For those who haven't seen the Voices piece I wrote for Golf World this week, here are my thoughts about the changing nature of coaching college golf.
In 19 years as the men’s coach at Arizona State, Randy Lein led the Sun
Devils to 44 tournament wins. He also claimed eight Pac-10
championships, seven Pac-10 coach-of-the-year awards and one top prize:
the 1996 national title. Having made his 18th appearance with ASU at the
NCAA Championship last month, the Golf Coaches Association of America’s
Hall-of-Famer was upbeat when he met with officials in the ASU athletic
department for his annual review last month, only to have the
conversation take an abrupt turn.
“They said, ‘We’re not renewing your contract and going in a different direction,’ ” Lein said. “I was not expecting that.”
By Lein’s own admission, the 2010-11 season had not been what he was
expecting, his experienced squad never quite finding its way. A ninth
place at the conference championship, after finishing no worse than
fourth the previous eight seasons, hardly minimized the disappointment.
Still, having rallied the team at NCAA regionals, Lein was ready to move
ahead to the fall.
Such is the changing nature of coaching in college golf.
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Results for July 2011
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No huge leads mid-way through APL/WAPL final
BANDON, Ore.—Looks like it should be an interesting afternoon at Old Macdonald GC as neither final match in the men's and women's U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship is a run away.
Through 18 holes, incoming Wake Forest freshman Marissa Dodd has a 1 up lead on UCLA's Brianna Doe, while Clemson's Corbin Mills took a 2-up lead on UNLV's Derek Ernst.
The Mills/Ernst morning 18 was the proverbial see-saw affair, with the duo halving only four holes. Mills never trailed and held a 3-up lead after a birdie on the par-3 eighth hole, but then made four straight bogeys and saw the match return to all square when Ernst birdied the par-4 13th.
Two wayward swings off the tee by Ernst over the final three holes, however, cost him. Pull hooking his tee shot on 16 into the left rough, Ernst failed to get up and down for par to fall 2 down. An eagle on the par-5 17th seemed to right the ship for Ernst, but another pulls drive on the 18th left an opportunity for Mills, who hit his approach shot to five feet on the home hole and then made a birdie to move to 2 up.
Dodd took a 2-up lead through seven holes but saw Do come back and actually take a 1-up lead after the 16th. But Dodd won the 17th and 18th holes with a pair of pars to regain the advantage after 18.
Through 18 holes, incoming Wake Forest freshman Marissa Dodd has a 1 up lead on UCLA's Brianna Doe, while Clemson's Corbin Mills took a 2-up lead on UNLV's Derek Ernst.
The Mills/Ernst morning 18 was the proverbial see-saw affair, with the duo halving only four holes. Mills never trailed and held a 3-up lead after a birdie on the par-3 eighth hole, but then made four straight bogeys and saw the match return to all square when Ernst birdied the par-4 13th.
Two wayward swings off the tee by Ernst over the final three holes, however, cost him. Pull hooking his tee shot on 16 into the left rough, Ernst failed to get up and down for par to fall 2 down. An eagle on the par-5 17th seemed to right the ship for Ernst, but another pulls drive on the 18th left an opportunity for Mills, who hit his approach shot to five feet on the home hole and then made a birdie to move to 2 up.
Dodd took a 2-up lead through seven holes but saw Do come back and actually take a 1-up lead after the 16th. But Dodd won the 17th and 18th holes with a pair of pars to regain the advantage after 18.
Winds blow Do, Dodd, Mills & Ernst to WAPL/APL finals
BANDON, Ore.—A few of the locals caddies were walking around with smiles
on their faces Friday afternoon as they watched the semifinals of the
men's and women's U.S. Amateur Public Links Championships unfold. With
winds blowing as strong as they had all week, gusts coming from the
north at estimates of 30 miles an hour, the real Old Macdonald GC was
showing its teeth.
"It was as much as a four- or five-club wind," said Marissa Dodd, a 17-year-old from Allen, Texas, playing in just her second USGA championship, who talked about hitting a 4-iron more than 240 yards on one hole, setting up a 100-yard birdie putt. "It's windy in Texas, but not necessarily this windy."
"All I know is on the first hole," described UNLV's Derek Ernst, "I had 108 yards to the hole and we played it for 150 yards."
