Cornett, Texas Wesleyan, 1985-99, 2009-present
    Three NAIA national titles (1990, '95, '99); 65 tournament wins; three-time NAIA coach of the year

Steve Desimone, California, 1980-present
    One NCAA D-I title (2004); eight All-Americans; 11 All-American scholars

Floyd Horgan, Brevard CC/Centenary, 1966-1993
    Seven NJCAA titles; 48 All-Americans; NJCAA Hall of Fame inductee

In recent years at the Golf Coaches Association of America's annual national convention, the topic of establishing a recruiting calendar that would designate specific times of the year when college coaches could go on the road to watch junior golfers has been floated, only to crash like the proverbial lead balloon. It's not so much that the coaches were against unilaterally setting limits to when they could be on the road searching for their next blue-chip recruit. It's that trying to wrap their arms around on when during the year to allow coaches to hit the road—and more importantly what times of the year to prohibit their travels—proved a far more challenging task than getting their players to work on their short games. With no pressing reason to investigate the matter much further, the coaches ultimately looked the other way and moved on to the next item on the agenda.

Such a luxury, however, no longer appears to be an option.

A memo obtained by Golf World from the NCAA Division I Recruiting and Athletics Personnel Cabinet dated Oct. 7 and sent to sport-specific groups and coaches' associations in nearly 20 sports, including the GCAA and the National Golf Coaches Association, outlines the NCAA's interest in bringing all college sports "under the same general model of recruiting." To do so, the cabinet requested that each coaches' association submit recommendations by Dec. 3 on "appropriate parameters" for their sport regarding the potential implementation of a recruiting calendar or a specific number of recruiting person/evaluation days.

Currently a handful of sports, including football, men's and women's basketball, men's and women’s ice hockey, softball, men's and women's lacrosse and field hockey, have specific recruiting limitations. NCAA officials would like to have similar guidelines in all sports in part for the well being of the coaches and the prospective student-athletes burdened by the current recruiting process, as well as to help athletic departments reduce expenses.

The good news for golf coaches is that the NCAA doesn't appear to be looking to create a one-rule-for-all-sports policy, but is open to looking at variations on an individual sport basis.

Since receiving the memo, GCAA CEO Gregg Grost said that his association's National Advisory Board has been working on develop proposals for the general memberships' review. To speed up their efforts and meet the NCAA deadline, the country has been broken down into three regions, with NAB members canvassing their geographic area to try to find out where coaches' stand.

No specific plans have yet been drafted, but in all likelihood the coaches will be exploring one of three options:

• * a calendar approach, where recruiting will be restricted to certain times during the year (i.e. summers or certain holidays)
• * a recruiting days approach, where coaches would have a set number of days in the year that they can be on the road recruiting, but can use them at any time
• * a hybrid model that would limit the number of days of recruiting as well as have certain "dead periods" in which no coach would be allowed to recruit.

Grost said that the NAB hopes to have information from the three regions back by Nov. 8, with the entire board then discussing the findings and drawing up two or three proposals for all Division I coaches to review starting Nov. 15. The goal is to have a two-thirds majority backing one proposal.

The Recruiting and Athletics Personnel Issues cabinet, chaired by UCLA senior associate athletic director Petrina Long, will review proposals from all sports at its February 2011 meeting, then likely push them back to the coaches' associations with comments and questions. The coaches' associations would then be expected to respond in the spring so potential legislation can be written that would be voted on in the 2011-12 legislative cycle and be in place for the 2012-13 season.

MEN
Alex Kang, San Diego State
It's not often that a player closes with rounds of 67 and 68 and can be disappointed. Of course, that's what happens when you shoot an opening-round nine-under 62 the way the junior from Oak Park, Calif., did at the Alister MacKenzie Invitational last week at Meadow GC in Fairfax, Calif. Kang's 16-under 197 broke the previous Aztez's 54-hole school record (set by Aaron Goldberg in 2006) by four strokes as he claimed his second career individual title, beating teammate Todd Baek and California's Ben An by one stroke.

While the team finished in second place to California by two strokes, Kang's performance--which included 16 birdies and an eagle offset by two bogeys--helped SDSU set the team 54-hole score best with a 46-under 806.

