We're finally down to the brass tacks ... here's a look at the best of the best from the fall semester:

COACH OF THE (MID)YEAR
MEN
Mike Small, Illinois
For as talented a player as Small is (he has four Illinois Open titles to his credit and has competed in four PGA Championships, most recently in 2007), the 42-year-old in his eighth year as the Fighting Illini men's coach showed this fall he is an equally gifted motivator. With the team coming off a trip to nationals last spring, he got them thinking early that they should be a team to contend not just in the Big Ten but nationally. It was a message that the rest of the country received when Illinois beat defending NCAA champion UCLA, Oklahoma State and Stanford to take the team title at the Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational, the first of three victories this fall.

"The best thing a college coach can provide is an environment for success and improvement," says Small. Most certainly he accomplished that, as two of his players (Scott Langley and Zach Barlow) won individual titles and three others (Matt Hoffman, Chris DeForest and Luke Guthrie) recorded top-three finishes, helping Illinois jump from an unranked squad in the preseason to No. 6 in the final fall Golf World/Nike Golf coaches' poll. 

"This team was talking that they wanted to contend for a national championship even before the season," Small said. "And they believe it. First you've got to say, then you've got to believe, and then you can go do it."

Small's next challenge will be trying to carry over the momentum of the fall through the winter break. A two-year-old, $5 million state-of-the-art indoor practice facility opened in Campaign, however, will allow the team to maximize their time between semesters and hopefully hit the ground running in February.

"Last year we had nine players that hit 25,000 balls in the winter," Small says. "And if you look in the spring, we started out ranked around 50th and we finished third at regionals and got to nationals. I think we've got the opportunity to stay sharp."

Honorable mention: Brad McMakin, Arkansas
Three years since arriving in Fayetteville after a successful 10-year run at Lamar, the 39-year-old has the Razorbacks on the rise again, having won two fall tournaments and finishing fourth in another start.

WOMEN
Carrie Forsyth, UCLA
With a loaded roster out there in Westwood--complete with a U.S. Women's Amateur champion, a two-time U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links champion, four players who've competed in the U.S. Women's Open--most would think all Forsyth has to do is get her players to the first tee on time to have success. Often, though, it's getting a talented team to reach its full potential that can be the toughest task in the business, and the 10th-year Bruins coach has accomplished it quite well through the first half of the 2008-09 season superbly. After winning their three stroke-play starts (Topy Cup, Mason Rudolph and Stanford Intercollegiate), UCLA lost in a tiebreaker to Michigan State in the first round of the Hooters Collegiate Match Play, but won its next two matches for a fifth-place showing.

Forsyth's line-up truly does run eight players deep, creating a competitive environment on campus that allows the players to improve and be best prepared for what they'll see in tournaments. So far so good, as the seven players who've competed in stroke-play events all have averages better than 73.67, with five at 72.0 or lower.

Honorable mention: Melissa Luellen, Arizona State
Like her Pac-10 colleague, Luellen had a talented team that lived up to expectations, winning twice in three starts during the fall. Give her extra credit, too, for succeeding while five of her players had left Tempe for part of October to play in the Women's World Team Amateur Championship.

PLAYER OF THE (MID)YEAR
MEN
Jorge Campillo, Indiana
After winning the Big Ten individual title, finishing tied for second at the NCAA Championship and earning first-team All-American honors last spring, big things were expected of the Spanish import at the start of his senior season in Bloomington, Ind. That he lived up to expectations in the first half of the 2008-09 season--winning twice, finishing in a share of second, seventh and ninth in his other three starts, posting a 70.27 average--might say as much about Campillo's character as it does his golf game.

"Mentally and emotionally he's far more advanced than when he came here," says Hoosier coach Mike Mayer, in describing the maturation of his top player. "We've helped develop some patience and discipline and collegiate golf has helped him develop that. His golf game is basically the same as it was when he got here."

Mayer first noticed a difference last March after Campillo was in contention at the Pinehurst Intercollegiate but stumbled in the final round. Previously, there might have been more sulking, but rather than "have his tail dragging and feeling sorry for himself," he became more focused and won three straight tournaments later in the spring.

In that sense, the way Campillo actually closed out the season might wind-up being  a blessing for him in the long run--and a nightmare for his competitors. After posting a front-nine 32 in the final-round of the Isleworth/UCF Collegiate to take the lead, Campillo made a double bogey on the final hole to lose the tournament by two shots. "He knows what could have been," Mayer says. "That will only motivate him."

Memories of a better finish will help ease Campillo's pain. In early October, he closed the Windon Memorial Classic at North Shore CC near Chicago with a eight-under 63, a round Mayer describes as one special in one way and in another way one of the easiest rounds of golf you'd ever seen.

Campillo's impact goes beyond just his own scores. The standard he sets has given his Hoosier teammates something to shoot for in practice, pushing them to new heights as well. Most notable is Alex Martin, who lowered his stoke average to 71.87 this fall. "What Jorge has allowed Alex to do is help him realize how really good he is," says Mayer, whose squad finished in the top five in all five of its fall starts. "That says something right there."

Honorable mention: Mike Van Sickle, Marquette
Only once in 15 rounds this fall did the 21-year-old senior from Wexford, Pa., shoot a score higher than 72, and that was a 74 in the opening 18 of the season at the Gopher Invitational, a tournament he eventually won. He added two more titles in the fall to improve his career victory total to nine, had a T-4 and T-7 in his other two starts and closed with a 69.33 average.

WOMEN
Anna Nordqvist, Arizona State
If it wasn't for the fact that the 21-year-old native of Sweden had such an impressive fall season--she broke par in seven of her nine rounds--maybe people wouldn't be so bent out of shape that she might be leaving school in the next month if she earns a LPGA Tour card at Q school. After a runner-up showing at the NCAA Fall Preview and a T-7 finish at the Mason Rudolph, the junior continued her fine play for the victorious Swedish team at the Women's World Team Amateur Championship in Australia. Upon her return, she closed out the fall (and maybe her college career) with a victory at the Derby Invitational.

For a woman who stood nearly 6-feet-tall, Nordqvist didn't hit the ball all that far actually when she arrived in the desert. Suffice it to say, her length has improved, and without taking anything away from the ball striking skills that helped her win the British Ladies' Amateur title last summer. During the fall her greens-in-regulation percentage is 77.8 and her GIR within 15 feet being an impressive 35.2.

Honorable mention: Jane Chin, UC Irvine
Three victories and a second-place finish by the fifth-year senior appear to made the decision to redshirt the previous season to improve her game a wise one. 

