No huge surprise out of Austin, Texas, yesterday as the University of Texas athletic department named Martha Richards its new women's coach. Richards' ties to the program—she served as assistant coach for the Longhorns from 1998 to 2000—made her a natural fit. Plus, her success as the women's coach at Vanderbilt the past seven seasons (an SEC title, the school's first; two top-six finishes at nationals; seven All-Americans) made her quite qualified to replace Susan Watkins, who resigned in May after 14 seasons.

“I am thrilled to re-join The University of Texas coaching staff, and once again be a part of the great tradition of excellence that UT represents,” Richards said Tuesday. “There is something very special about UT, academically and athletically. The level of commitment to women’s athletics here is unparalleled. With golf, you see that in the UT Golf Club, a world-class facility.”

Where Richards particularly excels is in recruiting, and she'll likely be able to keep a few more of the state's top players than the program had in recent years.

No doubt Richards was the right choice for UT; she has the energy and talent to guide the Longhorns to national prominence quickly.

OAKMONT, PA.—Patience was a virtue for Luke List, who bucked the recent trend and got into the field today at the U.S. Open.

The recent Vanderbilt graduate (right) was the first alternate for this week’s national championship at Oakmont CC after being the odd man out in a three-player-for-two-spots playoff during sectional qualifying last Monday in Rockville, Md. While only once since 2002 has a first alternate gotten into the field—Conrad Ray in 2005—List decided to make the trip to Western PA anyway to see if by some chance one of the 154 players in the field would drop out and open up a place for him. Sure enough, Englishman David Howell WD’d this morning with a wrist injury, and List was playing his first practice round a little before 2 p.m.

Making List’s day even more memorable was the fact that it also turned out to be his debut as a professional. The 22-year-old had thought he would remain an amateur through the summer in hopes of making the U.S. Walker Cup squad. But when he arrived Sunday to register for the tournament, he told USGA officials if he were to get into the field he would play as a pro.

“I just figured it was time to make the move,” List said Monday, confirming the decision to go pro and noting that the uncertainty of his chances of making the Walker Cup team did enter into his thinking.

This will be List’s third appearance in the U.S. Open, having missed the cut at Olympia Fields in 2003 and Pinehurst in 2005.

The number of amateurs in the field at Oakmont remains 12.

Chris Condello, 21, senior at Columbia in the fall
Rhys Davies, 22, finished senior year at East Tennessee State this spring
Mark Harrell, 21, senior at Alabama in the fall
Jeff Golden, finished senior year at Rollins this spring
John Kelly, 22, finished senior year at Missouri this spring
Trip Kuehne, 34, president/senior managing partner at Double Eagle Capital
Jason Kokrak, 22, finished senior year at Xavier this spring
Richard Lee, 16, high school sophomore
Philip Pettitt Jr., 22, senior at Tennessee in the fall
Alex Prugh, 22, finished senior year at Washington this spring
Richie Ramsay, 23, finished final year at Sterling this spring
Martin Ureta, 21, finished senior year at North Carolina this spring

OWING MILLS, MD.—I’ll be the first to admit it was overdue, but I finally got a chance to attend the Palmer Cup this past week at Caves Valley GC, outside Baltimore. What the 11th edition of the event lacked in drama—the U.S. claimed a lopsided 18-6 win over Europe—it made up for in impressive golf.

Of course, it helps when you’ve got five first-team All-Americans competing in the two-day annual event. Billy Horschel, Dustin Johnson, Chris Kirk and Jamie Lovemark played for the U.S. while Rhys Davies made his fourth straight appearance for the Euros.

Payback, I’m sure, had a little something to do with the red, white and blue trouncing; in 2006 the Europeans dominated play with a 19½-4½ beatdown at Prestwick GC.

“I wanted a little revenge after last year,” said Luke List, who along with Brian Harman and Kirk were the lone holdovers from the 2006 U.S. team and who claimed the cup-clinching point Friday when he defeated Gordon Yates, 6 and 5, in afternoon singles. “It’s nice to get back and do it this year.”