Honorable mention: Michael McGowan, North Carolina
The sophomore shot a college best 66 in the second round of the UNCG Bridgestone Collegiate, then matched the score again in the final round at Forest Oaks CC in Greensboro, N.C., to help the Tar Heels claim the team title by seven strokes over eighth-ranked Auburn. McGowan finished third individually at 13-under 203, his best ever finish at UNC.


WOMEN
Tiffany Lua, UCLA
The sophomore (right) claimed a share of the individual title at the Landfall Tradition after shooting a even-par 72 at the CC of Landfall in Wilmington, N.C., and helped the Bruins take top honors in the team competition, the school's first victory of the 2010-11 season. UCLA finished with a 16-over 880 total, five strokes better than North Carolina. Lua posted a two-under 214 total.

Honorable mention: Brittany Altomare, Virginia
For the second time this fall, the Cavalier sophomore has claimed at least a share of medalist honors, joining Lua at two-under 214 at CC of Landfall. She is the third UVa player to win multiple individual titles in a single season, joining Calle Nielson and Leah Wigger. Virginia finished fifth as a team, 12 strokes back of UCLA.

Joining me for this week's edition of the Golf World Campus Insider Podcast is LSU senior Megan McChrystal, who current holds the top spot in the Golfstat Cup rankings. McChrystal finished the 2009-10 season by shooting an NCAA-record 64 in the final round of the NCAA Championship in May and has started the 2010-11 season in similarly impressive fashion.

Tournament                  Place         Scores
NCAA Fall Preview         Win            68-73-65--206
Mason Rudolph               T-4            70-71-68--209
Tar Heel Invitational        2nd*           67-72-66--205
*lost in a playoff

McChrystal's 68.89 overall scoring average isn't even her best stat as the Stuart, Fla., native has a 66.3 average in the final round this fall.

In the podcast, McChrystal talks about the strong start for both her and her team while also revealing that she will not be in the Tigers starting lineup in three weeks at the Pac-10/SEC Challenge. Instead, she'll be playing in the Duramed Futures Tour Qualifying School as an amateur in hopes of earning a card that she will then be able to use when the school year wraps up next May.

One was a no-brainer, the other came down to the wire. In the end, Anthony Paolucci and Kristen Park have earned the AJGA's Rolex Junior Player of the Year Awards after putting on impressive displays in 2010.

Paolucci, 18, from Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., has been atop the Polo Golf Ranking since May when he won the Thunderbird International Junior title. He added a second AJGA invitational victory to his resume when he won the Rolex Tournament of Champions event in July. Additionally he finished second at the FootJoy Invitational and at the Junior PGA Championship, was a quarterfinalist at the U.S. Junior Amateur. The senior at La Jolla Country Day has given a verbal commitment to play college golf at USC next fall.

Park, 17, from Buena Park, Calif., was victorious at the Ping Invitational earlier this month, a last-minute tournament title that likely allowed her to claim the award in a close race with Victoria Tanco and Cindy Feng. Knowing a win was probably necessarily, Park shot a course-record 67 in the final round. It was her AJGA second invitational of the year, going with her Rolex Tournament of Champions victory in July. Park also had top-10 finishes in six other AJGA events and was fifth at the Junior PGA Championship. She too is a high school senior who is expected to sign with USC later this fall.

Both Paolucci and Park will receive their awards Nov. 21 during the AJGA's Rolex Junior All-America Awards Banquet at PGA National Golf & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