GOLF WORLD MID-SEASON ALL-AMERICAN TEAM
MEN
Zahkai Brown, Colorado State, Fr.
    70.08 avg., 4 starts, 1 win (Del Walker), 4 top-10s
Bronson Burgoon, Texas A&M, Sr.
    70.22 avg., 3 starts, 1 win, 2 top-5s
Jorge Campillo, Indiana, Sr.
    70.27 avg., 5 starts, 2 wins, five top-10s
Kevin Foley, Penn State, Jr.
    71.57 avg., 5 starts, 1 win (Lehigh), 3 top-10s
Dustin Garza, Wichita State, Jr.
    68.53 avg., 5 starts, 3 wins, 2 runner-ups
Matt Hill, N.C. State, Soph.
    69.43 avg., 3 starts, 1 win, two top-5s
Scott Langley, Illinois, Soph.
    71.13 avg., 5 starts, 1 win (D.A. Weibring), no finish worse than T-12
Eddie Olson, UNLV, Jr.
    69.44 avg., 4 starts, 1 win, 3 top-3s
Kyle Stanley, Clemson, Jr.
    71.42 avg., 4 starts, 1 win (Carpet Capital), 3 top-fives
Derek Tolan, Colorado, Sr.
    71.0 avg., 2 wins (USF/Olympic Club, Tucker)
Cameron Tringale, Georgia Tech, Sr.
    71.5 avg., 4 starts, 1 win (Brickyard)
Mike Van Sickle, Marquette, Sr.
    69.33 avg., 5 starts, 3 wins, five top-7s

WOMEN
Jane Chin, UC Irvine, Sr.
    69.92 avg, 4 starts, 3 wins, 1 runner-up
Kirby Dreher, Kent State, Sr.
    72.44 avg., 3 starts, 1 win (, 3 top-10s, 3-0 at Match Play
Jodi Ewart, New Mexico, Jr.
    71.56 avg., 3 starts, 1 win (Dick McGuire), 2 top-5s
Caroline Hedwall, Oklahoma State, Fr.
    71.17 avg., 4 starts, 1 win (NCAA Preview), 2 top-5s
Therese Koelbaek, UNLV, Soph.
    70.67 avg., 3 starts, 2 top-10s, 3 top-14s   
Cindy LaCrosse, Louisville, Sr.
    70.08 avg., 4 starts, 3 top-3s, 4 top-7s
Lisa McCloskey, Pepperdine, Fr.
    70.78 avg., 3 starts, 1 win (Las Vegas), 2 top-10s
Sydnee Michaels, UCLA, Jr.
    70.56 avg., 3 starts, 1 win (Mason Rudolph), 3 top-6s
Azahara Munoz, Arizona State, Sr.
    71.56 avg., 3 starts, T-2 at NCAA Preview, 2 top-4s
Anna Nordqvist, Arizona State, Jr.
    70.44 avg., 3 starts, 1 win (Derby), 3 top-7s
Lizette Salas, USC, Soph.
    70.56 avg., 3 starts, 1 win (Stanford), 3 top-10s
Candace Schepperle, Auburn, Jr.
    71.83 avg., 4 starts, 3 top-5s, 4 top-10s

Freshmen having an immediate impact on a lineup has become a recurring storyline in recent years. (See: Arizona State's Louise Stahle, 2005; Duke's Amanda Blumenherst, 2006; USC's Jamie Lovemark, 2007; Oklahoma State's Rickie Fowler in 2008). With that, here's a review of those who were able to hit the ground running this fall during their first semester.

FRESHMAN OF THE (MID)YEAR
MEN
Zahkai Brown, Colorado State
Ask Rams coach Jamie Bermel if he thought his 18-year-old rookie from Arvada, Colo., would have such an impressive start to his college career--one win, four top-10 finishes, a 70.08 average--and he cuts to the chase. "Not at all," Bermel admits. "I actually tried to redshirt him this year."

The logic actually was sound; Bermal already had all five starters returning from last year's Mountain West Conference championship team. Why have Brown potentially waste a year of eligibility while playing only a handful of times, if that?

Brown, however, wanted no part of sitting out a year. He was too competitive not to think he could crack the starting five and wanted the chance to play with his older brother, Zen, a CSU senior. So Bermel acquiesced, biting his tongue when the younger Brown finished eighth out of ninth in the first fall qualifier. When he did qualify for a tournament, Bermel walked with him every hole of each event to offer guidance and build confidence.

"He has some swagger to him," Bermel says. "In the beginning it might have rubbed the guys the wrong way. 'Who is this freshman coming in?' They were trying to protect their spots. But they gave him [their] stamp of approval with the way he played."

Indeed, Brown's performance has gone a long way to helping the Rams get off to a impressive collective start: four team titles in five tournaments.

Bermel's take on the best part of Brown's game? "He's a player with a short memory," says the coach. "He doesn't seem to get real concerned about his bad shots. He's real even keeled out there."

Of course it helps that his bad ones have been few and far between.

Honorable mention: Bud Cauley, Alabama
After a T-20 finish in his first tournament, the blue-chip recruit from Jacksonville, Fla., followed it up with three top-10 showings, finishing the fall with a 71.08 average.

WOMEN
Caroline Hedwall, Oklahoma State
It didn't take long to see why so many people thought the 19-year-old Swede, the 2007 European Amateur champion and 2008 British Ladies' Amateur runner-up,  might contend not just for top freshman honors but top player overall. Less than two weeks in Stillwater, Hedwall won her first event, the Duramed NCAA Fall Preview, closing with a final-round 69 at Caves Valley GC outside Baltimore. She followed it up with relatively pedestrian showings at the Mason Rudolph (T-21) and Stanford Intercollegiate (T-24), but in between shot the best 72-hole score of the entire field at the Women's World Team Amateur Championship, helping Sweden win the Espirito Santo Trophy. Hedwall then snuck past her first-year competition by posting a T-5 at the Derby Invitational in her final fall college start to help her take a slight lead in the rookie standings through the first-half of 2008-09.

Making Hedwall's first few months on campus even more impressive is the fact it came during a semester in which the woman who recruited her and whom she expected to play for, OSU women's coach Laura Mathews, abruptly resigned last month, creating a potentially season-threatening distraction. Despite the turnover, Hedwall managed to hang tough, and looks like she could safely win another few tournaments come the spring.

Honorable mention: Lisa McCloskey, Pepperdine
Hard to think of a better way to start you college career than to break the all-time NCAA 54-hole scoring mark in your third start. Her 17-under 199 at last month's Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown contributes greatly to her 70.78 stroke average, and if not for a T-24 showing at Stanford, she likely would have earned the first chair among newcomers.