When the U.S. lost three of the four morning fourball matches to start Day 1, it looked like any other “cup-style” competition. Most impressive was Gareth Shaw and Davies 9 and 7 dismantling of List and Lovemark; Shaw made birdies on nine of 11 holes alone.

But then came the turning point of the event: an unprecedented 8-0 sweep by the Americans in afternoon singles. Suddenly, the U.S. had a commanding 9-4 overall lead.

To its credit, Mike McGraw’s team kept their feet on the accelerator, taking three of four foursomes matched in the morning of Day 2, assuring at least a 12-12 tie overall even if the Americans failed to win one of eight afternoon singles matches. Instead, they won six, with Harman and Horschel posting perfect 4-0 records.

“It sucks to lose this thing,” Harman said. “Especially like we did last year. I’m not going to be part of that again. I’m going to do everything I can to make sure we win. If I’m playing hard, you all need to play hard.”

In attendance was U.S. Walker Cup captain Buddy Marucci, no surprise considering the Palmer Cup format is almost identical to the one they’ll play at Royal County Down next September.

The problem, however, was that Marucci was one of only a handful watching. Galleries were only in the couple dozen, a disappointment when you consider that Caves Valley hosted the NCAA Championship only two years ago. Fans should be familiar with most of the players. (No help that the LPGA was playing one of its majors roughly 30 miles away).

For the Golf Coaches’ Association of America’s flagship event to take off it will need a few things. First, college golf's best players have to participate. The good news is that seems to be happening. Top players are excited when they’re named to the team and are looking forward to competing, no small feat. Secondly, the event has to be played at top-quality courses. Again, this is being done.

Thirdly, the event has to get local support. The folks at Caves Valley did a great job by all accounts of making the players feel welcome and the course was its usual immaculate self. The problem is that there was practically no mention of the event in the local papers or any signage for the competition in the area. There has to be better promotion of the competition within the community or it merely flies under the radar.

I think most people associated with the Palmer Cup understand that it will never reach the prestige of the Walker Cup. It doesn't need to, however, to be successful. After watching all 16 players from both sides of the Atlantic enjoy themselves last week, I believe this event can be a true showcase for college golf. Now all it needs is some golf fans to come see it.

A year from now, Duke senior-to-be Jennifer Pandolfi could be the answer to an interesting question: Who is the only player in women's college golf history to have been on four different NCAA championship teams?

Serious, would you bet against the Blue Devils making it four in a row next May in Albuquerque? Not unless two-time national player of the year Amanda Blumenherst suddenly decided to turn professional, something she insists won't happen. Duke is too deep to bet against at this point and until proven otherwise, I'm not sure anyone else is quite ready to stand up against the Blue Devils. If anything, this year they might separate themselves from the rest of the competition even more.

All that said, here's a peek at what we might see next season. One school missing from my top-10 is Georgia, although yesterday's hiring of former UGa player Kelley Hester as its new coach certainly puts the Bulldogs on solid ground for the coming season. It's just that Hester must replace Taylor Leon and Whitney Wade, a tough task for anyone.

My VERY, VERY, VERY early top 10 for the 2007-08 season:

1) Duke (NCAA finish: Win)
    The Blue Devils' dynasty doesn't seem to have an end as Dan Brooks' squad loses former NCAA individual champion Anna Grzebien to graduation but brings in AJGA standout Kimberly Donovan. With Blumenherst seemingly on a different plane than her fellow collegians, Duke will contend again … and Pandolfi can fulfill the trivia question above.

2) Arizona State (NCAA finish: 13th)
    An impressive 2006-07 season ended with four confounding days in Daytona Beach last month when the Sun Devils couldn't get any rhythm. The top four of Melissa Luellen's five starters are back, however, including first-team All-Americans Anna Nordqvist and Jennifer Osborn. Something tells me ASU's plight at nationals will serve as motivation this upcoming season. Meanwhile, incoming freshman Ashley Smith, who hails from the Xavier Prep, Scottsdale's high school golf power that also produced Duke's Blumenherst, could very likely sure up the No. 5 spot that Luellen's squad had trouble in 2006-07.

