Improvement is what every coach and player are looking for. Here's a glance at some individuals who really raised their games this fall.

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER
MEN
Scott Travers, Santa Clara
A year ago at this time, the Trabuco Canyon, Calif., native was recovering from a case of mono. Travers had been diagnosed after playing in the team's opening event, finishing T-62 at the USF Collegiate in San Francisco in what turned out to be his only start of the 2008-09 season.

"He was going to come back in the spring but then [after finally getting over the mono] he got tonsillitis so we shut things down," said coach Rob Miller.

As it turns out, the time away didn't hurt the late bloomer, who returned rested and ready in September and proceeded to finish no worse than T-8 in five tournaments, posting just one score over par in 15 rounds. (That one round was a 75 at the Turtle Bay Collegiate, in which Travers had a 9 on one hole after playing a wrong ball.)

"We knew what he could have done last year, but he didn't get to show it," said Miller.

Travers applied (and expects to receive) a medical redshirt from last season, making him a redshirt junior. "It's his fourth year in college. He's been around the block a little bit," said Miller when asked about how the success might have affected Travers' attitude this fall. "He got comfortable with that quickly. It became what he expected to do."

Despite the impress fall performance, Travers isn't going to rest on his laurels. During the winter break, Miller says that his top player will be working with swing instructor Bill Johnson to get his grip back to a more neutral position.

Honorable mention: Jared Becher, Nevada
Last fall as a junior, the 22-year-old Reno, Nev., native had a 74.46 fall average with two top-10 finishes. This time around, Becher posted a 70.47 mark and have five top-10s in five starts.

WOMEN
Cydney Clanton, Auburn
"Now this is more like it" the 20-year-old from Concord, N.C., had to be thinking as she concluded her fall schedule with an individual victory at the NCAA Preview after posting a T-2 finish at the Mason Rudolph and a fifth-place showing at the Lady Tar Heel.

With her performances, Clanton reminded the college golf world of her impressive first season at Auburn in 2006-07, when she claimed national freshman-of-the-year honors, and helped everyone (including herself) look past a sophomore season where she had four top-five finishes but saw her average rise to 74.23.

"I just think it kind of all clicked," said Auburn women's coach Kim Evans regarding the difference in play this fall, when Clanton posted a 70.1 average. "I think she has better understanding of her game and how to play her game. Cyd has a lot of length, and there are certain holes that she really has to pay a lot of attention on. And I think it was learning her game. I just think [her game] kind of grew up."

If there was a particular moment that Evans looks back on most fondly from the fall, it was watching Clanton claim medalist honors at the NCAA Preview, posting three straight 70s at CC of Landfall in Wilmington, N.C., site of next spring's NCAA Championship.

"I don't think I've ever seen anyone play as well with her distance control," said the NGCA Hall of Fame coach. "It was just incredible, to see her truly work the ball, maybe take one more or one less club and work it into the area she needed to work it to. Just to watch her play those shots and play the game, it was a great tournament for me to watch her play. It wasn't about just killing a drive down there and hitting it close. She really was taking clubs and hitting shots and making it work on those greens."

It's for this reason that you can rationalize a player of Clanton's caliber being the mid-season's most improved golfer. The incremental improvement she made to return to the elite level of college golf is just as critical a leap as the one made by a player who drops her scoring average four strokes.

Honorable mention: Lacey Agnew, Florida State
Her T-64 finish at the NCAA Preview caused the senior to finish the fall on a down note. Still, the semester was a true success for Agnew, who finished second, T-5 and T-8 in her first three starts and closed the fall with a 73.50 average after coming into the 2009-10 season with a career average of 79.92.

The first half of the 2008-09 campaign has come and gone. With roughly eight weeks to catch their breathe before beginning the spring march to the NCAA Championship, players and programs must assess where they stand overall and consider how to repeat any success from the fall or recover from a disappointing start to the season.

And just who, exactly, will be doing the repeating and who is looking at recovering? Gaze no further than Golf World’s fifth annual Mid-Season Award package, a compendium that serves as both a review of the season to date and a primer for what’s to come when players tee it up again in late January. Each day we’ll reveal another award winner in men’s and women’s college golf, culminating with the Mid-Season Player of the Year honorees and All-American teams being unveiled on Wednesday, Nov. 25.

Lets start with the golfers and teams that unexpectedly made a lasting impression the past three months.

BIGGEST SURPRISE: PLAYER
MEN
Diego Velasquez, Oregon State
For as happy-go-lucky as the Bogota, Colombia native was off the course his first three years in Corvallis, Ore., Velasquez was the picture of tension on it, turning a talented ball-striker (he won twice during the 2008-09 season) into an inconsistent golfer.

Entering his senior season, however, he spent time in the summer addressing his mental approach to the game, taking serious the various meditation and breathing techniques the Beaver squad have been taught by the team's sports psychologist in recent years.

"When he came [to campus] in the fall, I saw a different person," said Oregon State men's coach Brian Watts. "He had always been a very aggressive player, but he had a much more patient approach. When he wasn't hitting it great, he wasn't trying to force anything."

Suffice it to say, the more laid-back attitude worked: Velasquez finished third, T-3, first and second in Oregon State's four fall starts, posting a 69.27 average while breaking par in 10 of 11 rounds.

"It wasn't like he was lights out with his putter or flagging everything," Watts said about Velasquez. "He just was doing everything very well. He's comfortable, confident and relaxed on the course. He's in a great place mentally, which sets him apart. He's mentally tougher and disciplined and calm out there."