ROLEX JUNIOR PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
Boys
1978    Willie Wood, Tucson, Ariz.
1979    Tracy Phillips, Tulsa, Okla.
1980    Tommy Moore, New Orleans, La.
            Tracy Phillips, Tulsa, Okla.
1981    Billy Andrade, Bristol, R.I.
1982    Scott Verplank, Dallas, Texas
1983    Bill McDonald, Dalton, Ga.
1984    Brian Watts, Carrollton, Texas
1985    Bobby May, La Habra, Calif.
1986    Phil Mickelson, San Diego, Calif.
1987    Phil Mickelson, San Diego, Calif.
1988    Phil Mickelson, San Diego, Calif.
1989    David Duval, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
1990    Lee McEntee, Doylestown, Pa.
1991    Tiger Woods, Cypress, Calif.
1992    Tiger Woods, Cypress, Calif.
1993    Michael Henderson, Raleigh, N.C.
1994    Robert Floyd, Miami Beach, Fla.
            Joel Kribel, Pleasanton, Calif.
1995    Ryuji Imada, Tampa, Fla.
1996    Charles Howell, Augusta, Ga.
1997    David Gossett, Germantown, Tenn.
1998    Erik Compton, Miami, Fla.
            Ryan Hybl, Colbert, Ga.
1999    Hunter Mahan, McKinney, Texas
2000    Matthew Rosenfeld, Plano, Texas
2001    Casey Wittenberg, Memphis, Tenn.
2002    Seung Su Han, Chino Hills, Calif.
2003    Brian Harman, Savannah, Ga.
2004    Brian Harman, Savannah, Ga.
2005    Peter Uihlein, Bradenton, Fla.
2006    Philip Francis, Scottsdale, Ariz.
2007    Peter Uihlein, Bradenton, Fla.
2008    Cameron Peck, Olympia, Wash.
2009    Jordan Spieth, Dallas, Texas
2010    Anthony Paolucci, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.

Girls
1978    Cathy Hanlon, Verdes Estates, Calif.
1979    Penny Hammel, Decatur, Ill.
1980    Heather Farr, Phoenix, Ariz.
1981    Jenny Lidback, Baton Rouge, La.
1982    Heather Farr, Phoenix, Ariz.
1983    Melissa McNamara, Tulsa, Okla.
1984    Susan Pager, Daphne, Ala.
1985    Pearl Sinn, Bellflower, Calif.
1986    Adele Moore, Dallas, Texas
1987    Michelle McGann, Riviera Beach, Fla.
1988    Brandi Burton, Rialto, Calif.
            Vicki Goetze, Hull, Ga.
1989    Vicki Goetze, Hull, Ga.
1990    Vicki Goetze, Hull, Ga.
1991    Emilee Klein, Studio City, Calif.
1992    Kellee Booth, Coto de Caza, Calif.
1993    Kellee Booth, Coto de Caza, Calif.
1994    Grace Park, Phoenix, Ariz.
1995    Cristie Kerr, Miami, Fla.
1996    Grace Park, Phoenix, Ariz.
1997    Beth Bauer, Valrico, Fla.
1998    Beth Bauer, Cramerton, N.C.
1999    Candie Kung, Fountain Valley, Calif.
2000    Aree Song Wongluekiet, Bradenton, Fla.
2001    Elizabeth Janangelo, West Hartford, Conn.
2002    In-Bee Park, Eustis, Fla.
2003    Paula Creamer, Pleasanton, Calif.
2004    Julieta Granada, Asuncion, Paraguay
2005    Morgan Pressel, Boca Raton, Fla.
2006    Esther Choe, Scottsdale, Ariz.
2007    Vicky Hurst, Melbourne, Fla.
2008    Victoria Tanco, Bradenton, Fla.
2009    Victoria Tanco, Bradenton, Fla.
2010     Kristen Park, Buena Park, Calif.

FAB FIVE
MEN
1. Oklahoma State (Last week: 1)
The Cowboys certainly have the depth to overcome Peter Uihlein's absence from at Isleworth, as their No. 1 player competes for U.S. at the World Amateur Team Championship in Argentina. It will be curious, however, to see how the bottom part of the lineup does when it's leaned on a little more heavily than in previous starts this fall.
Next event: Isleworth Collegiate Invitational, Isleworth CC, Windermere, Fla., Oct. 23-26

2. Florida (2)
Finish at the Jerry Pate Invitational, where they had the lead but finished second to Auburn, will serve as good motivation for the Gators at Isleworth. Missing Colombia's Andres Echevarria, who will also be in Argentina playing at the World Amateur, could be an issue but if Tyler McCumber continues to be the pleasant surprise he has been this fall, Florida should contend again.
Next event: Isleworth Collegiate Invitational, Isleworth CC, Windermere, Fla., Oct. 23-26

3. Auburn (3)
A 71.58 adjusted scoring average for the Tigers shows that the team knows how to go low. Bridgestone event will be interesting test as Auburn will be the clear favorite; how will the team handle being the hunted rather than the hunters?
Next event: UNGC Bridgestone Collegiate, Forest Oaks CC, Greensboro, N.C., Oct. 23-24