3) UCLA (NCAA finish: third)
    The Bruins made an impressive turnaround from the start of the season to their showing at LPGA International. More importantly, they've laid the ground work for continued success in 2007-08. Expect Tiffany Joh to continue her All-American play and look for Sydnee Michaels to improve on a so-so freshman season (she's too talented not to). While needing to replace outgoing senior Hannah Jun, incoming freshman Maria Jose Uribe and Glory Yang provide much needed depth to Carrie Forsyth's roster.

4) Purdue (NCAA finish: second)    
    The tough part of the 2006-07 season for the Boilermakers was comparing it to the their breakout 2005-06 season, where Purdue won six times. But the impressive performance at the NCAA Championship, the school's best ever, bodes well for Devon Brouse's team. First-team All-American Maria Hernandez is a gritty, determined player, and Christel Boeljon showed her talent at nationals. Mid-year addition Stefanie Endstrasser from Austria also gave Purdue a boost that will serve the team well next fall.

5) Oklahoma State (NCAA finish: T-14)    
    It was a inconsistent 2006-07 for the Cowgirls, but the reason I like them to play well next year is simple: When OSU is on its game, it can post some pretty low scores. Pernilla Lindberg might be among the best players in college golf that no one has really heard of yet (see West Regionals; All-American selection). If Aussie Kristie Smith does make it to Stillwater this fall, and she's half as good as advertised, the inconsistent might be fixed.

6) Arizona (NCAA finish: T-14)
    Can you blame Greg Allen if he stops trying to recruit the most talented players in the country? For the second time in three years, he lands the top junior in her class—Esther Choe—only to have the player decide she's turning pro after singing her letter of intent (previously it was Julieta Granada). The Wildcats are stuck because there isn't anyone else available to give the scholarship too. The silver lining? Allen's current team is an experienced bunch with talent in seniors-to-be Alison Walshe and Mary Jacobs and junior-to-be Adriana Zwanck leading the way.

7) Florida (NCAA finish: Did not play)    
     The Gators looked like they were on a roll heading into West Regionals, having finished first or second in four straight events, only to miss out on advancing to nationals by two shots. Still, Jill Briles-Hinton doesn't lose any seniors (only question is whether Mallory Blackwelder transfers to Kentucky to play for her mom, Mira, the Wildcats' newly named coach) and has first-team All-American Sandra Gal to lean on once again.

8) Southern California (NCAA finish: fourth)
    The Trojans lose a pair of seniors in Veronica Felibert and Catalina Marin who each were fixtures in their lineup, although the emergence this season of first-team All-American Paola Moreno and having Spanish sensation Belen Mozo on campus for an entire season should allow Andrea Gaston's squad to remain a threat nationally. That said, USC needs better play than it got from 2006 NCAA champion Dewi Schreefel in 2007.

9) Tennessee (NCAA finish: T-17)
    Marci Turner, Nicole Smith and Angela Oh provide the Lady Vols with a strong threesome at the top of the line-up. If Judi Pavon can get something out of the No. 4 and 5 spots, Rocky Top looks solid. Only fear regarding Tennessee is that they can seem lackadaisical at times.

10) Auburn (NCAA finish: ninth)    
    The Tigers seemed flat at nationals and must replace senior standout Nicole Hage. Look for Margaret Shirley and Candace Schepperle to take on leadership roles and for Marisa Milligan to continue to impress.

OK … we’ve let the Duke women and the Stanford men enjoy their respective NCAA titles for long enough now. (What you want more than a month to bask in your glory? What about that old saying, “you’re only as good as your next tournament win.”) There’s no time like the present to begin to look ahead to next September and the start of the 2007-08 college season.

Lets look at the men’s side and get a idea of who some of the top squads will be next fall. (Tomorrow, I’ll do the same for the women). Remember, the Cardinal was no where to be found on my list last year, so don't hold me to accountable here ... and if you've got a better idea on who to watch, send in your comment.

My VERY, VERY, VERY early top 10 for the 2007-08 season:

1) Alabama (NCAA finish: sixth)
    If not for the Cardinal's return to the national spotlight, the year's feel-good story might well have been written in Tuscaloosa, where the Crimson Tide burst on the scene last fall with three victories and then showed they were no fluke with solid play during the spring. Tulane transfer Michael Thompson thrived at his new home, while Gator Todd, Matthew Swan, Joseph Sykora and Mark Harrell became the most dependable group of "no-names" around. (Harrell just qualified for the U.S. Open). All are back next fall for Jay Seawell and the Tide to roll.

