O.D. Vincent, the former Duke men's golf coach as of last Sunday, started his new job today as senior director of athletics at his alma mater, the University of Washington, where he will oversee the Husky football, tennis, rowing and swim teams. Suffice it to say, UW's gain isn't only the Blue Devils' loss but also a loss for college golf overall.

During his 13 1/2 seasons as a golf coach, first with the Huskies (1995-2002), then at UCLA (2002-07) and finally in Durham, N.C., (2007-08), Vincent had become one of the sport's genuinely innovative individuals, someone unwilling to accept "well, we've always done it that way" as the primary argument for or against any idea offered in an attempt to help the game. The 40-year-old, a former Pac-10 medalist who competed briefly on the European Tour before getting into coaching, favored the new match-play format that will be used at the NCAA Championship this spring to determine a team champion. He also was considered the principle figure behind a push to update/expand the rules governing development of "junior varsity" teams.

"It's about giving more student-athlete a chance to play college golf," Vincent argued passionately when asked why he spent so much energy promoting JV golf. This past year, he hosted the Duke Coca-Cola Individual Collegiate, a first of its kind event in the modern era where schools could bring players who might not otherwise have had a shot at cracking their fall lineups, and let them get some tournament experience.

Aside from being a progressive thinker, Vincent succeeded in motivating his players and getting the most out of them on the course. His squads won two conference titles, had three top-four finishes at nationals and five top-10s. Fourteen of his players earned All-American honors and he won national coach of the year honors in 1999 and was named Pac-10 coach of the year three times. 

Cynics likely will suggest that Vincent's move back to the West Coast (he and his wife, former UW swimmer Jana Ellis, have much of their family in the Seattle area) was a result of the lawsuit filed against him and Duke last July by former Blue Devil player Andrew Giuliani regarding his dismissal from the team earlier in 2008, a case that's still under review by U.S. District Court judge in North Carolina. When I asked him yesterday if there was any connection, Vincent was adamant in saying the legal proceedings in no way instigated his departure.

"It's kind of humorous that that would be brought up," Vincent said. "After all that I've been through here, I'm not surprised. I can't tell you how far away from the truth that it. I didn't even consider it." "

The most troubling thing, in my mind, regarding Vincent's decision to leave Duke is its timing. In an era where coaches are growing more and more vocal about their disappointment in players leaving college mid-season to play in PGA or LPGA Q school, or simply turning pro even without having a tour card, it's a bit hypocritical to see a coach, particularly of Vincent's stature, doing the same thing. Vincent's departure also comes less than two weeks after he signed three blue-chip recruits--Brinson Paolini, Adam Sumrall and Julian Suri--to come to school next fall.

Vincent says he asked his new bosses in Seattle if there was any way he could defer taking the job until the end of the spring but was told no. So torn about leaving his Duke team, that Vincent turned down the UW job at first. When new Husky athletic director Scott Woodward offered the position again, however, Vincent decided he had to make the move.

"It's bittersweet obviously," Vincent said. "We had hoped the timing would be better, but it's not."

So, what now for Duke? When the school hired Vincent in June 2007 to replace Rod Myers, who coached the team for nearly 34 years before passing away from cancer earlier that spring, the athletic department in Durham, N.C., thought they had a coach who would be around longer than 18 months. Lucky for them, there are several individuals with North Carolina ties that would be solid candidates for the job (Vincent's assistant Ryan Ressa will handle the day-to-day operations in the interim). Charlotte's Jamie Green and UNC Wilmington's Matt Clark come to mind as young, energetic possibilities. Coastal Carolina coach Allen Terrill is a former Duke assistant who also would be worth considering.

There are also a few strong assistant coaches out there (Oklahoma State's Alan Bratton, Auburn's Ryan Cabbage, Cal's Walter Chun) who deserve an exploratory call.

LAS VEGAS--One of the highlights of the National Golf Coaches Association's annual convention is the Hall of Fame banquet, where the NGCA recognizes an elite group of people for there impact on the women's collegiate game (the Class of 2009 was Karen Bahnsen, Shauna Estes-Taylor and Wendy Ward; for a complete list of past honorees, click here). It's a special night for the individuals, but also for the rest of the coaches at the convention to be able to appreciate those that have come before them.

What I find particularly neat is the fact that not only are coaches included in the NGCA HofF but standout players as well. It's something that the NGCA's counterpart on the men's side, the Golf Coaches Association of America, does not do ... but really should consider for the future. There had been talk as recently as a few years ago about starting a "players wing," but the usually progressive association never took action.