"I just try to stay inside there and don't let anybody else come inside it," Velasquez recently told the Corvallis Gazette-Times. "It's just me out there, doing my thing."

Honorable mention: Seath Lauer, Florida State
The senior from Huntington, Ind., had been a staple of the Seminoles lineup the past two seasons, but stepped up his performance this fall with three top-10s in four fall events, including a runner-up showing at the Gary Koch Collegiate.


WOMEN
Sara-Maude Juneau, Louisville
The departure of All-American Cindy LaCrosse left a potential void at the top of the Cardinals' line-up, one that the 22-year-old junior from Quebec has done her part to fill. After posting a 74.5 average a year ago, the Canadian native limboed that number to 71.07 this fall, winning her first two college titles and finishing fourth and second in two other starts. Her shinning moment came in October at the Lady Tar Heel Invitational, where Juneau shot a career-best 10-under 206.

Searching for what brought out the best in Juneau might require you look not further than the solid play of teammate Laura Anderson, a junior who won once in the fall, lost a second tournament in a playoff and had two additional top-10 finishes. The two have been battling for the No. 1 spot all fall, a rivalry that's had great returns for both.

Honorable mention: Cheyenne Woods, Wake Forest
There has been no sophomore slump for Phoenix, native, who closed out the fall with a T-6 showing at the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate and a T-3 at the NCAA Preview. "She's always had the athletic ability to hit the ball well but her short game has improved so much," said women's coach Diane Dailey. On a squad with All-American caliber players in Natalie Sheary and Dolores White, it was Woods who posted the low scoring average (72.83) for the Demon Deacons this fall, a performance that would make Uncle Tiger proud.



BIGGEST SURPRISE: TEAM
MEN
Oregon State
Having one player post nothing higher than a 72 in any round during the fall, as Beaver coach Brian Watts had with Velasquez, quickly lifts a team up a leader board. Still, Oregon State's run of four straight top-four finishes--including victories at the OSU Giustina and the Bank of Tennessee at the Ridges--couldn't have come without a little help from the other guys in the line-up. Credit also goes to seniors Mike Barry (71.73 average) and Paul Peterson (72.88) and sophomore Morten Madsen (72.45), who each had top-15 finishes.

"Overall, from top to bottom we're as deep as we've ever been talentwise," said Watts, whose team started the semester unranked but was 21st in the most recent Golf World/Nike Golf coaches' poll. "If you get complacent on this team, you're not going to be in the lineup."

As with Velasquez, the entire roster has bought into the notion that slow and steady can win the race. "The guys are understanding that college golf is a marathon," Watts noted. "Everybody is going to have ups and downs, but how you get things back on track is what matters."

Honorable mention: SMU
Two wins to start the fall from the Mustangs have been followed but two more top-three performances to close out the semester. Besides becoming the front-runner for the Conference USA title, Jay Loar's crew is entering the fray on the national level.

WOMEN
Michigan State
If the Spartans impressive start to the 2009-10 season--two wins and a second-place finish in four starts--caught some off guard (OK, yours truly), the same can't be said for Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll. "We've been looking forward to this year for years," said the MSU women's coach, who has made a living (literally) off signing talented if under the radar junior golfers.

Coming into the fall, however, she knew that her line-up for the first time ran a legitimate five players deep, with experienced returning starters Laura Kueny, Aimee Neff, Lindsey Solberg and Shannon Warner being joined by freshman Caroline Powers. Where last spring the Spartans' top performers became guilty of pressing, feeling like they had to shoot low scores for MSU to succeed only to get in their own way, this year's group has played with the freedom of knowing that everyone is capable of contributing.

The difference became evident at the Lady Tar Heel Invitational in October. With a victory already in their home event (Mary Fossum), the Spartans journeyed to Chapel Hill, N.C., and returned with arguably their biggest regular-season title ever, beating a standout field by 12 strokes while breaking the school's 54-hole scoring record.

"We knew we had the potential, but to come through and win was a huge confidence booster," Slobodnik-Stoll said. "We know what we're capable of doing."

Even finishing the fall with a 10th-place showing at the NCAA Preview, MSU's collective outlook remained high knowing that while playing poorly at CC of Landfall in Wilmington, they still finished in the top 10 and got a good look at the course that will host the national championship in May.

Honorable mention: Florida State
Their finish to the fall was a little flat (14th at Lady Tar Heel), but the Seminoles, unranked at the start of the fall, were impressive in victory at the Bette Lou Evans Invitational and with runner-up finishes at the Duramed Cougar Classic and Eat A Peach Collegiate. The performances are even more interesting considering they saw former All-American Caroline Westrup graduating from a squad that failed to qualify for nationals at year ago.

Last spring she played college golf at North Carolina, only to transfer after Tar Heel coach Sally Austin decided to retire. This fall she played at Ohio State. Come 2010, however, Allie White will no longer be playing for any school. The 19-year-old from Lancaster, Ohio, has decided to leave the Buckeye women's golf team after competing in just three tournaments.

"Golf is going to be kind of a summer thing," White told the Lancaster Eagle Gazette. "I'm hoping to do some studying abroad and some other things that I wouldn't be able to do if I was playing golf."

White intends to remain at Ohio State but become a full-time student.