2) Florida (NCAA finish: T-9)
    A young Gator squad surprised many with two wins last year and even claimed the top-spot in the Golf World/Nike Golf coaches' poll for a while, but showed some of their inexperience in the spring. Coach Buddy Alexander has everybody back, however. Junior-to-be Billy Horschel is as good as any player in college golf, and incoming freshman Arnond (Bank) Vongvanij is among the top recruits in the country and gives Florida even more depth.

3) Stanford (NCAA finish: First)
    Conrad Ray's masterful overhaul of the program has the Cardinal in position for long-term success. In the short run, though, they'll have to replace outgoing seniors Zack Miller and Matt Savage, who both posted sub-72 scoring averages. Sihwan Kim and Steve Ziegler should be able to pick up the slack when they arrive on campus in the fall, but to expect them to produce immediately might be asking a bit much. Still with Rob Grube, Joseph Bramlett and Daniel Lim returning, plus Jordan Cox on the bench, Stanford has as deep a roster as any in the country. 

4) UCLA (NCAA finish: seventh)
    I am accused by some of being too high on the Bruins this past year. Let me remind my critics that O.D. Vincent's squad did win three times and had 10 top-five finishes in 2006-07. Surprisingly, for a second straight year they were flat at nationals, but I think there's only positives coming from Westwood. The entire starting line-up is back and the best incoming freshman in the country, U.S. Junior champion Philip Francis, hits campus in September. Francis will have an immediate impact, shoring up any "holes" UCLA might have.

5) Clemson (NCAA finish: Did not play)
    There was arguably no bigger disappointment in college golf than the Tigers in 2006-07. Several of their players had impressive summers on the amateur circuit in 2006, leading many people to figure Larry Penley's group would be in the hunt during the post-season. Instead they won no tournaments and had only four top-five finishes. Bottom line: Kyle Stanley, Sam Saunders and David May are just too good for Clemson to suffer the same fate in 2007-08. I'm giving them a mulligan.

6) Southern California (NCAA finish: Missed cut)
    Chris Zambri's first year as a head coach was impressive (three wins, 11 top-fives) ... until the last three days of the season when the Trojans stumbled at Golden Horseshoe. Provided Jamie Lovemark does indeed return to school last fall, USC could jump on his back and go pretty far. Rory Hie and Tom Glissmeyer give them arguably the best one-two-three punch in college golf. The only reason the Pac-10 champs aren't ranked higher is that they do need to find a four- and five-man to replace outgoing seniors Jordan Nasser and Joshua Wooding.

7) Georgia (NCAA finish: second)   
    The Bulldogs lose two impact players in first-team All-Americans Chris Kirk and Brendon Todd, making Chris Haack's job a little tougher in Athens. Junior-to-be Brian Harman is going to need to step up. Freshman Adam Mitchell's top-10 individual finish at nationals bodes well and fellow frosh Hudson Swafford has talent. Still, for the first time in a while there is a little uncertainty about just how good Georgia will be.

8) Texas A&M (NCAA finish: Did not play)
    A playoff loss for the last spot out of the Central Regional kept the Aggies at home instead of playing in nationals. My guess is that this proves to be a huge source of motivation for J.T. Higgins' squad, which loses no seniors from their starting line-up.

9) Charlotte (NCAA finish: T-3)
    Was the 49ers performance at Golden Horseshoe a fluke or is this a sign of things to come? My guess is more the latter than the former. Jamie Green has Andrew DiBitetto, Trevor Murphy and Corey Nagy all back and this year's experience at nationals will only continue to boost their confidence.

10) Oklahoma State (NCAA finish: T-15)
    The Cowboys will have to replace at least three and possible four starters from their 2006-07 line-up, and while incoming freshmen Kevin Tway and Rickie Fowler will help the cause, a lack of depth might be a problem for the folks in Stillwater this season. Time to see just how emotionally mature Trent Leon is given that he'll likely be the only player with any real college experience starting for the Cowboys come the fall.