4. California (NR)
Back to back wins at the Prestige and the Alister MacKenzie have coach Steve Desimone thinking this might be a special year for the Golden Bears. While having plenty of talent coming back, seeing freshman Ben An step up the way he has, with two top-three finishes, has to make the folks in Berkeley pretty pleased.
Next event: U.S. Collegiate, GC of Georgia, Alpharetta, Ga., Oct. 23-26

5. Iowa (4)
Georgia, LSU and Illinois are all eyeing this final spot, but I keep it for the Hawkeyes for at least one more week. Three wins is three wins, regardless of some folks questioning the strength of schedule. That said, the team needs to keep producing.
Next event: Baylor Intercollegiate, Royal Oaks CC, Dallas, Nov. 1-2




WOMEN
1. Alabama (1)
Not hard to see why the Crimson Tide have two victories when you notice that Camilla Lennarth and Brooke Pancake are ranked No. 3 and 5, respectively, in the Golfstat Cup ranking. Oh, and Jennifer Kirby is No. 27.
Next event: Pac-10/SEC Challenge, Stanford GC, Palo Alto, Calif., Nov. 5-7

2. LSU (2)
The Tigers are enjoying a little break this weekend with a couple days off for school. The down time will allow senior Megan McChrystal to shake a mild cold, which is the first "double bogey" she has carded all season.
Next event: Pac-10/SEC Challenge, Stanford GC, Palo Alto, Calif., Nov. 5-7

3. Purdue (3)
Laura Gonzalez-Escallon's fellow Boilermakers are watching the Belgium native from afar as the sophomore compete in this week's Women's World Team Amateur Championship. Otherwise, all is quiet in West Lafayette as dreams of an NCAA repeat will drive the squad through the winter break.
Next event: Fall season over

4. USC (4)
Give credit to Lisa McCloskey, who hasn't be the least bit distracted by trying to adjust to a new school after transferring from Pepperdine. The junior had a standout summer and has only continued the strong play into the fall.
Next event: Pac-10/SEC Challenge, Stanford GC, Palo Alto, Calif., Nov. 5-7

5. California (5)
Pia Halbig and Emily Childs are tied for first in the nation in par-3 scoring (2.75) while the Golden Bears as team are ranked No. 1 as well as being tied for ninth in par-4 scoring.
Next event: Pac-10/SEC Challenge, Stanford GC, Palo Alto, Calif., Nov. 5-7


STAT OF THE WEEK
1986
Last time the Oklahoma women finished in the top two in three consecutive tournament. The Sooners were runners-up at the Suzie Maxwell Berning in September, followed by a T-2 showing at Johnnie Imes Invitational, before winning last week's Dale McNamara Invitational.

"I'm proud of the girls," said OU coach Veronique Drouin, in her second year running the program. "We've been working hard all season and to have this payoff is a great way to end our fall season.


RANDOM THOUGHT OF THE WEEK
Which school right now would be the favorite if the powers that be in college golf hosted a mixed-team tournament using the starting line-ups from both the men's and women's programs? California? Alabama? LSU?


WHAT TO WATCH FOR
* This weekend marks the return of the U.S. Collegiate to the college calendar for the first time since spring 2009, and the folks at GC of Georgia in Alpharetta are more than picking up where they left off with one of the premier events in college golf. Previous editions of the tournament were played in April, when wet weather (rain, and even a little snow) often hampered the event. That and the desire to separate on the calendar the tournament from the club's other big event, the Georgia Cup, which pits the U.S. and British Amateur champions in a one-on-one match each March, caused the club to make the move to the fall.

Suffice it to say, participating schools should find the Lakeside Course playing firmer and faster than it did in the spring. As was the case previously, caddies are being provided for all the players with leader boards situated around the course. Meanwhile, the club's practice facility has been expanded, with 45 yards added in length as we'll as double to teeing area. And this year also features another interesting addition to the course: corportate skyboxes around the 18th green.
     

* A look at the field for the UNCG Bridgestone Golf Collegiate has one interesting participant: Pepperdine. The California school will travel far and away the longest distance of the 14 team field heading to Greensboro, N.C. So what gives? Well, Brent Geiberger won the PGA Tour's Chrysler Classic of Greensboro at Forest Oaks CC in 2004. Brent's brother, John, is the Waves coach, and had an appreciation for the course as well as an open date on his fall schedule. With the Waves strong start, however, it's more than just a fun road trip for Geiberger's squad. A good performance against a solid field could solidify Pepperdine's status as one of the fall season's pleasant surprises.