ALL-FRESHMEN TEAMS
MEN
Zahkei Brown, Colorado State
    70.08 avg., 4 starts, 1 win (Del Walker), 4 top-10s
Bud Cauley, Alabama
    71.08 avg., 4 starts, 2 top-fives, 3 top-nines
Johan de Beer, TCU
    73.22 avg., 3 starts, co-medalist at The Prestige, 2 top-sixes
Derek Ernst, UNLV
    70.0 avg., 3 starts, 2 top-fives
Morgan Hoffmann, Oklahoma State
    73.9 avg., 2 starts, co-medalist at the Ping Preview
Joakim Mikkelsen, Baylor
    71.64 avg., 5 starts, 2 top-10s, no start worse than T-17

WOMEN
Mina Harigae, Duke
    71.83 avg., 2 starts, T-5 at Stanford
Caroline Hedwall, Oklahoma State
    71.17 avg., 4 starts, 1 win (Duramed NCAA Preview), 2 top-fives
Stephanie Kono, UCLA
    71.67 avg., 3 starts, T-3 at Topy Cup, T-9 at Stanford
Lee Lopez, Long Beach State
    71.83 avg., 4 starts, three top-seven finishes, four top-15s
Lisa McCloskey, Pepperdine
    70.78 avg., 3 starts, 1 win (Las Vegas), two top-10s
Jennifer Song, USC
    71.44 avg., 3 starts, T-3 at Mason Rudolph, worst finish: T-14

Tomorrow's topics:
* Mid-season coaches of the year
* Mid-season players of the year
* Mid-season All-American teams

Time to identify some of the hidden gems who surfaced this fall:

BEST PLAYER YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE HEARD OF
MEN
Matt Hill, N.C. State
The 20-year-old from Brights Grove, Ontario, went largely unnoticed as a freshman despite posting a 71.4 average and five top-10 finishes while earning honorable mention All-American honors. By knocking off USC standout Jamie Lovemark in the first round of the U.S. Amateur in August, however, he started to turn a few heads. Meanwhile, this fall's performance--a nine-stroke win at the Hartford Hawks Invitational, a top-five at the Maryland Intercollegiate, a 69.43 average and the top spot in the latest Golfstat Cup ranking--suggests that Hill, while still less familiar than his hometown's other famous golfer Mike Weir, isn't going to remain anonymous for much longer.

What stands out particularly about Hill is his consistency; in only two college events has he failed to shoot at least one sub-par round, revealing an ability to avoid prolonged funks. Similarly, he seems to be able to hold things together when he might not be playing his best. In 37 career college rounds, only once has he posted a score worse than 75.

Arguably the best thing about Hill's steady play is that it seems to have provided a spark for the Wolfpack, which recorded three top-five finishes in three fall tournaments. Unranked in the preseason, hall of fame coach Richard Sykes' squad sits at No. 23 entering the winter break.

Honorable mention: Eddie Olson, UNLV
The redshirt junior from Aptos, Calif., has stepped up for the Rebels, with three top-three finishes and a 69.67 average. A U.S. Amateur quarterfinalist in 2006, Olson will be counted on even more if teammate Seung-su Han earns a PGA Tour card at Q school next month and turns pro.

WOMEN
Lizette Salas, USC
Trojan coach Andrea Gaston quickly smiles whenever you bring up the name of 19-year-old from Azusa, Calif. "She's just such a tremendous competitor," Gaston noted this past summer. "She's always trying to figure out ways to improve. What more do you want as a coach than that?"

Overshadowed by teammates Belen Mozo, Dewi Claire Schreefel and Paola Moreno on last year's NCAA championship squad, Salas did earn honorable mention All-American honors in her own right and provided USC the depth needed to claim their second national title in five years. She quickly dismissed any thoughts of a sophomore slump this fall, finishing third at the NCAA Preview and T-10 at the Mason Rudolph before earning medalist honors at the Stanford Intercollegiate, her first college victory.

Through the first half of the 2008-09 season, Salas leads the team with a 70.56 average. Even more impressive is her 69.25 final-round average, tops in all of Division I women's golf.

Need another testimonial on Salas? Try Duke standout Amanda Blumenherst, who came from behind to beat her in the first round of the U.S. Women's Amateur and later said it was the wake-up call she needed to continue on and win the championship. "She was just so steady and never gave an inch," Blumenherst said. "She was all I could handle."

Honorable mention: Junthima Gulyamamitta, Purdue
The sophomore's resume is starting to get as long as her name, particularly after her win at Windy City Invitational. Her 73.25 stroke average in the fall outpaced teammate Maria Hernandez, two-time Big Ten player of the year.

BEST PLAYER YOU'LL HEAR OF BY SEASON'S END
MEN
Nick Taylor, Washington
It had been a busy year for the 20-year-old from Abbotsford, British Columbia, even before he started his junior season with the Huskies in September, having finished tied for second at the West Regional and NCAA Championship, then qualified for the U.S. Open and then made the cut at the Canadian Open. Still, Taylor continued his standout play in three fall college events, carding a 72.22 average, posting two top-10s and claiming a share of the title at the CordeValle Collegiate, while also fitting in a trip to Australia to play for his native Canada at the World Team Amateur Championship, where he finished tied for second individually.

Interestingly, though, while Taylor finally has a chance to catch his breathe, don't expect to see him sitting around during his winter break. "Where a lot of guys need time off to sharpen up [their game], he gets better and better the more he plays," notes Washington coach Matt Thurmond. "If he plays seven weeks in a row, the seventh week often is his best. I think he'll actually play a little more during the break than in years past, so hopefully he'll get off to a quick start in the spring."

Improved putting helped the already precise ball-striker get the most out of his rounds this fall. And where in the past he might sometimes get a little sloppy during his round, a sharper attention to detail on the course has been noticeable recent addition to his game, claims Thurmond.

Why it's worth keeping an eye on Taylor this spring, however, is that despite exuding a reserved demeanor, his internal confidence in himself and his game seem to allow him to perform at his best when the stakes are highest. "It's amazing how good he is under pressure," Thurmond says. "He had no fear of pressure. He rises and picks up his game. He's just such a competitor."

Honorable mention: Cameron Tringale, Georgia Tech
The 21-year-old senior from Laguna Niguel, Calif., has a chance to take his place among other Yellow Jacket standouts (David Duval, Stewart Cink, Matt Kuchar, Bryce Molder, Troy Matteson) with a solid spring. Among his most impressive statistics at Tech? Forget that he has finished in the top 10 in 17 of 38 starts. How about the fact he has never missed a tournament in his 3 1/2 years with the team.