20 WESTPORT ROAD, THIRD FLOOR, THIRD CUBICLE FROM THE WINDOW, WILTON, CONN.—The remnants of Tropical Depression Barry followed me up the East Coast as I returned from Williamsburg, Va., and the 110th NCAA Championship. I don't mind a rainy 7½-hour drive all that much, so long as it doesn’t interfere with any tournament I’m covering. Thankfully, we had four glorious days of weather at Golden Horseshoe GC ... plenty of sun, low humidity, temps in the high 80s. I can only imagine what some of the coaches would have been saying about the thick rough they encountered last week had there been some showers and wind to contend with too.

Yes, a fair number of coaches and players weren’t all that thrilled with the set-up for the year’s biggest tournament. Like when the Homestead hosted nationals in 2004, the rather diminutive size of Golden Horseshoe GC’s 6,803-yard Gold course played to the strengths of some teams (victorious Stanford most notably) and handcuffed others (second-place Georgia most notably).

The Bulldogs, ranked No. 1 entering the postseason, have a team of long-ball hitters that have used their length to their advantage throughout the 2006-07 season, winning five tournaments including the East Regional. Yet to avoid hitting through Golden Horseshoe’s fairways and into its overseeded rye-grass rough, Chris Haack’s group had to leave their drivers in their bags a fair amount, causing a bit of frustration among his starting five. In turn, the Bulldogs didn’t think their way around the course very well, according to Haack himself, made some bad swings with wedges in their hands and after 36 holes had dug a hole (282-289, 18 shots back of Stanford in 16th place) just too deep to get out of.

Another team hampered by the claustrophobic confines found in Colonial Williamsburg was Pac-10 champion Southern California. Out at the West Regional at ASU’s Karsten Course, the Trojans could free-wheel it and make tons of birdies. That wasn’t the case in Virginia, where the team wound up missing the 54-hole cut and had to settle for watching USC freshman Jamie Lovemark claim the individual title.

It wasn’t just the length of the course but the speed of the greens too that had some wondering. “They said that they were rolling to a 10 on the stimpmeter,” noted one first-team All-American. “Well if it was true, than we play all the rest of our tournaments at a 15.” (NCAA folks told me the greens weren't "scalped" out of fear that with the heat and the numerous players they might become distressed.)

You can make the argument that had the same 30 teams played Golden Horseshoe’s Green course (site of the 2001 East Regional and 2004 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship), the outcome might have been far different. Of course, that’s the case every year. The style of course where the NCAA Championship is held makes a huge difference regarding how many teams have a legitimate chance to claim the title. When the NCAA golf committee names host courses, I don’t think many people pay all that much attention. Well they should. Suffice it to say, the next four years, nationals will be played on hefty tracks—Purdue’s Kampen Course in West Lafayette, Ind., Inverness Club in Ohio, The Honors Course in Chattanooga, Tenn., and Oklahoma State's Karsten Creek GC in Stillwater, Okla. Bombers rejoice!!

All that said, while the Gold course might have yielded a few low scores, it was a worthy venue for the national championship. Nothing wrong with making kids have to use their brains to get around in red numbers rather than just their brawn.

Also, before I get some nasty comments from Cardinal fans, I believe a very deserving champion was crowned Saturday. No other school could sustain the level of play that Stanford did for four days. Junior Rob Grube showed why he deserved to be among our top-10 players to watch last September with his third-place individual finish. Joseph Bramlett looked like an experienced senior out there rather than a freshman, bouncing back from a tough first round to close with a 68-70-69. And don’t forget Daniel Lim’s final-round 69 either. During the team meeting the previous night, each Cardinal had a chance to speak. When it got to Lim, a sophomore from Cupertino, Calif., he let his teammates know he would have his game face on by saying, “I don’t know what everyone else is thinking but I’m just going to try to beat the crap out of you guys.”

As his team was celebrating by the 18th green Saturday, I asked Stanford alum-turned-coach Conrad Ray at what point during the regular season did he really, truly believe he had a team that could pull off something like it did last week. Initially he said when the group won the Gopher Invitational last September, the school’s first team win in seven years. But then he stopped himself.

