Voters in the Golf World/Nike Golf Division I coaches' poll looked past Texas' T-6 finish at the Puerto Rico Classic, focusing on the Longhorns win at the Amer Ari Invitational to start the spring as they kept UT in the No. 1 spot of the first poll of the spring semester.
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Results for February 2012
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Still Bruin: UCLA remains No. 1 in Golf World/NGCA poll
The loss of senior Stephanie Kono to the LPGA Tour in December hasn't put a damper on the UCLA women's outlook this spring. The Bruins won their fourth title of the 2011-12 season at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge and remain the top squad in the first spring edition of the Golf World/NGCA Division I coaches' poll, earning 22 of the 24 first-place votes.
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Alabama, OU golfers get top honors for week
GOLF WORLD COLLEGE PLAYERS OF THE WEEKFeb. 20-26
MEN
Justin Thomas, Alabama
A closing 68 at the Puerto Rico Classic which included six birdies over the final 11 holes, helped the freshman from Goshen, Ky., secure his second victory in just five college starts. His 10-under 206 total was one shot better than Oklahoma State's Talor Gooch and two clear of defending Puerto Rico champion James White of Georgia Tech.
"By the 14th hole you could see it in Justin's eyes that he knew he was close," Alabama coach Jay Seawell said. "Justin is a winner and to make the birdie that he did coming in on the difficult 17th hole shows that. He has proven to all of colleg golf that he is not just one of the best freshman, but one of the best players in the country."
Thomas' performance also helped the Crimson Tide cruise to the team title, the squad outpacing second-place Clemson by 18 strokes with a 30-under 834 showing.
Honorable mentions:
Zachery Fullerton, New Mexico State
Won his second straight title at the Rice Intercollegiate, beating Northwestern's Eric Chun on a third playoff hole after shooting a six-under 210.
Kevin Penner, UNLV
Defended his individual crown at the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate, shooting seven-under 209 and helping the Rebels win a fourth team title in 2011-12.
WOMEN
Chirapat Jao-Javanil, OklahomaThe sophomore from Thailand tied her career-best with a 68 in the first round of the Central District Invitational, then held on to claim the individual title at River Wilderness GC in Parrish, Fla., with closing rounds of 70-74, beating LSU's Tessa Teachman by two strokes. It was the second victory for Jao-Javanil this season, her first coming at the Golfweek Invitational in September.
"Ja played solid this week," said OU coach Veronique Drouin. "She was pretty disappointed after her play last week [a T-55 at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge, her worst career showing for the Sooners]. She definitely came back strong, and I'm proud of her. She beat some great players and hopefully this will give her confidence for the rest of the semester."
In 15 career starts at Oklahoma, Jao-Javanil has eight top-10 finishes and 12 top-15s.
Honorable mentions:
Isabelle Boineau, Arizona and Manon Gidali, Arizona
The duo from France shared medalist honors at the UNLV Spring Invitational with matching two-over 218s at Cascata GC in Boulder City, Nev. The Wildcat won the team title by 19.
CI Podcast/LSU's Karen Bahnsen
The LSU Tigers are one of the more intriguing team in the women's college game. When they're good, they're very good: in seven starts thus far during the 2011-12 season, the Tigers have three victories, including the Lady Puerto Rico Classic earlier this month. And when they're not good, they can be bad: twice last fall they finished outside the top-10. Joining me on today's podcast is LSU coach Karen Bahnsen, who has been overseeing the program for 26 years. She discusses the impact of Austin Ernst winning the NCAA individual title had on the program and how her team is moving in the right direction as the spring season moves along.
The Syllabus: Master medalists
THE FAB FIVE
My look at the top five teams in the country right now
Men
1. Texas (Last week: 1)
"Four and no more" read an Internet headline after the Longhorns' sixth-place showing in Puerto Rico ended their winning streak earlier this week. Would that have still happened with Jordan Spieth in the lineup instead of in Los Angeles? Probably, considering UT was 33 shots out of first. My guess is this team is past moral victories, but it is still impressive that they fought hard in the final round even when a win was no longer likely, shooting a one-under 287 to move up three spots on the leader board.
Next event: Southern Highlands Collegiate Invitational, Southern Highlands CC, Las Vegas, March 9-11 Read more
My look at the top five teams in the country right now
Men
1. Texas (Last week: 1)"Four and no more" read an Internet headline after the Longhorns' sixth-place showing in Puerto Rico ended their winning streak earlier this week. Would that have still happened with Jordan Spieth in the lineup instead of in Los Angeles? Probably, considering UT was 33 shots out of first. My guess is this team is past moral victories, but it is still impressive that they fought hard in the final round even when a win was no longer likely, shooting a one-under 287 to move up three spots on the leader board.