WOMEN
Stephanie Sherlock, Denver
Since arriving from Barrie, Ontario, in the fall of 2006, the 21-year-old junior has been one of the major reasons why the Pioneers have remained among the nation's elite despite playing in a "mid-major" conference. A 73.82 average as a freshman was followed by a 72.84 mark as a sophomore and a 71.0 this fall. The more impressive statistic, however, was the five wins she had in her first two years of school, a total that jumped to six with her victory at the Ron Moore Invitational in October. Suffice it to say, the former high-school basketball player knows how to win.

Long off the tee, Sherlock also has been rather accurate of late, hitting 81 percent of her fairways this fall. She makes birdies in bunches, a particularly valuable trait in the women's game. All this suggests she's ready to have a breakout semester come the spring.

Honorable mention: Sydnee Michaels, UCLA
In her first two years in Westwood, the 20-year-old from Temecula, Calif., offered glimpses of why she was so highly recruited as a junior. This fall, though, the junior has become more consistent, finishing no worse than T-6 in three starts and claiming one tournament title while posting a 70.56 average. 

QUESTION MARKS HEADING INTO THE SPRING
MEN
Erik Flores, UCLA
After watching 2008 national player of the year Kevin Chappell move on from a Bruins' squad that claimed the NCAA title last May, the senior out of Grass Valley, Calif., seemed the logical successor as UCLA's go-to player, having earned All-American honors as a freshman and a junior and having advanced to the finals of the Western Amateur this past summer. Flores' fall numbers, however, has been surprisingly off. It wasn't until the last day of the CordeValle Collegiate earlier this month that he broke par for the first time this season. Not so coincidentally, UCLA has had just one top-five finish in three starts as it attempts to defend its national championship.

The silver lining? Flores has a similarly slow start to his junior season, even playing for UCLA's "Blue" (JV) squad in a few tournaments, before being a third-team All-American. Having turned things around before, there's reason to believe he can do it again.

Honorable mention: Kevin Tway, Oklahoma State
If Oklahoma State is to hang tough with the likes of Georgia, USC and other national foes, the Cowboys are going to need to see more of the type of play from Tway that he displayed last spring (second at Big 12s, second at The Maxwell, win at Central Regional) than what they got this fall (no finish better than T-31, 74.78 average).

WOMEN
Carlota Ciganda, Arizona State
Has there been more attention paid to the arrival of any player at mid-season than what's happened in anticipation of the 18-year-old Spaniard finally enrolling in Tempe come January? The assumption, of course, is that the 2007 British Ladies' Amateur champ will step right in, acclimate herself to college life and provide the Sun Devils that extra bit of depth they've been missing the past few years. Still, what if the immensely talented Ciganda (emphasis on the immensely part) needs a little more time to adjust to life in the desert than projected? (Recall that her countrywoman, Belen Mozo, didn't get off to the fast start that was predicted when she joined USC's squad for the first time in spring 2006.)

Meanwhile, Ciganda also could see her role on the team fundamental change before she even tees it up for the first time. Seemingly coming in to "compliment" junior Anna Nordqvist, Ciganda might instead be looked to replace her if the Swede earns an LPGA Tour card at Q-school next month and decides to turn pro.

Honorable mention: Amanda Blumenherst, Duke
If the Blue Devils have any hope of getting back into the national championship race this spring, their three-time national player of the year is going to have to return to form that earned her those three POY awards (by the way, it's a pretty safe bet she will.) Even if she does, however, there's no guarantee that it's enough to lift Duke back into contention. It's going to be interesting to see how the final chapter in the career of arguably the best college golfer ever comes to an end.

Tomorrow's topics:
* Freshman of the mid-season
* All-freshmen teams

From performances that were fab, today we explore those that were, well, drab. Some college golfers and teams surprised this fall because of how much they exceeded expectations. Others turned heads because they came up short in meeting them.

Quick disclaimer, Part I: If your name or the name of your school appears below, it means that you were considered a very talented golfer/team entering the fall.
Quick disclaimer, Part II: If your name or the name of your school appears below, it also means you're still considered a very talented golfer/team ... just one that didn't play to your potential.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: PLAYER
MEN
Stefan Wiedergruen, Charlotte
This time last year, the 24-year-old native of Germany was having such a sensational fall--69.83 average; two wins; six of 12 rounds of 68 or lower--he earned Golf World's Player of the (Mid)year honors. What a difference 12 months makes. There's not much positive in the numbers the senior is putting up this time around. In five fall tournaments, he has a 74.47 average while managing to break par just once in 15 rounds. He doesn't appear in the Golfstat Cup's top 250 players.

Playing armchair psychiatrist for a moment, here's wondering if the loss of graduating seniors Jonas Enander Hedin, Andrew DiBitetto and Trevor Murphy has had a bigger effect on Wiedergruen than anyone (read: coach Jamie Green) might rightly have expected. After all, the trio were a steadying, veteran force that allowed Wiedergruen to play with little pressure on his shoulders. Now, expected to take on the leadership role for the 49ers and be an anchor for the squad, he has struggled to fill that role. Just a thought.

Honorable mention: Chesson Hadley, Georgia Tech
It wasn't a good sign when the second-team All-American failed to qualify for the Yellow Jackets traveling squad in the first event of the fall. Since then the junior from Raleigh, N.C., played in three tournaments with only one top-10 showing. Good news: his T-10 was at Isleworth to close the fall and could help him regain some confidence.

WOMEN
Amanda Blumenherst, Duke
When you're the three-time defending college player of the year, not to mention reigning U.S. Women's Amateur champion, there's not much room for improvement. Suffice it to say, the 22-year-old senior from Scottsdale, Ariz., is a victim of the fact she never had finished outside the top 10 in her first three years of school (32 tournament starts), then not only had a T-14 finish to start the fall but a T-32 showing (gasp!) at the Stanford Intercollegiate. Is it any wonder, with the Blue Devils' most reliable player playing unusually unreliable, that Duke is uncharacteristically ranked outside the top-five at the end of the fall? (No. 7--double gasp!!)

There does appear to be an explanation, however. Playing for the U.S. at the Women's World Amateur Team Championship in Australia cost her not just 10-plus days of travel to and from but also additional time trying to get back into the swing of things once back stateside. No doubt, Blumenherst was exhausted before even stepping foot on the plane heading from North Carolina to northern California for the Stanford event.

There is also reason to believe Blumenherst will rebound just fine and still contend for POY award No. 4 come the spring. You might recall that the same scenario happened in 2006 to her as a sophomore: played in the WATC, failed to win any fall college tournament, needed winter break to recharge. In the spring of 2007, she proceeded to win her first three starts and four of seven.