“Let me change that … the first qualifying round,” Ray said. “We reported about 10 days before we took off for the first event of the year in Minnesota. We had two 64s, a 66, a 67 something like that. First round of qualifying. And everyone kind of looked at each other. Joe Bramlett shot 29 on the front nine of qualifying. We’re thinking, 'OK, now we can get started.’ From that point forward I think this group has been so dedicated.”

Last weekend's victory is a testament to what Ray, along with assistant coach Sam Puryear, has done in his three short years back on the Farm. With the exception of Houston, no once-dominant golf power had fallen as far as the Cardinal had after coach Wally Goodwin retired in the late 1990s.

The scary thing too, Stanford have a couple of studs in Sihwan Kim, the 2004 U.S. Junior champ, and Steve Ziegler coming in next fall, replacing seniors Zack Miller and Matt Savage, and former U.S. Junior runner-up Jordan Cox was back at home unable to crack the starting lineup. Don’t look now, but Stanford is back … and with a vengeance.

Other thoughts from a week avoiding the militia in Colonial Williamsburg:

1) Lost somewhat in Stanford's final-round runaway was the fact that the other two schools playing in the final threesomes were Coastal Carolina and Charlotte. I personally think this speaks volume for just how competitive men's college golf has become.

Charlotte coach Jamie Green joked after the third round that his players are a little tired having their team be referred to as a "mid-level" school. This is understandable considering the 49ers were ranked in the top 25 most of the year, having won five tournaments. The point Green went on to make, however, explains a lot as to why these schools, along with Georgia State, have been making regular appearances at nationals.

"You know I’ve said for a couple years now, golf’s different," Green noted. "You don’t have to recruit an entire offensive line. You don’t have to get a secondary. In golf, if you’ve got some hard working kids and they’ve got some talent, you can get competitive quick. … And whether or not the history of their school’s name [is big], they don’t really care. They just know they have an opportunity to play the golf course and that’s pretty good.”

Asked how he was able to build a national contender at a small, young school in the Big South Conference, Coastal coach Allen Terrell says that he knows he's not going to sign AJGA All-Americans so instead he has to find the guys that the big schools pick over. "We don’t recruit necessarily the highest ranked players," he said."We try to get athletes that play other sports that have that internal competitiveness."

Nobody had heard of Dustin Johnson when he was coming out of high school in Myrtle Beach, S.C., but Terrell took a chance that he could straighten out the kid's tee shot and sharpen his wedge game. Four years later, the guy is a first-team All-American and has a real shot of making the U.S. Walker Cup team this September before starting what looks like will be a bright pro career.

The most important thing to take from the rise of the small school? If you're a high school golfer who wants to play college golf (or the parent of one), don't get hung up on going to a "traditional" golf power where you might not play all that much. Find the school that's right for you and get to work. You too can play for a national title.

2) If I'm an athletic director at a "major" conference school and I'm looking to turn my golf program into a national contender, the first thing I do is get Allen Terrell's cell phone number, ASAP.

2a) The next thing I do is get Jamie Green's.

3) Had SEC champion Tennessee been the second of the three teams tied for 14th place to get through Friday evening's playoff, which determined the 15 teams to make the 54-hole cut, and not Florida State, USC's Jamie Lovemark would have had a far tougher time winning medalist honors at nationals.

You see, only the top six players from teams not making the cut play the final 18 holes. If the Seminoles are bounced, their top player, Matt Savage, who was one stroke better than Lovemark through three rounds (four-under 206 to Lovemark's three-under 207), claims the fifth individual spot. Lovemark then would have had to face North Carolina's Martin Ureta (also at three-under 207) in a playoff for the sixth position. Ureta is no slouch; he qualified for the U.S. Open this morning. As it turns out, Florida State gets in as a team, Lovemark plays Saturday, shoots a second-straight 64 and wins by two shots.

Take this a step further ... if Lovemark doesn't shoot the 64, doesn't win the NCAA title, does he still win the Jack Nicklaus Award as national player of the year?

Something tell me Lovemark should text a thank you to FSU coach Trey Jones.