TOURNAMENT PREVIEWS
Men
UNCG Bridgestone Golf Collegiate
   (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Forest Oaks CC, Greensboro, N.C.
Oct. 23-24
Host: UNC Greensboro
Field: Auburn, Charlotte, Kentucky, Michigan, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Minnesota, North Carolina, Northwestern, Pepperdine, Toledo, UNC Greensboro, VCU, Virginia Tech
Defending champion: Georgia Tech (21-under 843) by seven strokes over Virginia; Virginia's Amory Davis (11-under 205) by one stroke over North Carolina's Jack Fields and Michigan State's Jack Newman
Skinny: Aside from Forest Oaks being a former PGA Tour venue, the course will also be hosting an NCAA Regional in 2012. 

St. Mary's Invitational
   (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Bayonet and Blackhorse Course, Seaside, Calif.
Oct. 24-25
Host: St. Mary's (Calif.)
Field: Cal Poly, Florida Gulf Coast, Loyola (Md.), Loyola Marymount, Marquette, Miami (Ohio), Nevada, Northern Illinois, Notre Dame, Pacific, San Francisco, Santa Clara, St. Mary's (Calif.), UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara
Defending champion: Nevada (five-over 869) by four strokes over Oregon State; San Francisco's Domingo Jojola (seven-under 209) by three strokes over Oregon State's Diego Velasquez
Skinny: Diverse group of schools coming to Northern California to play two of the most underrated courses in the Monterey area.

U.S. Collegiate Championship
   (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
GC of Georgia, Alpharetta, Ga.
Oct. 24-26
Host: Georgia Tech
Field: California, Clemson, Duke, East Tennessee State, Florida State, Georgia State, Georgia Tech, Kent State, South Carolina, Texas, UCLA, USC, Virginia, Wake Forest, Washington
Defending champion (April 2009): Clemson (12-over 876) by two strokes over Stanford; Alabama's Bud Cauley and UCLA's Erik Flores (four-under 212)
Skinny: For the school that claims the title, it will be a great way to head into the winter break.

Isleworth Collegiate Invitational
   (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Isleworth CC, Windermere, Fla.
Oct. 24-26
Host: Texas Tech
Field: Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, SMU, Stanford, TCU, Tennessee, Texas, Texas Tech, UCF, Vanderbilt
Defending champion: Oklahoma State (17-over 881) by five strokes over Florida; Alabama's Bud Cauley (five-under 211) by one stroke over Stanford's Sihwan Kim
Skinny: How strong is the field at Isleworth? Consider that the five previous medalists (Pablo Martin, Chris Kirk, Brian Harmon, Russell Henley and Bud Cauley) have all claimed either first or second team All-American honors that same season.

Old Dominion/OBX Collegiate
   (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Kilmarlic GC, Powell's Point, N.C.
Oct. 24-26
Host: Old Dominion
Field: Delaware, Drexel, East Carolina, Elon, Furman, George Mason, Hartford, James Madison, Liberty, Longwood, Louisville, Old Dominion, Radford, Richmond, St. Joseph's, Towson, William & Mary, Winthrop
Defending champion: Old Dominion (24-over 584) by four strokes over George Washington; ODU's Eric Onesi (four-under 136) by two strokes over Hartford's Nick MacDonald
Skinny: ODU's fall tournament moves from Seascape GC in Kitty Hawk, N.C., to new venue near Carolina's Outer Banks.

Kauai Collegiate Invitational
Puakea, GC, Lihue, Hawaii
Oct. 24-26
Host: Hawaii
Field: British Columbia, Gonzaga, Hawaii, Hawaii Hilo, Hawaii Pacific, Northern Colorado, Osaka Gakuin, San Diego, Seattle, UT-San Antonio
Defending champion: San Diego (35-under 829) by 30 strokes over James Madison; San Diego's Joseph Harrison (11-under 205) by one stroke over San Diego's Alex Ching
Skinny: Hard to see anyone but the Toreros claiming the team title again. Same on the individual side, where my guess is Ching does one better than his runner-up showing last fall.