Honorable mention: Ashley Freeman, Texas A&M
Coming off an honorable mention All-American season in 2007-08, and then winning the Trans National Amateur this past summer, a 76.0 average and no finish better than a T-28 in three starts this fall wasn't exactly the results many figured the 21-year-old junior would produce.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: TEAM
MEN
UCLA
Granted, the defending national champions knew they had to replace last year's national player of the year, Kevin Chappell. And granted, the Bruins had to overcome the mid-fall decision by senior All-American candidate Lucas Lee to turn pro. Still, with senior Erik Flores and sophomore Philip Francis returning and talented freshmen Gregor Main arriving in Westwood, that UCLA finished 12th, T-9 and third in its first three starts has to make you scratch your head. After all, this was the team that won all three fall tournaments last year, en route to their NCAA title. This autumn, the best finish by any individual UCLA player in a "varsity" event is a T-10. After being ranked No. 1 in the preseason Golf World/Nike Golf coaches' poll, the Bruins are just 22nd at the break. Call it a sophomore slump for second-year coach Derek Freeman.

Honorable mention: Charlotte
It wasn't just Wiedergruen that seems to have lost his way; junior Corey Nagy's stroke average is also two shots higher than a year ago, explaining how the 49ers have just one top-seven finish in five starts and a 16-44 head-to-head record.

WOMEN
Florida
For all the obstacles the Gators and coach Jill Briles-Hinton overcame last season--winning their first SEC title since 1995 despite, most notably, the departure of senior Sandra Gal at mid-season after she earned a LPGA Tour card at Q school--Florida hasn't been able to rekindle the we-believe-in-us-if-nobody-else-does vibe that made them so much fun to follow in 2007-08. A fifth-place showing at the Landfall Tradition made an otherwise dismal fall (14th at the NCAA Preview, 10th at the Mason Rudolph, 16th at the Hooters Match Play) only slightly less disheartening.

A few factors seems to be hurting the Gators. After losing a couple veteran players, Florida was counting on sophomores Jessica Yadloczky and Hannah Yun to hold things together as a pair of freshmen (Andrea Watts and Evan Jensen) became integrated with the team. Yadloczky, however, has broken par just twice in nine rounds. Meanwhile, the 17-year-old Yun, who announced after nationals last May she was leaving school only to return at the end of the summer, has jumped ship again after two poor performances.

Honorable mention: Denver
The Pioneers won their home event, but struggled in bigger national tournaments (10th at NCAA Preview, 14th at Mercedes-Benz), explaining their drop from 11th to 16th in Golf World/NGCA coaches' poll. If Katie Kempter and Dawn Shockley play more consistently, Sammie Chergo's group should be OK. Third-place at Hooters Match Play is also a good sign.

Tomorrow's topics:
* Best player you've never heard of
* Best player you'll hear about by the end of the season
* Biggest question marks for the spring

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.

Just who, exactly, will be doing the repeating and who is looking at recovering? Consider the winners of  Golf World's fourth-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 more honorees in men's and women's college golf, culminating with the Mid-Season Player of the Year award winners and All-American teams.

BIGGEST SURPRISE: PLAYER
Men: Dustin Garza, Wichita State
You hear coaches talk all the time about players who "if only they worked a little harder" could get so much more out of their games. Arguably there's no better example of this than with the 20-year-old from Mission, Texas, who finished runner-up in his first two fall starts and then won his next three tournaments while posting a 68.53 average.

"You always knew he had the talent," said Shockers coach Grier Jones of Garza, who won Missouri Valley Conference newcomer of the year honors two seasons ago. "It was just his work ethic. We'd talk about it, but he had to understand it for himself before he'd buy in."

Garza says that his failure to advance to match play at the U.S. Amateur in August was finally the tipping point. "It was a terrible showing," he admitted. "It really got me kind of aggravated. I told myself I didn't want to play bad like that anymore." After coming home early from Pinehurst No. 2, he met with Jones and his long-time swing instructor, Carlos Espinosa, mapping out a strategy for the coming year.

It was not the quantity of practice that had to change, but the quality. Believing his short game was his short coming, Garza focused his time on the putting greens trying to sharpen that aspect of his game. The work paid off quickly as he set his best 18-hole score on three different occasions, shooting a 66 at the VCU Shootout, then a 65 at the Wolf Pack Classic and finally a 61 at the Sycuan Collegiate Invitational.

"Dustin finally believes a little bit of what we've been trying to tell him," Jones says. "There is a maturing process. You're a little more serious about things and you prepare a little bit better on the golf. Like most kids that age, Dustin's started to grow up a little bit."

Honorable mention: Bronson Burgoon, Texas A&M
Coming off a disappointing junior year in which he managed only a 74.12 average, the 21-year-old from The Woodlands, Texas, returned to the form that earned him third-team All-American honors as a sophomore. A win at the Adams Cup was followed by a T-13 at the Ping Preview and a T-4 at the Baylor Invitational, giving him a 70.22 average for the fall.

Women: Jane Chin, UC Irvine
Having redshirted the previous season to improve on her game, the fifth-year senior from Huntington Beach, Calif., was pleased with a second-place finish at the Ron Moore Intercollegiate in her September return. Little did she know that would be her worst performance of the fall, as Chin proceeded to rip off three straight victories in her next three starts with an average margin of victory of more than eight strokes.

Previously an all-Big West performer with a 76.5 average as a junior, she has posted a 69.92 average this fall, lowest in all of Division I women's golf. In winning the Kent Youel Invitational in Hawaii with a 13-under 203 to close out the fall, she broke the school's 54-hole scoring mark.

Chin said that during the redshirt season she focused on trying to get her swing more on plane to help with her consistency. The first glimpse that the work was paying off came in August when she defeated UCLA All-American Tiffany Joh in the first round of the U.S. Women's Amateur. "I want to try to win every tournament that we play in," Chin told the Newport Beach (Calif.) Daily Pilot earlier this fall. "I think I'm capable of that now. And I want our team to win the Big West [for a third straight season] and go to nationals.

"Two years ago I wanted to win, but, deep down, I was probably thinking more about just doing as well as I could. But, now, I think I could really win most of the tournaments we play in."

Honorable mention: Cindy LaCrosse, Louisville
The senior from Tampa didn't finish worse than T-7 in four fall events, posting a 70.08 average.

BIGGEST SURPRISE: TEAM
Men: Illinois
Yes, the Fighting Illini finished a respectable 45th in the final Golfstat ranking last spring, suggesting coach Mike Small had assembled some talent in Urbana/Champaign. But even with all five starters returning, were they really good enough to go head-to-head with the likes of UCLA, Oklahoma State, Stanford, Arizona State and Texas early in the 2008-09 season?