4) Mr. Lovemark ... as good a freshman season as you had at USC, you need to make sure you play a sophomore season. Just ask Casey Wittenberg how it has worked out leaving college after one year.

4a) If you do turn pro this summer, as the rumors at the NCAA Championship hinted, remember that you told every member of the press that asked last week that you were going to be back at USC not just this fall, but for three more years. They will all throw those quotes back in your face if you're not singing "Fight On" from the student section at a football game come October.

5) All year I suggested that the SEC Conference was the deepest in the country, but after seeing the Pac-10 represent this past week, I apologize for not giving the West Coast folks more love.

6) We're going to get to see just how good a coach Oklahoma State's Mike McGraw is in the next 12 months. The defending NCAA champions (last time I can write that) limped to a 15th-place finish at nationals and lose seniors Tyler Leon and Ryan Posey from the line-up for 2007-08, along with junior Pablo Martin, who, as expected, turned pro yesterday. Meanwhile, redshirt sophomore Jonathan Moore is also considering a jump to the pros this summer, although he'll stay an amateur to try to make the U.S. Walker Cup team, meaning that the Cowboys might need to replace four starters next fall. McGraw's saving grace: AJGA All-Americans Rickie Fowler and Kevin Tway are on the way this September and Peter Uihlein and Morgan Hoffmann have committed for 2008.

7) After watching Duke junior Michael Schachner shoot a 60 during the third round at Golden Horseshoe, I'm convinced that during the 2007-08 season we will see a collegiate player finally post a 59. My early guess: Florida's Billy Horschel.

8) Of course, who am I to make any predictions. I did have UCLA and Georgia's Brian Harman as victors this past week. The Bruins finished seventh, 21 shots back of Stanford; Harman finished T-68, 22 strokes back of Lovemark. Let me beat you all to the punch ... nice going, Mr. Campus Insider!

WILLIAMSBURG, VA.—Take only a casual glance at the showdown that’s set-up for Saturday’s final round of the 110th NCAA Championship and it would appear to be the proverbial David vs. Goliath matchup. Stanford, a standout athletic power with 106 overall national titles to its credit, has a two-stroke lead on Coastal Carolina, a small South Carolina university known primarily for its hard-to-pronounce mascot.

Truth be told, though, the two schools’ men’s golf programs are more alike than you think. Both are led by smart, energetic young coaches—Conrad Ray for the Cardinal, Allen Terrell for the Chanticleers—who have overseen the rise of their teams from humble circumstances to national contenders.

Sure Stanford has won seven NCAA golf titles, its last in 1994, and will forever be known as the school where Tiger Woods cut his college teeth. But until it won the Gopher Invitational last September, Stanford hadn’t claimed a team title in seven years. By season’s end, it had won six times and for part of the spring was ranked No. 1.

“We’ve had a lot of luck this year,” said Ray after his squad posted a five-under 275 Friday to move to 12-under 828 overall. “Our guys have really bought into the idea that you can go to a tough school and still play good, solid golf. It doesn’t have to be either/or. That’s been the underlying current the whole season for us.”

Coastal Carolina actually has more consecutive appearances at nationals (three) than Stanford, although to advance to Golden Horseshoe GC’s Gold course this week the team had to survive an emotional 2½- hour, four-hole playoff to claim the final spot out of the East Regional.

The Chanticleers, five behind Stanford to start the day in third place, blistered the front nine Friday morning, shooting 11 under to vault into the lead. Sparking the team were 67s from Zack Byrd and Cameron Hooper and a 68 from Lindsay Renolds, while the team’s top player, senior All-American Dustin Johnson, shot a even-par 70.

“We’ve got a team that’s not scared of 60s and I think that showed today,” said Terrell. “The first two rounds we just didn’t quite have five guys turning to the next nine. Today, we had five guys right in it.”

The Cardinal hung tough, however, and five birdies on the final two holes from Jospeh Bramlett (70), Zack Miller (67) and Daniel Lim (69) gave them their slim two-shot advantage.

Joining Stanford and Coastal Carolina in the final threesome of teams will be another upset, the Charlotte 49ers, who enters the final round 10 strokes back of the Cardinal in a tie for third place.