Suffice it to say, the departure seems a bit odd. For one thing, she had been playing well, posting two top-10 finishes this fall (T-6 at the Golfweek Conference Challenge, T-3 at the Lady Northern) before being disqualified from the Mercedes-Benz Championship for signing an incorrect scorecard.

Moreover, White had seemed to have found a nice niche in Columbus. "I am thrilled to be a Buckeye," she said in September. "I have cheered for Ohio State since I was little [her mother played tennis at OSU] and am excited to become a part of this team. Coach Hession has such enthusiasm for golf and the team is great to be around. I want to do my best and help continue to build the program."

Asked about White's decision, OSU women's coach Therese Hession told Campus Insider via e-mail: "The reason she gave me was that she does not want to play college golf any more."

Outside college golf, White made a few headlines last summer during the U.S. Women's Open, where she made the cut at Saucon Valley CC (finishing T-65) and caught some attention of TV cameras by wearing a hat with the logo Ohio Farmer, a magazine for which her father/caddie, Tim, is the editor.

"It's not something I necessarily feel good about--stopping in the middle of something," White said about leaving the team. "But in the overall scheme of things, it's a good move."

As schools collect National Letters of Intent with the early signing period set to end Wednesday, one program's blue-chip recruit has committed not for next fall but for this coming January. Danielle Kang, a 17-year-old from Thousand Oaks, Calif., accelerated her high school studies in order to graduate next month and enroll at Pepperdine in January.

Kang, a honorable mention AJGA All-American in 2008 and medalist at the U.S. Women's Amateur this past summer, would have been a welcome addition at any time, but her early arrival will help bolster a squad that played with just five golfers this past fall. She also heads to Malibu on a bit of a hot streak; last month she shot a 10-under 57 at Westlake GC in a high school match.

Unfortunate news coming out of Provo this week: the BYU athletic department is in search of a new women's coach after announcing that Sue Nyhus is stepping down from the post after eight and a half years running the Cougars' program.

Nyhus, a BYU alum and member of the school's Hall of Fame, took over the job in July 2001 after serving as an assistant under long-time coach Gary Howard.

While the Cougars competed at NCAA regionals six times under Nyhus, the team advanced to nationals only twice, in 2005 and 2007. This fall, her team had two top-10 finishes in five events, BYU's best showing coming in sixth-place performance at the Napa River Grill Cardinal Classic.

Still, Nyhus, who has a Ph.D in Performance Psychology, was an impressive role model to her players. She was a solid player, having competed on the women's professional tour in Europe in the 1980s, then getting her amateur status back and winning the Utah Amateur title in 1999, the same year she finished runner-up at the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship. This past summer she competed against a few of her players at the Utah Women's Amateur Championship.

Moreover, Nyhus handled herself with class and dignity after being diagnosed with skin cancer in 2003 and overcoming the disease.

According to a release from the school, former BYU quarterback Robbie Bosco, director of the BYU Varsity Club, will oversee the women’s golf program on an interim basis until a search for a new head coach can be properly administered. The women’s team opens the spring portion of the 2009-10 season at The Gold Rush at the Old Ranch Country Club in Seal Beach, Calif., Feb. 8-9.

THE FAB FIVE
My look at the top five school in the country right now

MEN
1. Stanford (2)
You can look at the names atop the leader board at the Gifford Collegiate at Corde Valle (Sihwan Kim, second place; David Chung, T-3), but it's the final-round 70 that the Cardinal got from freshman Steven Kearney (after shooting a 78-79 in the first two rounds) that proved the difference in defeating Oklahoma State by three strokes to grab the team title in the final fall start.
Spring opener: UH-Hilo Intercollegiate, Mauni Lani CC, Hilo, Hawaii,
Feb. 3-5

2. Oklahoma State (Last week: 1)
Impressive individual performance from Peter Uihlein, who collected his second title of the fall at Corde Valle, as well as from Morgan Hoffmann and Kevin Tway, who posted top-10s. All this talk about depth for the Cowboys remains true, although the lack of a consistent performance from a fifth man was the one flaw we saw from OSU this fall.
Spring opener: UH-Hilo Intercollegiate, Mauni Lani CC, Hilo, Hawaii,
Feb. 3-5

3. Arizona State (4)
Another week to forget the Sun Devils' performance at Isleworth and remember they were the other team to knock off Oklahoma State this fall en route to their victory at Olympia Fields. While Randy Lein recalls that his 1996 NCAA title team didn't have one standout player but five solid ones, I would like to see one of ASU's young guns take on the role as the go to guy.
Spring opener: UH-Hilo Intercollegiate, Mauni Lani CC, Hilo, Hawaii,
Feb. 3-5

4. Washington (5)
Matt Thurmond got solid if not spectacular play from his deep squad this fall. To wit: none of the five players who played 11 or more rounds had a stroke average higher than 73.64 but only one had a stroke average lower than 73.17 (Nick Taylor, 72.58). The stat suggests that the Huskies have a lot more in the tank. 
Spring opener: UH-Hilo Intercollegiate, Mauni Lani CC, Hilo, Hawaii,
Feb. 3-5

5. Texas A&M (3)
I may well have been guilty of taking the Aggies too lightly to start the season, and I could be guilty of taking them too seriously right now, but there's a lot to like in the way this team played its way through the fall season. Victories are a big deal, regardless of how strong the fields may or may not have been at the Lone Star and the Baylor events. So is improvement, which is what you saw out of J.T. Higgins' squad as September turned to November.
Spring opener: Arizona Intercollegiate, Arizona National GC, Tuscon, Ariz., Feb. 1-2