Apparently so, as the team knocked them all off in claiming the team title at September's Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational, their home event, then proceeded to win two more tournaments in the fall (Windon Classic, D.A. Weibring Invitational). Unranked in the preseason Golf World/Nike Golf coaches' poll, Illinois headed into the winter break No. 6 in the ranking.

Leading the change has been Scott Langley and Zach Barlow, both of whom have won individual titles (Barlow sharing medalist honors at Olympia Fields; Langley winning the Weibring by three strokes). "The biggest thing I take away is our team has continued its progression and improvement," Small said. "We opened some eyes at the Big Ten and National Championship in the spring. This fall we picked up where we left off and demonstrated we are moving in the right direction."

Honorable mention: Colorado State
Validated its Mountain West Conference championship a year ago with four wins in five starts this fall. The Rams have broken par as a team in 12 of their 15 rounds.

Women: Virginia
Is this the year somebody ends Duke's 13-season stranglehold on the ACC title? If so, the Cavaliers are as likely a candidate as anyone, having posted four top-five finishes in five fall starts, all while arguably UVa's best player, Lene Krog, has struggled with a 75.78 stroke average.

Picking up the slack has been Whitney Neuhauser (72.08 average) and Jennie Arseneault (three top-seven finishes in four starts).

Second-year coach Kim Lewellen's team started the season ranked 14th in the Golf World/NGCA coaches' poll, only to jump to fifth by the end of the fall, having posted a 60-11 (.845) overall head-to-head record and a 21-11 (.656) mark versus top-25 schools.

Honorable mention: North Carolina
Unranked in the preseason, UNC is now a solid top-15 team with four top-five finishes. Coach Sally Austin's recent announcement that she'll step down at the end of the season gives the Lady Tar Heels plenty to play for.

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER
Men: Alex Martin, Indiana
His numbers might be overshadowed by teammate and national player of the year candidate Jorge Campillo, but the 21-year-old junior from Middletown, Ohio, has been every bit as important in lifting the Hoosiers to the No. 8 ranking in the final fall Golf World/Nike Golf coaches' poll. Martin has dropped his stroke average almost three shots from a year ago (74.76 in 2007-08, fourth best on the team, to 71.87 in the fall). Martin had just one top-10 finish in 14 tournaments last season; in five starts this fall however he has shared the individual title at the Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational, added another top-five finish at the Isleworth/UCF Collegiate and a top-10 at the Cardinal Intercollegiate.

Honorable mention: Peter Malnati, Missouri
Lowered his stroke average from 74.24 last season to 71.11 this fall; posted five top-10s in six starts after having only three all of last season.

Women: Whitney Neuhauser, Virginia
This summer, Barboursville, Va., native described her college career to date as "mediocre," and with just one top-10 finish and a 78.12 average in two seasons, it might have been the right adjective. Yet, her surprise appearance in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Women's Amateur in August helped inspire a successful fall season, in which the 20-year-old junior finished second at the Cougar Fall Classic (setting the school 54-hole scoring record) and at the Derby Invitational. Neuhauser closed the fall with the best stroke average on the fifth-ranked Cavaliers (72.08)

Honorable mention: Candace Schepperle, Auburn
After a sophomore slump (75.08 average, two top-10s), the 20-year-old had a 71.83 average in the fall with three top-five finishes.

Tomorrow's topics:
* Most disappointing players and teams

If you're a recent college player trying to learn the secret of how to advance to the final stage of PGA Tour qualifying school--or even a journeyman pro for that matter--you could do worse than get five minutes of Seung-Su Han's time. The 22-year-old UNLV senior shot a seven-under 281 at Southern Hills Plantation Club in Brooksville, Fla., at the second stage of Q school to finish T-15. For the second straight year, the South Korean native will be trying to earn one of the couple dozen PGA Tour cards awards at the end of the six-round marathon at PGA West in Palm Springs, Calif., Dec. 3-8.

Han now is not only the first amateur to play in Q school finals but the second amateur as well (or the first amateur to do it twice, depending on what record you’re trying to set).

Last year Han finished T-149 at the final stage, but declined the conditional Nationwide Tour card. Given he is now in his senior year of school—and the fact that he was all set to turn pro at the end of the summer until an 11th hour change of heart—it's likely Han will take whatever card he earns, turn pro and leave the Rebels, ranked 20th in the latest Golf World/Nike Golf coaches' poll a semester early.

Meanwhile, here is a list of all the players who finished up their eligibility in college last spring who advanced through second stage this past week (two more second stage sites hold 72-hole tournaments this coming week):

Hombre GC, Panama City, Fla.
Jonas Blixt, Florida State
Joseph Sykora, Alabama

Callaway Gardens, Pine Mountain, Ga.
Derek Fathauer, Louisville
Troy Merritt, Boise State
Webb Simpson, Wake Forest

One other note: do you think Lucas Lee wishes he had a mulligan now. The former UCLA All-American who turned pro earlier in the fall finished T-58 at his second stage qualifying site in Panama City, Fla., missing out on advancing to the final stage by 13 strokes.

It's a shame Sally Austin has decided to step down after 16 seasons as North Carolina's women's coach at the end of the school year next May. Austin, a former LPGA Tour player and UNC alum, cited the desire to spend more time with family and to pursue other interests.

Austin (right) joins Virginia's Jan Mann and Texas A&M's Jeanne Sutherland as quality veteran coaches who in recent years stepped down after feeling that changes in the time and effort it took to recruit top players had made the job less appealing. Austin's team, meanwhile, started the season unranked but finished the fall No. 12 in the Golf World/NGCA coaches' poll.

The final fall coaches' polls came out today with Georgia atop the Golf World/Nike Golf men's ranking and UCLA taking the No. 1 spot in the Golf World/NGCA women's poll. If you click through to the polls, we broke down how each of the top 25 teams in Division I fared in the fall. Two notes to remember: results of the Turtle Bay men's event in Hawaii that ends today are obviously excluded and the head-to-head numbers on the women's side include the results from the Hooters Match Play event (which is why UCLA has one loss, reflecting its defeat against Michigan State in the first round of the tournament).

Among the statistics we tracked is the overall records for each school and their records versus top-25 teams, a comparison of which offers some interesting observations.

MEN
1. Georgia doesn't play down to the level of its opponents
The Bulldogs had an impressive 27-8 record (.771 winning percentage) against top-25 teams and then went 27-0 against all other D-I opponents. Chris Haack's team doesn't mess around when it comes to beating opponents that its supposed to.

The same thing can be said, too, for the other schools in the top five. Oklahoma State, Alabama and USC are all perfect versus non-ranked opponents while Stanford has just one loss.