Next event: Southern Highlands Collegiate Invitational, Southern Highlands CC, Las Vegas, March 9-11 Read more
Souza helping make a name for Chico State
Asked to explain his standout senior season at Chico State, and Kyle Souza will tell you about the memorable putt of his life.On the 18th hole of last year's Division II men's golf final, the native of Livermore, Calif., made a 25-footer, straight downhill with about six feet of break, for a birdie that put him into a playoff for the NCAA Championship.
A playoff win on the third hole would be Souza's first collegiate win. Since then, he has won three more times last fall and added an important recognition to his resume this spring: Being named as one of 28 college golfers on the Ben Hogan award Watch list, annually given to the top golfer in collegiate golf.
"It means so much to me," said Souza, who has a 70.87 stroke average in 2011-12. "Starting when I got to Chico, I really wanted my senior year to be all about golf. Obviously still in school, but it was really important for me to work really hard and to have my name on that list, for me I'm just really proud of the time I put in and the results show that." Read more
CI Podcast/Georgia's Marta Silva Zamora
When I was putting together the Golf World Mid-Season Awards package last November, I struggled with writing about Georgia's Marta Silva Zamora. In four fall starts for the Bulldogs, she had two top-12 finishes in four starts with a 73.58 stroke average. It wasn't a horrible showing but not what I'd come to expect from the woman who claimed the NGCA college player of the year honors the previous season. Ultimately, I listed her as a question mark for the coming spring season, asking the obvious: will she turn it around and return to her impressive 2010-11 form?With her victory this past week in Puerto Rico, it would appear that Silva Zamora is well on her way to doing just that. I was able to get Marta on the phone for this week's Campus Insider Podcast to talk about what happened last fall and what to expect as she closes out her college career.
CI Podcast/Marta Silva Zamora
The Syllabus: A struggling champion
THE FAB FIVE
My look at the top five teams in the country right now
Men
1. Texas (Last week: 1)
Given the depth that the Longhorns rosters has shown thus far in the 2011-12 season, missing Jordan Spieth for the Puerto Rico event (he's playing on a sponsor's exemption at the Northern Trust Open) shouldn't be as problematic an issue as it could be. That said, it will be curious to see how John Fields' squad handles the fact its big steer isn't eating with the rest of the cattle this week.
Next event: Puerto Rico Classic, Rio Mar GC (River course), Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, Feb. 19-21 Read more
My look at the top five teams in the country right now
Men
1. Texas (Last week: 1)Given the depth that the Longhorns rosters has shown thus far in the 2011-12 season, missing Jordan Spieth for the Puerto Rico event (he's playing on a sponsor's exemption at the Northern Trust Open) shouldn't be as problematic an issue as it could be. That said, it will be curious to see how John Fields' squad handles the fact its big steer isn't eating with the rest of the cattle this week.
Next event: Puerto Rico Classic, Rio Mar GC (River course), Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, Feb. 19-21 Read more
Bozzelli, Gidali earn player-of-the-week honors
GOLF WORLD COLLEGE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
FEB. 6-13
MEN
Dominic Bozzelli, Auburn
After closing out the fall season with a share of the title at the U.S. Collegiate, the 20-year-old junior from Pittsford, N.Y., made it two straight by earning medalist honors at the SunTrust Gator Invitational. A career-best 64 in the second round at Mark Bostick GC in Gainesville, Fla., helped him finished with an eight-under 202 total, three strokes clear of Florida's T.J. Vogel. It was the lowest 54-hole score in the event since Graeme McDowell shot a 10-under 200 for UAB in 2002.
Bozzelli's effort also helped propel the Tigers to the team title, beating Arkansas by 16 strokes and the host Gators by 17. It was the first time in nine years that the Gators didn't claim the team title.
"It was a great win for Dominic and the team," Auburn men's coach Nick Clinard. "I am proud of all six of my players. We are happy, but we definitely didn't play our best today. We continue to have lots of work to do to be great. We need the next two weeks to work on our ball striking and short games."
WOMEN
Manon Gidali, Arizona
I wrote about Gidali's historic debut for Golf World Monday today (click here for the story). In her first tournament at Arizona, she shot a 12-under 204 to win medalist honors at the Wildcat Invitational, breaking the school's 54-hole scoring mark set by Lorena Ochoa in 2002.