WOMEN
1. Arizona State (1)
The Sun Devils victory at the Stanford Intercollegiate keeps is the primary reason why I've got ASU at the top at the end of the fall despite their overall record (41-6-1) being slightly worse than UCLA's (59-4-1). Given how much high-stakes golf Melissa Luellen's crew played during the past year, a little down time to rest and recharge will serve them well.   
Spring opener: Northrup Grumman Regional Challenge, Palos Verdes GC, Palos Verdes, Calif., Feb. 9-11

2. UCLA (2)
The Bruins played so well this fall--finishing second in all four tournaments they played in, trailing the winners by a collective 16 strokes--you actually forget the fact that they had to overcome the loss of two first-team All-Americans in Tiffany Joh and Maria Jose Uribe.  
Spring opener: Northrup Grumman Regional Challenge, Palos Verdes GC, Palos Verdes, Calif., Feb. 9-11

3. Auburn (3)
Detractors cry that Cydney Clanton and Candace Schepperle are carrying an otherwise young squad and should they slouch their broad shoulders in the spring, Auburn will turn out to be paper Tigers. Here's the counter-argument: Auburn's average drop score is 76.92, the second best in the country. How can that be if this group is so weak at the bottom of its line-up?  
Spring opener: Arizona Wildcat Invitational, Arizona National GC, Tucson, Ariz., Feb. 22-23

4. Purdue (4)
Another school that has amazingly seemed unfazed by the departure of the best player in school history, Maria Hernandez. The Boilermakers will be tested throughout the spring by Big Ten rival Michigan State, but that will ultimately help keep them sharp when they face the schools out west come the post-season. 
Spring opener: Lady Puerto Rico Classic, Coco Beach Resort, Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, Feb. 7-9

5. USC (NR)
The Trojans had an disappointing finish to the fall, particularly after an impressive start to the season at the Mason Rudolph. The caveat of course is that Jennifer Song skipped the last two events; her presence certainly would have helped improve on a 16th at the NCAA Preview and a third at Turtle Bay. Giving Belen Mozo more time to recover from her shoulder surgery during the winter break and getting first-team All-American Lizette Salas a little more rest too should let Andrea Gaston start the spring with her team at or near full strength for the first time in more than a year.
Spring opener: Northrup Grumman Regional Challenge, Palos Verdes GC, Palos Verdes, Calif., Feb. 9-11

STAT OF THE WEEK, PART I
1
Number of freshmen that can be found among the top 80 men's players in the Golfstat Cup ranking through Tuesday. Texas rookie Cody Gribble is No. 27, making him the lone first-year golfer in the ranking. By comparison, there were six at this point in time during the 2008-09 season, 12 in the 2007-08 season, 3 in 2006-07, 9 in 2005-06, 9 in 2004-05, 8 in 2003-05.

STAT OF THE WEEK, PART II
21
Number of freshmen that are among the top 80 players in the current women's Golfstat Cup ranking. 


WHAT TO WATCH FOR
* Next week I'll begin my annual mid-season awards package, reviewing the fall campaign and setting the stage for the spring. As a sneak peak, I'll hand out the award for the top conference through the first half of the 2009-10 season.

MEN
Winner: Pac-10
Frankly, the competition isn't very close. Look at the Golfstat team rankings and you can see the discrepancy between the league and the other "Big Five" conferences.

                              Average      % of teams  % of teams   % of teams   % of teams
Conference        Golfstat rank     in top 20      in top 50       in top 75      in top 100
Pac-10                     26.4                55.6            77.8              88.9              100
SEC                         44.3                41.7             58.3             83.3              83.3
ACC                         48.8                18.2             81.8             81.8              81.8
Big 12                      55.4                33.3             41.7             66.7              91.7
Big Ten                     62.5                9.1              27.3             63.6               90.9

The Pac-10 number also is skewed in that it doesn't account for UCLA, which had too few rounds played during Golfstat's latest ranking to be included. Given the Bruins No. 23 ranking in the most recent Golf World/Nike Golf coaches' poll, they likely would have brought the average team ranking down plus improved some of the percentage numbers (80% for top 50 teams, 90% for top 75).

Interestingly, the ACC could claim it should be the second best conference, if not for Boston College skewing its numbers. The Eagles rank 203rd according to Golfstat. Drop them from the ACC's totals and you get:

                              Average      % of teams  % of teams   % of teams   % of teams
Conference        Golfstat rank     in top 20      in top 50       in top 75      in top 100
ACC                         33.4                 20                90                90                  90

WOMEN
Winner: SEC

Here is a similar review of the Golfstat ranking on the women's side.

                              Average      % of teams  % of teams   % of teams   % of teams
Conference        Golfstat rank     in top 20      in top 50       in top 75      in top 100
SEC                         34.1                58.3             75.0             83.3              91.7
Pac-10                     35.4                50.0             80.0             80.0              80.0
ACC                         50.1                33.3             55.6             77.8             77.8
Big 12                      55.6                 0.0              41.7             83.3              100
Big Ten                    56.6                18.2             45.5             81.8              81.8

It's close between the SEC and the Pac-10, but given the larger percentage of conference schools in the top 20 (meaning more teams among the nation's elite) and the larger percentage of conference schools in the top 100 (meaning the deeper the reserve of teams within the conference), I have to give the mid-season edge to the SEC.