2. Tennessee deserves a little more love
The Volunteers started the season ranked fifth but have dropped to No. 15 in the latest poll, likely because they didn't win any tournaments in their four starts. However, Jim Kelson's team is the only top-25 program a better winning percentage versus ranked schools (17-3/.850) than all opponents (45-10-1/.813). With three top-five finishes, UT might be a team to keep an eye on in the fall.

3. Florida is going to have to step up
The Gators only played three fall events and did post top-five finishes in two of them, but a closer look reveals that Buddy Alexander's squad feasted on non-ranked opponents. (I smell someone thinking about the ".500 rule.") While having a 31-13 overall record, Florida was just 7-13 versus the top 25. It's one of the biggest percentage disparities of any men’s school in the top 25.

WOMEN
1. Greg Allen is settling in at Vanderbilt
It was a bit of a shaky first season in Nashville for the former Arizona women's coach, but Allen and the Lady Commodores appear to have righted the ship in 2008-09. Vandy's 21-11 record versus top-25 teams is the sixth best winning percentage of ranked schools, and that's with senior Jacqui Concolino still not back to her first-team All-American form. Something also interesting to note is that Allen's group was a perfect 10-0 versus SEC opponents.

2. Arkansas really misses Stacy Lewis
Everyone knew knew replacing the former NCAA champion and first-team All-American, who could be relied upon to post low scores on a daily basis, would be tough but the results from the fall show just how difficult a task coach Shauna Estes-Taylor must overcome. A disappointing record versus top-25 teams (8-30-1/.218) contributed to Arkansas' 28-33-1 overall mark. Suffice it to say, there's some work to do in Fayetteville.

3. Not so Big Ten
It's a conference that's long fought for respect but so far in 2008-09, the best schools in the league have struggled versus top competition. Purdue is 7-19 versus top-25 programs while Michigan State is just 1-11-1. Just who did the Spartans' one victory come against? Ironically, its the top-ranked Bruins at the Hooters Collegiate Match Play.

The fourth and final round of the Duramed Futures Tour's Qualifying School ended yesterday with nine current college players, all playing as amateurs, finishing in the top 25 (see below). Unlike the LPGA Tour and its rules regarding qualifying school, these players can accept tour cards on the Duramed Futures Tour but not have to turn professional immediately when they do. They can even play the tour as amateurs next summer if they wish.

This is something the LPGA Tour (which interestingly owns the Futures Tour) really should consider down the road -- at least explore the possibility of allowing players who earn tour cards to wait until they compete in their first LPGA event using the card before requiring them to turn pro. If (or as some confident folks might say, when) Arizona State's Anna Nordqvist and Oklahoma State's Jaclyn Sweeney get through the final stage of LPGA Tour Q school next month, they'll be forced to turn pro immediately, and thus have to skip out on their respective schools. If they could remain amateurs, play for their schools through nationals in May, then turn pro and have their card, it would be much better for the collective women's game. Some players might not want to sacrifice playing on tour in the months of March, April and May, but those who would be willing at least would have the option.

Final round scores and positions at Duramed Futures Tour 2009 Qualifying Tournament
Cleveland Heights GC, Lakeland, Fla.
1    Hannah Jun                         69-67-68-72 - 276
2    Pernilla Lindberg (a) (Oklahoma State)         69-66-69-73 - 277
3    Victoria Kiser (a)              70-69-70-69 - 278
4    Maria Hernandez (a) (Purdue)           65-76-70-71 - 282
5    Kira Meixner (a)   72-69-72-70 - 283
     Molly Birmingham              70-71-70-72 - 283
7    Alison Walshe                 72-75-69-68 - 284
     Lauren Doughtie (a) (N.C. State)              75-69-71-69 - 284
9    Kristie Smith                 74-73-68-70 - 285
     Marci Turner               69-75-71-70 - 285
     Natalie Sheary (a) (Wake Forest)       72-74-67-72 - 285
12   Jessica Yadloczky (a) (Florida)       72-71-73-70 - 286
     Elisa Serramia                73-69-73-71 - 286
     Anna Grzebien              72-70-72-72 - 286
15  Cindy LaCrosse (a) (Louisville)                73-75-69-70 - 287
    Christine Song (a)       71-73-73-70 - 287
     Courtney Mahon              70-75-71-71 - 287
     Virada Nirapathpongporn     71-70-75-71 - 287
19   Laura Crawford                 76-71-70-71 - 288
     Taylor Leon                     75-73-68-72 - 288
21   Liz Janangelo            71-73-75-70 - 289
     Sarah Jacobs                 71-73-72-73 - 289
     Kylene Pulley                     69-71-72-77 - 289
     Jieun Oh                  70-68-73-78 - 289
25   Jennie Lee (a) (Duke)                72-75-71-72 - 290
     Mallory Hetzel (a) (Georgia)          73-70-75-72 - 290
     Amie Hartje                   72-74-70-74 - 290
     Jane Chin (a) (UC Irvine)           73-66-76-75 - 290

All these players are likely to get full exemptions on the Futures Tour in 2009, although the exact number of exempt and non-exempt cards the Futures Tour will give out won't be determined until the LPGA Tour's Q-school finishes next month.

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

MEN
1. Georgia (Last week: 1)
Fall results: 4 starts; 2 wins (Brickyard Collegiate; Isleworth/UCF Collegiate), 3 top-5s, 4 top-10s
Just think how dominant this team could be if senior Brian Harman returned to his All-American form from his freshman and sophomore years.
Spring opener: Puerto Rico Classic, Rio Mar GC (River course), Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, Feb. 27-March 1

2. Oklahoma State (2)
Fall results: 3 starts; 1 win (Ping/Golfweek Preview), 2 top-5s, 3 top-10s
You can bet the Cowboys' disappointing T-9 finish at Isleworth to close fall will give coach Mike McGraw a motivational tool during the winter break.
Spring opener: Puerto Rico Classic, Rio Mar GC (River course), Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, Feb. 27-March 1

3. USC (4)
Fall results: 3 starts; 1 win (CordeValle), 3 top-5s
Conversely, the Trojans' 26-stroke victory Wednesday at the CordeValle Collegiate--with Tim Sluiter (co-winner), Tom Glissmeyer (third), Matt Giles (T-4) and Jamie Lovemark (T-7) finishing in the top seven overall--provides a great shot of momentum for Chris Zambri's talent-laden squad.
Spring opener: UH Hilo Invitational, Mauna Lani North Course, Kohala Coast, Hawaii, Feb. 4-6