“Golf is different,” said 49ers coach Jamie Green. “You don’t have to recruit an entire offensive line. You don’t have to recruit a whole secondary. In golf, if you’ve got some hard working kids and they’ve got some talent, you can get competitive quick."

Also 10 shots back starting Saturday’s play is Alabama (still another program on the rise) after the Crimson Tide shot a nine-under 271, the tournament-low round until later in the afternoon when Georgia shot a 11-under 269 to jump into fifth place at even-par 840. (For complete team standings, click here to link to Golfstat).

While a few schools have separated themselves from the field on the team side, the individual leader board is packed with 22 players within five shots of the six-under 204 lead held by Stanford’s Rob Grube, Georgia Tech’s Cameron Tringale and Clemson’s Kyle Stanley.

After a bogey on the first hole, Grube, the leader after day 1, made five birdies in an eight-hole span to get to nine under for the tournament before hitting his worst shot of the day, a pulled 6-iron on the par-3 12th hole. The ball landed left of the green in thick rough, where Grube then proceeded to hit his chip over the green into the water in front of the green en route to a triple-bogey 6.

“I guessed it was going to come out soft and it came out hard,” said Grube, who made pars on the rest of his holes for a one-under 69.

Tringale, playing off the 10th hole and starting at five under opened with a double bogey, but made birdies on Nos. 13 and 17 to turn in 35. Two birdies and a bogey on his back nine gave him a one-under 69.

The unexpected member of the leading trio was Stanley, a freshman who was even par on the day and one under for the tournament until he birdied five of his final six holes for a 65.

Like any good coaches, Ray and Terrell didn’t want to get to far ahead of themselves regarding the impact of winning an NCAA title on their programs.

“We’re just going to come out tomorrow and do what we’ve been going and stick to the game plan and see how it all shakes out,” noted Ray. “If we can get off to a better start, than we have the past few days, that will help us.”

“I don’t want them thinking about writing any history books tonight, that’s for sure,” Terrell said, noting the team would also be watching Coastal Carolina’s baseball team play its first NCAA playoff game on TV. “We’re going to keep things as consistent as they can. Try to get their cell phones away from them so that their buddies and their cousins and their aunts aren’t calling them and reminding them they have a chance to win. We’re just enjoying the experience.”

TAP-INS
* After an opening-round 79, followed by a second-round 69, Duke’s Michael Schachner was a 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole away from shooting a third-round 59. The ball burned the right edge, forcing the junior from Libertyville, Ill., to “settle” for 10-under 60, breaking the NCAA Championship single-round record of 62 set by Stanford’s Notah Begay in 1994 and tieing the NCAA all-time 18-hole mark.

“I knew it was probably for 59,” Schachner said of the first putt on the home hole. “I tried not to think about it. I felt pretty good over the ball. I thought it was going to go in.”

Schachner lipped out for birdie on the first hole and then proceeded to make birdies on seven of the next eight holes to turn in 28. It was during a run of four-straight birdies on Nos. 11-14, however, that he realized something special was taking place.

On the par-5 15th, Schachner had his lone blemish of the day. After hitting a wedge over the green with his third shot, he chipped his fourth shot to three feet only to miss the par putt to fall back to 10 under on the round.

Just missing the green on the par-3 16th, Schachner had to chip over a pitch mark, getting the ball to two feet and settling for par. After a booming drive on the par-4 17th left him 90 yards in, he hit is wedge on the green but 25 feet away, and had to settle for another two-putt par.

Prior to the 60, Schachner’s low round of the season was only a 69, although he did shoot a 63 at the East Regional two years ago as a freshman.

“He gets in a zone sometimes," said Duke interim coach Brad Sparling. "He forgets how low he is and keeps going.

"Yesterday before the round, he couldn't find the ball," Sparling continued. "He couldn't hit it solid, let alone tell if it was going straight. It was going left, right, chunking it. Chill dipping it. It's a great lesson for our guys. You've got to keep trying, keep grinding out there. You never know what's going to happen."

The round was somewhat bittersweet, however, as it comes nearly two months after the death of long-time Duke men's coach Rod Myers. Said Sparling: "He knows that coach is happy for him, looking down from above."