TOURNAMENT PREVIEW
MEN
Western Refining All-American Golf Classic
El Paso CC, El Paso, Texas (Par 71, 6,837 yards)
Nov. 23-24
Host: Sun Bowl Association
Defending champion: Marquette's Mike Van Sickle (six-under 207) on sixth playoff hole over Oklahoma State's Trent Leon
Skinny: The 35th edition of the event, an individual invitational tournament made exclusively of players named to one of the GCAA's All-America teams from the previous season, has the biggest field (32 players) of any in tournament history. … Past winners of the tournament include: David Duval (Georgia Tech, 1991), Davis Love III (North Carolina, 1984), Jerry Pate (Alabama, 1974), Scott Simpson (USC, 1976) and Tiger Woods (Stanford, 1995). … Alumni of the tournament have earned more than $1 billion in PGA Tour earnings, according to the Sun Bowl Association.

The Western Refining College All-America Golf Classic will have the largest field in its 35-year history when 32 All-Americans from the 2008-09 season compete in two weeks at El Paso (Texas) CC.

Alumni of the event, hosted by the Sun Bowl Association, have gone on to earn more than $1 billion on the PGA Tour. In all, 133 colleges and universities have participated in the tournament, raising more than $640,000 in scholarship money for the participating institutions.

Each university is awarded a $1,000 scholarship if a golfer from that school competes in the tournament, played Nov. 23-24.

FIELD
Player, School, Class
Knut Borsheim, Arizona State, Senior
George Bryan IV, South Carolina, Senior
Alex Ching, San Diego, Sophomore
Harris English, Georgia, Junior
Mitchell Fedorka, La Verne, Sr.
Kevin Foley, Penn State, Sr.
Dustin Garza, Wichita State, Sr.
Matt Giles, USC, Jr.
John Hahn, Kent State, Jr.
Hunter Hamrick, Alabama, Soph.
Russell Henley, Georgia, Jr.
Matt Hill, N.C. State, Jr.
Bo Hoag, Ohio State, Jr.
Morgan Hoffmann, Oklahoma State, Soph.
Tom Hoge, TCU, Jr.
David Holmes, Tennessee, Sr.
Lion Kim, Michigan, Jr.
Scott Langley, Illinois, Jr.
Richard Lee, Washington, Sr.
David Lingmerth, Arkansas, Sr.
Lance Lopez, Texas, Sr.
Gregor Main, UCLA, Soph.
Tarquin MacManus, Arizona, Jr.
Daniel Miernicki, Oregon, Soph.
Corey Nagy, Charlotte, Sr.
Eddie Olson, UNLV, Sr.
John Peterson, LSU, Jr.
Scott Pinckney, Arizona State, Jr.
Andrew Putnam, Pepperdine, Jr.
Alexander Sitompul, Michigan, Jr.
Nick Taylor, Washington, Sr.
Kevin Tway, Oklahoma State, Jr.

THE FAB FIVE
My look at the top five school in the country right now

MEN
1. Oklahoma State (Last week: 1)
The Cowboys' hot start in the 2009-10 season is surprisingly something of a rarity. The last time OSU won two stroke-play tournaments during its fall schedule was back in the 1994-95 season when the squad claimed three team titles (Tucker Invitational, Red River Classic, Golf World/Palmetto Dunes).
Next event: Gifford Collegiate Championship at CordeValle, CordeValle CC, San Martin, Calif., Nov. 9-11

2. Stanford (2)
Among the bright spots for the Cardinal this fall: a return of form for Sihwan Kim. After a first-team All-American season as a freshman, he saw his scoring average dip to 74.05 last year. At the start of his junior year, Kim leads the team with a 72.11 average with top-10 finishes in his last two starts.
Next event: Gifford Collegiate Championship at CordeValle, CordeValle CC, San Martin, Calif., Nov. 9-11

3. Texas A&M (3)
Five different Aggies posted top-10 finishes in varsity events this fall, pointing to the fact that Oklahoma State isn't the only school in the Big 12 that has depth on its side. Meanwhile, the team's collective ball striking has been impressive, as A&M's greens in regulation number within 15 feet of the hole is 33.3 percent.
Next event: Fall season completed

4. Arizona State (4)
The Sun Devils are a team whose stats are be deceiving. ASU hit only 59.5 percent of its fairways and 59.7 percent of its greens in regulation this fall. The team's birdie conversion rate was also a so-so 21.7 percent (65th out of 115 teams that track the statistic). Their poor finish at Isleworth is the likely reason their numbers are low, but their performance at Olympia Fields tells you all you need to know about this group's potential.
Next event: Fall season completed

5. Washington (5)
With four top-10 finishes this fall, senior Nick Taylor has 21 for his career, putting him second in school history behind Brock Mackenzie's 32. Taylor needs just one more individual win, however, to pass Mackenzie for the school's career victory mark; the two are currently tied with four.    
Next event: Fall season completed



WOMEN
1. Arizona State (1)
Freshman Jennifer Johnson has been as good as advertised, carding three top-10 finishes in her first three college starts. The La Quinta, Calif., native has yet to make a double bogey in her eight college rounds, shooting par or better in five of them. Better yet, she appears to have fit in seamlessly with the returning starters on the Sun Devils' squad.  
Next event: Fall season completed

2. UCLA (2)
Difficult conditions made final-round comeback at Turtle Bay Collegiate Invitational a challenge, particularly too with Sydnee Michaels out of the lineup. Still, the Bruins have yet to finish worse than second in four starts this season, which is hard to complain about. 
Next event: Fall season completed