Now for a little more background: The freshman from France graduated high school last September and was reluctant to come to the U.S. so quickly, hoping to wait until this coming fall in order to improve her English before arriving in Tucson. But Arizona women's coach Laura Ianello convinced the 18-year-old that starting in January would be beneficial, with countrywoman Isabelle Boineau able to serve as a mentor while finishing up her senior year, along with another French native Clemence Abrahamian.
"College is such a stressful time for freshman, because they’re away from home, a new environment, new friends," Ianello said. "And for Manon to move here and already have two friends and help her with the language, help her with adjusting to practice and school and the rigorous schedule student-athletes are under, I think that helped her. I really think that helped her performance this last week. She’s not under as much stress as I would say a normal freshman who was just to school for a month.”
Meanwhile, the addition of Gidali provides Wildcat seniors Boineau, Margarita Ramos and Nikki Koller with another reliable golfer to back them up. Granted the Wildcats were playing at home, but to beat top-ranked UCLA by 13 strokes is nothing to ignore. (Oh, and to beat in-state rival Arizona State by 33 was fun too.)
"We had a 13-shot lead going into the last day," Ianello said, "and not one moment did I feel like the girls were like, 'Oh, I guess we can just go play golf today because we have such a big lead.' They were serious about finishing things off. I really was proud of them for that."
FEB. 6-13
MEN
Dominic Bozzelli, AuburnAfter closing out the fall season with a share of the title at the U.S. Collegiate, the 20-year-old junior from Pittsford, N.Y., made it two straight by earning medalist honors at the SunTrust Gator Invitational. A career-best 64 in the second round at Mark Bostick GC in Gainesville, Fla., helped him finished with an eight-under 202 total, three strokes clear of Florida's T.J. Vogel. It was the lowest 54-hole score in the event since Graeme McDowell shot a 10-under 200 for UAB in 2002.
Bozzelli's effort also helped propel the Tigers to the team title, beating Arkansas by 16 strokes and the host Gators by 17. It was the first time in nine years that the Gators didn't claim the team title.
"It was a great win for Dominic and the team," Auburn men's coach Nick Clinard. "I am proud of all six of my players. We are happy, but we definitely didn't play our best today. We continue to have lots of work to do to be great. We need the next two weeks to work on our ball striking and short games."
WOMEN
Manon Gidali, ArizonaI wrote about Gidali's historic debut for Golf World Monday today (click here for the story). In her first tournament at Arizona, she shot a 12-under 204 to win medalist honors at the Wildcat Invitational, breaking the school's 54-hole scoring mark set by Lorena Ochoa in 2002.
Now for a little more background: The freshman from France graduated high school last September and was reluctant to come to the U.S. so quickly, hoping to wait until this coming fall in order to improve her English before arriving in Tucson. But Arizona women's coach Laura Ianello convinced the 18-year-old that starting in January would be beneficial, with countrywoman Isabelle Boineau able to serve as a mentor while finishing up her senior year, along with another French native Clemence Abrahamian.
"College is such a stressful time for freshman, because they’re away from home, a new environment, new friends," Ianello said. "And for Manon to move here and already have two friends and help her with the language, help her with adjusting to practice and school and the rigorous schedule student-athletes are under, I think that helped her. I really think that helped her performance this last week. She’s not under as much stress as I would say a normal freshman who was just to school for a month.”
Meanwhile, the addition of Gidali provides Wildcat seniors Boineau, Margarita Ramos and Nikki Koller with another reliable golfer to back them up. Granted the Wildcats were playing at home, but to beat top-ranked UCLA by 13 strokes is nothing to ignore. (Oh, and to beat in-state rival Arizona State by 33 was fun too.)
"We had a 13-shot lead going into the last day," Ianello said, "and not one moment did I feel like the girls were like, 'Oh, I guess we can just go play golf today because we have such a big lead.' They were serious about finishing things off. I really was proud of them for that."
CI Podcast/USC's Jeffrey Kang
USC sophomore Jeffrey Kang claimed his first college title last week at the Amer Ari Invitational in Hawaii, defeating Texas' Jordan Spieth in a playoff after the pair shot 11-under 205s. It was the second straight top-six finish for Kang, a 20-year-old from Fullerton, Calif., and the fifth top-six finish of his young college career.Kang joins me on today's podcast to talk about the victory and about why this year's Trojans squad might actually be better than last year's Pac-10 champions.
Here is a look at Kang's record during the 2011-12 season:
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