Memphis Intercollegiate
   (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Colonial CC, Memphis, Tenn.
Oct. 25-26
Host: Memphis
Field: Arkansas State, Arkansas-Little Rock, Army, Akron, Iowa State, Louisiana Tech, Louisiana-Lafayette, Marshall, Memphis, Mercer, Missouri, South Alabama, Southern Mississippi, Tulsa, Wisconsin
Defending champion: South Alabama (18-over 882) by five strokes over UALR; South Alabama's Marc-Etinene Bussieres (nine-under 207) by 10 strokes over Denver's Espen Kofstad
Skinny: Can anyone match the 59 that Al Geiberger shot at Colonial during the PGA Tour's Danny Thomas Memphis Classic in 1977?

Herb Wimberly Intercollegiate
New Mexico State University GC, Las Cruces, N.M.
Oct. 25-26
Host: New Mexico State
Field: Air Force, Boise State, Idaho, Illinois State, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico State, Texas State, UNLV, Utah, UTEP, Washington State, Weber State, Western New Mexico, Wichita State
Defending champion: UNLV (23-under 829) by eight strokes over Washington State; UNLV's Derek Ernst and New Mexico State's Timothy Madigan (nine-under 204)
Skinny: Host New Mexico State has won the event 15 times since its inception in 1966. Both Ernst and Madigan have a chance to become only the second players to win medalist honors more than once. New Mexico State's Ben Kern won in 1968 and 1969.


WOMEN
The Landfall Tradition
   (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
CC of Landfall, Wilmington, N.C.
Oct. 22-24
Host: UNC Wilmington
Field: Chattanooga, Duke, Florida State, Michigan State, North Carolina, N.C. State, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, South Carolina, Texas, Texas Tech, UCLA, UNC Greensboro, UNC Wilmington, Virginia, Wake Forest
Defending champion (2008): Wake Forest (16-over 880) by 28 strokes over Ohio State; Wake Forest's Dolores White (two-over 218) by two strokes over East Carolina's Abby Bools
Skinny: Event resumes after a year hiatus to host the NCAA Fall Preview in 2009.

Memphis Women's Invitational
   (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Ridgeway CC, Germantown, Tenn.
Oct. 25-26
Host: Memphis
Field: Arkansas State, Austin Peay, Belmont, Boise State, Butler, Cincinnati, Evansville, Illinois, Indiana State, IPFW, Marshall, Memphis, Mississippi State, Missouri-Kansas City, Missouri State, Samford, Southern Mississippi, UAB
Defending champion: New event
Skinny: The Tigers' inaugural home event is the second to last on their fall schedule.

Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown
   (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Boulder Creek GC, Boulder City, Nev.
Oct. 25-27
Host: UNLV
Field: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado State, East Carolina, Idaho, Kent State, Louisville, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, Oregon, San Diego State, San Jose State, UC Irvine, UNLV, Washington, Washington State
Defending champion: Arizona (14-over 878) by five strokes over Florida; Arizona's Sherlyn Popelka (seven-under 209) by two strokes over Sara-Maude Juneau
Skinny: Five schools--Arkansas, Kent State, Louisville,  San Diego State and host UNLV--will be without golfers usually in the starting lineup because of their participation at this week's Women's World Amateur Team Championship.

The AJGA's 2010 Rolex All-American teams have been revealed, with the players of the year set to be announced tomorrow. A total of 96 players were chosen from 23 states and six foreign countries.

Notable players selected on the boys side include Anthony Paolucci, earning AA honors for the fourth time, and Jordan Spieth, a first-team AA for the third straight year. On the girls side, Kristen Park is named to an AA team for the fifth time, while Victoria Tanco, Jessica Korda and Alison Lee are first-team nominees for a third consecutive years.

All the players will be honored during the Rolex Junior All-America Awards Banquet Nov.  21 at PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.  



BOYS
First Team
Emiliano Grillo, Bradenton, Fla.
Gavin Hall, Pittsford, N.Y.
Beau Hossler, Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.
Michael Johnson, Birmingham, Ala.
Tanner Kesterson, Plano, Texas
Jim Liu, Smithtown, N.Y.
Denny McCarthy, Burtonsville, Md.
Anthony Paolucci, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.
Patrick Rodgers, Avon, Ind.
Oliver Schniederjans, Powder Springs, Ga.
Jordan Spieth, Dallas, Texas
Justin Thomas, Goshen, Ky.