3. Auburn (3)
The Tigers sport the second-best final-round scoring average in the country, thanks in large part to a nation's best 69.5 closing average from Cydney Clanton. They're also leading the country in par-4 scoring with a 4.1 team average. Best of all for Auburn fans: the team has a 14-1 head-to-head record versus SEC opponents this fall. 
Next event: Fall season completed

4. Purdue (5)
Only quibble you can have with the Boilermakers is regarding their schedule, which ranks 44th in the country, highest of any squad inside Golfstat's top 20 ranking. With two players in the top 10 in the Golfstat Cup ranking (Maude-Aimee LeBlanc, No. 3; Numa Gulyanamitta, No. 10), you get the feeling they'd be having this much success regardless of their competition. 
Next event: Fall season completed

5. Texas A&M (NR)
The Aggies were 21 shots back of the leaders after Round 1 of the Challenge at Onion Creek, but proceeded to break a 27-year-old school record with an five-under 275 in Round 2 and then shot a two-under 278 in the final round to take the team title by three strokes. It was A&M's second victory of the fall (they also won their rain-shortened home event in September) and fourth top-five finish in five starts, suggesting it's not just the guys who can play some golf in College Station.
Next event: Fall season completed


STAT OF THE WEEK
7
Number of fall tournament victories Wichita State senior Dustin Garza has claimed in his last 10 starts, stretching over the past two seasons.

Just call the 21-year-old from Mission, Texas "The Fall Guy" as his numbers in events played from September through November the past two years have been eye-popping:

YEAR    Starts    Wins   Top-5s    Rds    Rds<par    Avg.
2008          5          3           5         15          11        68.53       
2009          5          4           4         15          10        70.27


WHAT TO WATCH FOR
* The San Francisco women's team lost an eight-stroke lead during the final round of this week's Challenge at Onion Creek, finishing second to Texas A&M. Still, the Dons had another impressive tournament under first-year coach (and former NCAA individual champion) Sarah Huarte. During the tournament in Austin, Texas, USF shattered its 18-hole scoring record by 18 strokes when the team shot a opening-round 15-under 265 (Tina Johannsdottir posted a 64, Natasha Podmore a 65 and Danielle Cvitanov a 66). The Dons' two-over 842 total also broke their 54-hole scoring mark.

Huarte's bunch has had an up and down fall, finishing 14th at the Dick McGuire and the Stanford Intercollegiate, but their runner-up finish at Onion Creek and a fourth-place showing at the Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational suggests their upside is better than most might have thought. If nothing else, fellow West Coast Conference rival Pepperdine will need to take the squad seriously come next spring when the post-season gets under way.

* Today is the fourth round of the 90-hole Duramed Futures Tour Qualifying School and a handful of collegians playing as amateurs are in good position to secure playing status for 2010. Michigan State senior Laura Kueny is tied for second place at eight-under 208, one stroke back of leader Danielle Mills. Oklahoma State freshman Jane Rah is tied for 19th, along with TCU senior Valentine Derry and New Mexico senior Jodi Ewart. Just how many people will earn full playing status won't be determined until after the final stage of LPGA Qualifying School in December.

* The early college signing period for high school seniors begins Nov. 11 (and runs through Nov. 18), but don't expect much in the way of surprises regarding which blue-chip recruits are headed where, particularly on the boys side. The rash of early verbal commitments has meant any last minute drama about the choice of a school has essentially gone the way of persimmon.

Here is where some of the top boys and girls are expected to sign:

BOYS
Byeong-Hun An, California
Patrick Cantlay, UCLA
Austin Cody, Duke
Talor Gooch, Oklahoma State
Logan Harrell, South Carolina
Jeffrey Kang, USC
Yarsolav Merkulov, Duke
Patrick Winther, Oklahoma State
Cory Whitsett, Alabama
Cameron Wilson, Stanford
Bobby Wyatt, Alabama

GIRLS
Danielle Frasier, Stanford
Ani Gulugian, UCLA
Rachel Morris, USC
Danielle Kang, Pepperdine


TOURNAMENT PREVIEW
MEN
St. Mary's Invitational
Poppy Hills GC, Pebble Beach, Calif. (Par 72, 6,857 yards)
Nov. 9-10
Host: St. Mary's (Calif.)
Field: Cal Poly, Denver, Fresno State, Loyola Marymount, Marquette, Memphis, Nevada, Oregon State, Pacific, Portland, St. Mary's, San Diego, San Francisco, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, Wisconsin
Defending champion: San Francisco (three-over 855) by five strokes over Wisconsin; San Francisco's Domingo Jojola (six-under 207) by one stroke over UC Irvine's Bryan Harris
Skinny: Fourth year that Poppy Hills plays host to the tournament.

Gifford Collegiate Championship at CordeValle
   (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
CordeValle CC, San Martin, Calif.
Nov. 9-11
Host: UCLA
Field: Arizona, Augusta State, Colorado, Charlotte, Duke, Lamar, Long Beach State, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Stanford, UCLA, USC
Defending champion: USC (even-par 1,080) by 26 strokes over Stanford; USC's Tim Sluiter and Washington's Nick Taylor (four-under 212) shared medalist honors
Skinny: The fifth-year event was renamed this year in honor of Jack Gifford, a long-time UCLA booster who died unexpectedly last January.