4. Alabama (3)
Fall results: 4 starts; 1 win (Jerry Pate Collegiate), 3 top-5s, 4 top-10s
To top last year's historic six-win season would have been asking a bit much, but coach Jay Seawell has to be pleased with how quickly his young line-up has seemed to make the transition to full-time players.
Spring opener: John Hayt Collegiate Invitational, Sawgrass CC, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Feb. 22-24

5. Illinois (5)
Fall results: 5 starts; 3 wins (Olympia Fields, Windon Classic, D.A. Weibring), 4 top-5s, 4 top-10s
One of the big surprises at the midway point of the 2008-09 season, the Fighting Illini have the talent to remain a top-25 team. The question, however, is whether they truly believe they belong.
Spring opener: Big Ten Match Play tournament, Coral Springs, Fla., Feb. 13-14

WOMEN
1. UCLA (1)
Fall results: 4 starts; 3 wins (Topy Cup, Mason Rudolph, Stanford Intercollegiate), 4 top-5s
Hard to be too bent out of shape with the fifth-place showing at the Hooters Collegiate Match Play this week. The Bruins earned the No. 1 seed in stroke-play qualifying and lost in the first round to Michigan State on an odd tiebreaker.
Spring opener: Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge, Palos Verdes GC, Palos Verdes, Calif., Feb. 9-11

2. Arizona State (2)
Fall results: 3 starts; 2 wins (NCAA Fall Preview, Derby Invitational), 3 top-5s
Having preached about how the season was going to be a "tale of two semesters," coach Melissa Luellen should be pleased with how the Sun Devils handled the fall, when they weren't at full strength.
Spring opener: Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge, Palos Verdes GC, Palos Verdes, Calif., Feb. 9-11

3. USC (3)
Fall results: 4 starts; 3 top-5s, 4 top-10s
Defending NCAA champs had three runner-up finishes in stroke-play events before finishing eighth at the Match Play this week. Considering the Trojans kept Belen Mozo and Stefanie Endstrasser back in Los Angeles last week to catch up on school work, don't read much into the way the team closed the fall. A repeat at nationals is still very much a possibility.
Spring opener: Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge, Palos Verdes GC, Palos Verdes, Calif., Feb. 9-11

4. Oklahoma State (4)
Fall results: 4 starts; 3 top-5s, 4 top-10s
Considering the Cowgirls had their head coach resign and essentially have been without talented sophomore Jaclyn Sweeney all fall, their record is pretty impressive ... thanks in no small part to  Caroline Hedwall and Pernilla Lindberg. Talent isn't an issue (see the 20-under 268 they shot in the final round of the Las Vegas Collegiate last week). Still, a lot of things need to be resolved during the winter break.
Spring opener: Arizona Wildcat Invitational, Peninsula GC, Puerto Penasco, Mexico, Feb. 22-24

5. Purdue (5)
Fall results: 4 starts; 2 wins (Windy City, Lady Northern), 2 top-5s, 3 top-10s
The Lady Boilermakers can be as good as they want to be. Junthima Gulyamamitta has stepped up to fill the shoes of Christel Boeljon and Maria Hernandez is a rock. Whether they have the depth to contend with the West Coast powers remains to be seen.
Spring opener: Lady Puerto Rico Classic, Coco Beach GC, Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, Feb. 8-10

STAT OF THE WEEK, PART I
11-0
Career win-loss record of Duke's Alison Whitaker in her individual matches at the Hooters Collegiate Match Play Championship. The junior from Australia swept all three of her matches earlier this week (losing just two holes total) to help the Blue Devils claim the team title for the fifth time in the past six years.

"It's awesome, to be honest with you," Whitaker said about the team win at Ginn Reunion Resort near Orlando, the first in 2008-09 for Duke, and earned with coach Dan Brooks back in Durham recovering from an illness. "It's probably easily one of the top three most rewarding wins since I've been here at Duke. Everyone just really dug deep this week, and it's taken a lot of heart to get where we have--keeping patient, keeping up the belief in yourself and your belief that the rest of the team has your back while you're out there."

Whitaker beat USC's Shelcie Takenouchi, 8 and 6; Michigan State's Shannon Warner, 5 and 4; and Alabama's Laura Goodwin, 8 and 7.

STAT OF THE WEEK, PART II
4
Number of birdies Marquette's Mike Van Sickle made over his final four holes to close out his final-round 69 at the Stockton Sports Commission Pacific Invitational and win the tournament by one stroke. The senior from Wexford, Pa., make an 18-foot birdie putt on his second to last hole and a 25-footer for birdie on his final hole at Brookside CC to pull out his ninth career win and third victory of the fall.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR
* I like changing things up a little bit from the same-old, same-old of stroke-play tournaments, so I have no problem with the National Golf Coaches Association holding the Hooters Collegiate Match Play Championship each fall. I wish, however, that the schools that play in the event would take it a bit more seriously. Because it was held this year around the same time as the Duramed Futures Tour's Q-school, a handful of schools were without some of their top players (Duke, the tournament winner for the fifth time in six years, was missing senior All-American Jennie Lee). Other schools, however, decided to leave some of their better players behind, taking instead players deeper down their rosters. There were surely some good reasons why some schools chose to bring the squads that they did, but in the process they do a disservice to their own coaches' association by not bringing their best to the event that it sponsors.

* Forgive me if I seem to be repeating myself, but I once again hope we don't see great performances by players at lower profile schools be forgotten when it comes to awards time. UC Irvine senior Jane Chin shot a final-round 69 last week at the Kent Youel Invitational in Hawaii to cruise to a nine-shot victory over San Francisco's Christina Stockton. It was Chin's third straight victory, and her 54-hole score of 13-under 203 set the Anteaters' school record; her second-round 66 equalled UC Irvine's 18-hole best. If the Kent Youel hadn't been played simultaneously with the birdie-fest that was the Las Vegas Collegiate, Chin's showing wouldn't have been lost in the see of red that Pepperdine posted.

TOURNAMENTS TO WATCH
MEN
Turtle Bay Intercollegiate
Turtle Bay Resort GC, Kahuku, Hawaii
Nov. 10-12
Host: Hawaii
Field: Baylor, Cal Poly, Charleston, Hawaii, Long Beach State, Mississippi State, New Mexico State, Ohio State, Oregon State, Pepperdine, Point Loma Nazarene, St. Mary's (Calif.), San Diego State, Santa Clara, Texas, Texas-Arlington, UC Irvine, UNLV
Defending champion: Tennessee (64-under 800) by 21 strokes over UC Irvine; Tennessee's Charles Ford and UC Irvine's Sean Shahi (16-under 200)
Skinny: Hawaii in November ... we can think of worse places to finish up the fall season.