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"It was as much as a four- or five-club wind," said Marissa Dodd, a 17-year-old from Allen, Texas, playing in just her second USGA championship, who talked about hitting a 4-iron more than 240 yards on one hole, setting up a 100-yard birdie putt. "It's windy in Texas, but not necessarily this windy."
"All I know is on the first hole," described UNLV's Derek Ernst, "I had 108 yards to the hole and we played it for 150 yards."
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Cheyenne Woods falls in WAPL quarters
BANDON, Ore.—Cheyenne Woods said she came into the U.S. Women's Amateur
Public Links Championship uncertain of her swing as she worked on trying
to making it more upright. Of course, you could have fooled all those
watching her play at Bandon Dunes Resort, the rising Wake Forest senior claiming medalist honors and breezing through her first three opponents
at the WAPL.
Come Friday morning's quarterfinal match against high schooler Annie Park, however, Woods' worries came to fruition. Her swing suddenly looked loose and her confidence on the greens disappeared on the Old Macdonald course. After jumping to 2-up lead through three holes, Woods lost five of her next seven holes, never able to regain the form from the previous four days. Read more
Come Friday morning's quarterfinal match against high schooler Annie Park, however, Woods' worries came to fruition. Her swing suddenly looked loose and her confidence on the greens disappeared on the Old Macdonald course. After jumping to 2-up lead through three holes, Woods lost five of her next seven holes, never able to regain the form from the previous four days. Read more
APL quarters prove quick work for Final 4
BANDON, Ore.—The four U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship semifinalists didn't waste much time taking case of business during their Friday morning quarterfinal matches at Bandon Dunes' Old Macdonald course.
Medalist Corbin Mills took out the last remaining Oregon native in the field, Andrew Viajarro, 4 and 3, winning the third hole with a birdie and never giving his opponent a chance to get back in the match.
Mills faces recent Georgia graduate Harris English, who was 2 down to J.J. Spaun through 11 holes but won four of the next six to claim the match, 2 up, punctuated by a birdie on the 17th hole. English made it to the quarterfinals in this event last year.
Jonathan Randolph, a former All-American at Mississippi who is staying amateur this summer in hopes of grabbing a Walker Cup spot, made a move in the direction with a 5-and-3 victory over Todd Baek in their semifinal match. Randolph played in last year's Palmer Cup and British Amateur at Murifield, giving him a chance to experience links golf before coming to the APL.
"I feel fairly comfortable out here," said Randolph, who has yet to have a match extend beyond the 15th hole. "It hasn't been as easy as it looks."
Randolph next plays Derek Ernst, who knocked off Daniel Miernicki in the last quarterfinal match, 6 and 4. Ernst made his second eagle on a par 4 in match-play competition on the par-4 ninth Friday morning at Old Macdonald. He also made a double eagle earlier in the week in his opening match when he holed out his tee shot on the par-4 eighth at Bandon Trails.
Medalist Corbin Mills took out the last remaining Oregon native in the field, Andrew Viajarro, 4 and 3, winning the third hole with a birdie and never giving his opponent a chance to get back in the match.
Mills faces recent Georgia graduate Harris English, who was 2 down to J.J. Spaun through 11 holes but won four of the next six to claim the match, 2 up, punctuated by a birdie on the 17th hole. English made it to the quarterfinals in this event last year.
Jonathan Randolph, a former All-American at Mississippi who is staying amateur this summer in hopes of grabbing a Walker Cup spot, made a move in the direction with a 5-and-3 victory over Todd Baek in their semifinal match. Randolph played in last year's Palmer Cup and British Amateur at Murifield, giving him a chance to experience links golf before coming to the APL.
"I feel fairly comfortable out here," said Randolph, who has yet to have a match extend beyond the 15th hole. "It hasn't been as easy as it looks."
Randolph next plays Derek Ernst, who knocked off Daniel Miernicki in the last quarterfinal match, 6 and 4. Ernst made his second eagle on a par 4 in match-play competition on the par-4 ninth Friday morning at Old Macdonald. He also made a double eagle earlier in the week in his opening match when he holed out his tee shot on the par-4 eighth at Bandon Trails.
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