THE FAB FIVE
My look at the top five school in the country right now

MEN
1. Oklahoma State (Last week: 1)
Birdies on the last two holes by Peter Uihlein and a one-under performance over the last three holes by Kevin Tway allow the Cowboys to hold off Florida at the Isleworth Collegiate, claiming their second team title in three starts. OSU's record thus far in 2009-10: 41-1
Next event: Gifford Collegiate Championship at CordeValle, CordeValle CC, San Martin, Calif., Nov. 9-11

2. Stanford (NR)
Not only do the Cardinal shine at Isleworth, finishing third, but they do it while their most famous golfing alumni, Tiger Woods, in attendance all week. No tournament titles yet this fall for Conrad Ray's polished squad, although no finishes worse than fourth either. Putts on GIR of 1.802 is among the nation's best.
Next event: Gifford Collegiate Championship at CordeValle, CordeValle CC, San Martin, Calif., Nov. 9-11

3. Texas A&M (NR)
The defending national champions followed up a victory at the inaugural Lone Star Invitational a week earlier with a three-stroke triumph at the Baylor Intercollegiate Oct. 27. The Aggies' top recruit, Cameron Peck, posts his best finish this fall with a T-2 showing, while the entire team seems to have navigated the first semester as NCAA champions without finding the title too heavy a burden to carry.
Next event: Fall season completed

4. Arizona State (2)
A 12th-place showing at Isleworth (31 strokes behind victorious Oklahoma State) wasn't the way the Sun Devils envisioned closing out the fall schedule. On the flip side, it could be just the motivational tool coach Randy Lein needs to keep his players focused during the winter break.
Next event: Fall season completed

5. Washington (3)
Same holds for the Huskies, who surprisingly finished T-13 at Isleworth. Nick Taylor's usually strong supporting cast was AWOL in Florida but don't expect the same come next spring.   
Next event: Fall season completed



WOMEN
1. Arizona State (1)
The Sun Devils were hamstrung in the final round of the NCAA Preview, losing Juliana Murcia due to illness. A fourth-place finish wasn't what the team envisioned heading into the event in Wilmington, but they'll take it. "We liked the course, and we learned quite it about it," said coach Melissa Luellen of CC of Landfall, which hosts next spring's NCAA Championship. "We will be ready for it in May."
Next event: Fall season completed

2. UCLA (2)
Of the 15 individual performances from the Bruins starters in their three fall tournaments, UCLA golfers have finished outside the top 20 just five times. None of the starting five has a stroke average worse than 73.5. No victories yet for UCLA, but you get the feeling it won't be to long before that changes. 
Next event: Turtle Bay Resort Collegiate Invitational, Turtle Bay Resort GC, Kahuku, Hawaii, Nov. 2-4

3. Auburn (NR)
Cydney Clanton's victory at the NCAA Preview suggests the struggles of her sophomore season are behind her. Combined with the play of senior Candace Schepperle, the Tigers have three seconds and a third in four fall events. While coach Kim Evans is going to need more from players 3-5 to contend for an NCAA title next spring having two first-team All-American caliber golfers at the front of the line-up certainly isn't a bad thing.
Next event: Fall season completed

4. USC (3)
That optimism about having Belen Mozo back in the line-up faded upon seeing her jar her surgically repaired shoulder while hitting a shot from a rough lie during the second round of the NCAA Preview. Mozo WD'd after starting the third round, deciding to be safe rather than sorry. The resulting 16th place finish was ugly but also came with Jennifer Song out of the line-up to play in an LPGA event.
Next event: Turtle Bay Resort Collegiate Invitational, Turtle Bay Resort GC, Kahuku, Hawaii, Nov. 2-4

5. Purdue (5)
While finishing sixth at the NCAA Preview, the Boilermakers were only 11 strokes out of first, making the week's play a little more palatable. Purdue's proved there is life after Maria Hernandez with their play this fall, and their pending  showdowns with Michigan State could make the Big Ten as entertaining as any conference to follow this spring.   
Next event: Fall season completed


STAT OF THE WEEK
2,212
Number of days since the Arizona women's golf team last won a tournament after the Wildcats took the team title yesterday in windy conditions at the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown, beating Florida by five strokes with a 14-over 878 at Boulder Creek GC in Boulder City, Nev. It was the first victory for Arizona since winning the Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational Oct. 8, 2003.

"It was 48 degrees when they teed off, and the wind was blowing around 40 miles per hour," said coach Shelly Haywood afterward. "I'm so proud of the team. They finally know how good they are, and we're still a very young team."

Indeed, Arizona played with a freshman (Sherlyn Popelka), three sophomores (Nikki Koller, Isabelle Boineau and Margarita Ramos) and a junior (Alejandra Llaneza) in the starting line-up. Popelka shot a final-round one-under 71 to claim medalist honors with a seven-under 209 total. She is the first Arizona player to win an individual title since Alison Walshe won the 2008 West Regional.


WHAT TO WATCH FOR
* The Georgia men don't play again until late February in Puerto Rico, wrapping up their fall schedule at Isleworth this week while posting a season-best fourth-place finish. That doesn't mean there are no big events on the team's calendar between now and then. Specifically, a decision regarding whether All-American Hudson Swafford might take a medical redshirt season is likely forthcoming. The senior had surgery to repair a torn labrum last summer and is in the midst of the rehab. Georgia coach Chris Haack said earlier this fall that they would take their time regarding Swafford's return. Given the fact there are three-plus months, there doesn't seem much reason to rush any decisions although one could be made as early as November.    