Second Team
Stephen Behr, Jr., Florence, S.C.
Alex Carpenter, Westerville, Ohio
Yi Keun Chang, Diamond Bar, Calif.
Wyndham Clark, Greenwood Village, Colo.
Brendan Connolly, Castle Rock, Colo.
Drew Czuchry, Auburn, Ga.
Shun Yat Hak, Lake Mary, Fla.
David Lee, Houston, Texas
AJ McInerney, Henderson, Nev.
Cody Proveaux, Leesville, S.C.
JD Tomlinson, Gainesville, Fla.
Joseph Winslow, Overland Park, Kan.

Honorable Mention
Daniel Berger, Jupiter, Fla.
Jonathan Garrick, Atherton, Calif.
Nicholas Grubnich, Crown Point, Ind.
J.J. Holen, Castaic, Calif.
Jay Hwang, San Diego, Calif.
Stewart Jolly, Birmingham, Ala.
Billy Kennerly, Alpharetta, Ga.
Michael Kim, Del Mar, Calif.
Chase Koepka, West Palm Beach, Fla.
Andrew Lister, Haymarket, Va.
Tom Lovelady, Birmingham, Ala.
Joshua Martin, Pinehurst, N.C.
Lee McCoy, Palm Harbor, Fla.
David Mills, Evansville, Ind.
Taylor Moore, Edmond, Okla.
Zachary Olsen, Cordova, Tenn.
Marcel Puyat, Indio, Calif.
Jonathan Sanders, Chatsworth, Calif.
Nicholas Scott, Union, Ohio
Cody Shafer, Evans, Ga.
Sawyer Shaw, West Palm Beach, Fla.
Zachary Wright, Phoenix, Ariz.
Motin Yeung, Orlando, Fla.
Will Zalatoris, Plano, Texas

GIRLS
First Team
Shannon Aubert, ChampionsGate, Fla.
Laetitia Beck, Caesarea, Israel
Doris Chen, Bradenton, Fla.
Yueer Cindy Feng, Orlando, Fla.
Ariya Jutanugarn, Bangkok, Thailand
Kyung Kim, Chandler, Ariz.
Jessica Korda, Bradenton, Fla.
Alison Lee, Valencia, Calif.
Stephanie Meadow, Jordanstown, Northern Ireland
Kristen Park, Buena Park, Calif.
Victoria Tanco, Bradenton, Fla.
Emily Tubert, Burbank, Calif.

Second Team
Karen Chung, Livingston, N.J.
Simin Feng, Orlando, Fla.
Ginger Howard, Bradenton, Fla.
Esther Lee, Los Alamitos, Calif.
Erynne Lee, Silverdale, Wash.
Tiffany Lim, San Jose, Calif.
Rachel Morris, Carlsbad, Calif.
Marijosse Navarro, San Antonio, Texas
Kelly Shon, Port Washington, N.Y.
Mariah Stackhouse, Riverdale, Ga.
McKenzie Talbert, North Augusta, S.C.
Lindsey Weaver, Scottsdale, Ariz.

Honorable Mention
Anne Cheng, Torrance, Calif.
Lauren Diaz-Yi, Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Irina Paulin Gabasa, Cebu, Philippines
Casey Grice, College Station, Texas
Aurora Kan, Boothwyn, Pa.
Lauren Kim, Los Altos, Calif.
Anna Kim, Chandler, Ariz.
Tanaporn Kongkiatkrai, Bradenton, Fla.
Patricia Lee, Lone Tree, Colo.
Stephanie Liu, Fernandina Beach, Fla.
Gabriela Lopez, Heroes de Padierna, Mexico
Kaira Martin, Paradise Valley, Ariz.
Kendall Martindale, Jefferson City, Tenn.
A.J. Newell, Tampa, Fla.
Ashlan Ramsey, Bradenton, Fla.
Morgan Ransom, Columbus, Ohio
Sarah Schmelzel, Phoenix, Ariz.
Emma Talley, Princeton, Ky.
Gabriella Then, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
Beverly Vatananugulkit, Cerritos, Calif.
Juliet Vongphoumy, Providence, R.I.
Lilia Vu, Fountain Valley, Calif.
Samantha Wagner, Windermere, Fla.
Jennifer Yang, Coquitlam, British Columbia