* The first significant coaching post has opened up with long-time Mississippi State's Christi Sanders announcing she'll retire at the conclusion of the 2009-10 season after 22 years as the Bulldogs' women's coach. Mississippi State director of athletics Greg Byrne said a national search will begin immediately for Sanders' successor. Sanders was the longest-tenured head coach on the Mississippi State coaching staff.  


TOURNAMENT PREVIEWS
MEN
Renaissance Invitational
The Club at Renaissance, Fort Myers, Fla.
Nov. 1-2
Host: Xavier
Field: Ball State, Bowling Green State, Campbell, Eastern Kentucky, Indiana, Liberty, Marshall, Miami (Ohio), Penn State, Troy, Western Kentucky, Xavier
Defending champion: New event
Skinny: A month after hosting their annual Xavier Invitational in Ohio, coach/DOG Doug Steiner is set to put on a new event in Florida.

Carter Plantation Intercollegiate
Carter Plantation, Springfield, La.
Nov. 2-3
Host: Southeastern Louisiana
Field: Arkansas State, Central Arkansas, Jacksonville State, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, McNeese State, New Orleans, Nicholls State, Rice, Sam Houston State, Southeastern Louisiana, Stephen F. Austin, UT Arlington
Defending champion: Texas State (17-over 881) by four strokes over Louisiana-Lafayette; Texas State's Jeff Gerlich (eight-under 208) by 10 strokes over S.E. Louisiana's Mathew Carvell
Skinny: Event moved from its usual spring dates to fall for its seventh edition as the course will also host the Southland Conference Championship in April

Turtle Bay Resort Collegiate Invitational
   (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Turtle Bay Resort GC, Kahuku, Hawaii
Nov. 2-4
Host: Hawaii
Field: Air Force, BYU-Hawaii, British Columbia, Georgia State, Hawaii, Illinois, Long Beach State, New Mexico State, San Diego State, Santa Clara
Defending champion: Texas (21-under 843) by three strokes over San Diego State; Ohio State's Vaughn Snyder (11-under 205) by one stroke over UT Arlington's Bobby Massa
Skinny: Japan's Osaka Gakuin also will be competing in the field

Stockton Sports Commission Pacific Invitational
   (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Brookside CC, Stockton, Calif.
Nov. 2-4
Host: University of the Pacific
Field: BYU, CSU Fullerton, CSU Northridge, Denver, Fresno State, Kansas State, Oregon, Pacific, Sacramento State, San Jose State, St. Mary's (Calif.), UC Davis
Defending champion: Kansas State (one-over 853) by three strokes over UC Davis; Marquette's Mike Van Sickle (four-under 209) by one stroke over four golfers
Skinny: Host Tigers enter their home event fresh off a eight-stroke victory at the Bill Cullum Invitational in which the team broke the Pacific scoring mark versus par (21 under) while setting the tournament's 54-hole scoring mark.


WOMEN
Challenge at Onion Creek
   (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Onion Creek GC, Austin, Texas
Nov. 2-3
Host: Texas State
Field: UALR, Augusta State, Baylor, Boise State, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Kennesaw State, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, San Francisco, Texas, UTSA, Texas State, Texas Tech, Washington State, Wisconsin
Defending champion: Colorado (64-over 928) by one stroke over Texas Tech and Texas State; Texas Tech's Megan Dowdy and Iowa State's Victoria Stefansen (five-over 221) share medalist honors 
Skinny: Tournament, held last year at Wolfdancer GC, can only hope for better luck weather-wise than last week's inaugural Alamo Invitational in San Antonio, where rain wiped out the first two rounds.

Turtle Bay Collegiate Invitational
Turtle Bay Resort, Kahuku, Hawaii
Nov. 2-4
Host: Hawaii
Field: BYU, California, Gonzaga, Hawaii, Long Beach State, New Mexico State, Oregon, Oregon State, Oral Roberts, San Diego State, San Jose State, Santa Clara, Toledo, Tulsa, UC Davis, UCLA, USC, Washington
Defending champion: New Event
Skinny: Women's tournament added to the men's invitational for first time and packs an impressive field with six Pac-10 programs, including UCLA and USC.

With eight top-10 finishes in national tournaments this summer, including a victory at the U.S. Junior Amateur, 16-year-old Jordan Spieth was the runaway winner of the 2009 AJGA Rolex Boys Junior Player of the Year honor. When the Dallas native (top right) receives the honor at the Rolex Junior All-America Awards Banquet next month, he will be joined by Victoria Tanco, a 15-year-old from Argentina who claimed the Girls POY honor for a second straight year.

In addition to his victory at the USGA's national championship, Spieth was runner-up at the HP Boys Championship and the Junior PGA Championship. "It was my No. 1 goal at the beginning of the year and I'm excited to have accomplished my goal,” said Spieth, who shot 11 rounds in the 60s. "I am looking forward to the next couple seasons because the AJGA has been such a huge influence on my life. I'll be trying to do the same thing again next year, but knowing the competition, it's going to be really difficult.”

Tanco (bottom right) was a three-time winner in 2009, including the Rolex Tournament of Champions title in July, a record that helped her become just the fourth girl to win player-of-the-year honors in consecutive seasons (Vicki Goetze, 1988-90; Kellee Booth, 1992-93; Beth Bauer, 1997-98).

"It is a great honor to be the Rolex Junior Player of the Year again," Tanco said. "There are so many good players that I didn't expect this, and it is a great accomplishment."