The idea of recognizing the top men's college players of the past got me thinking: just who might be deserving enough to be part of the inaugural class? Let me tell you, it's a harder task than you might think. There are plenty of individuals that accomplished much while in school, but who has been such an elite college golfer as to deserve being a "charter member" of this club?

To make the prestige factor of this initial class even greater (or perhaps just to make the picking the class all the more challenging), the number of inductees should be limited the first year ... I chose to confine my selections to 24 (still a big number but small enough to make this group pretty distinct). In taking my stab at who I'd include in this first go around, I went through  media guides and online records to get a relatively broad selection of players through the years. I attempted as best I could not to be influenced by players' pro performances ... this is a "college golf" hall of fame. That said, a few of my picks went on to pretty decent careers on the PGA Tour.

Where I might come up short is players from the early eras of college golf (1900s-1950s), where the number of schools competing was minimal and quality of competition was inconsistent. That said, maybe I missed other candidates from the more modern eras of play. I'm interested in getting your feedback ... please don't be afraid to offer your comments on this.

Here goes, then, in alphabetically order:
Rex Baxter, Houston (1955-57)
    '57 NCAA medalist; led Cougars to 2 NCAA team titles
Bobby Clampett, BYU (1977-80)
    3-time 1st team AA; 2-time Haskins winner
Dick Crawford, Houston (1959-61)
    2-time NCAA champ
Ben Crenshaw, Texas (1970-73)
    3-time NCAA medalist; 3 Haskins POY awards
David Duval, Georgia Tech (1989-93)
    4-time 1st team All American; '93 Haskins winner; two ACC titles
Keith Fergus, Houston (1973-76)
    19 career wins (school record), including 2 SWC titles; 3-time 1st team AA
Gary Hallberg, Wake Forest (1976-80)
    First 4-time 1st team AA; 9 career wins
Justin Leonard, Texas (1990-94)
    '92 NCAA champ; only player to win conference title 4 times (SWC)
Phil Mickelson, Arizona State (1988-92)
    3-time NCAA medalist; 16 overall wins; 43 top-10s in 51 events; 70.81 career avg.
Lindy Miller, Oklahoma State (1974-78)
    11 career wins including 3 Big 8 titles; 16 consecutive top-10s; 71.95 avg.
Bryce Molder, Georgia Tech (1997-2001)
    4-time 1st team AA; 3 ACC POYs; 70.69 avg is NCAA career best
Jack Nicklaus, Ohio State (1960-61)
    '61 NCAA and Big Ten champ
Arnold Palmer, Wake Forest (1948-50, 1954)
    2-time Southern Conf. champ; first ACC medalist in '54
Corey Pavin, UCLA (1978-82)
    11 career wins; NCAA POY in '82; 2-time Pac-10 POY
Chris Perry, Ohio State (1980-84)
    13 career wins; 3-time 1st team AA
Sam Randolph, USC (1982-86)
    '86 Haskins winner; 3-time 1st-team AA
Scott Simpson, USC (1973-77)
    2-time NCAA champ; '77 Haskins winner; 2-time Pac-10 POY
Curtis Strange, Wake Forest (1972-76)
    8 career wins; 3-time 1st team AA; 71.17 avg. at NCAAs
Scott Verplank, Oklahoma State (1982-86)
    3-time 1st team AA; '86 NCAA medalist and Haskins winner
Fred Wampler, Purdue (1947-50)
    '50 NCAA champ; 3-time Big Ten champ; still shares school 18-hole mark (63)
Harvie Ward, North Carolina
    '49 NCAA champ
Ed White, Texas (1933-35)
    '35 NCAA champ; 3-time SWC winner
Tiger Woods, Stanford (1994-96)
    '96 NCAA champ and POY; set NCAA single season avg. record
Charlie Yates, Georgia Tech (1931-34)
    '34 NCAA champ

LAS VEGAS--I'm breaking the local motto around here and deciding that what goes on in Vegas isn't going to stay in Vegas when it comes to the National Golf Coaches Association's annual convention. Long story short, the news from Sin City isn't all that salacious. Short story long, there is at least one big-stakes issue surfacing that could have some real long-term consequences.

* College participation in LPGA and Futures Tour Q schools.
The annual appearance of a sacrificial lamb compliance officer from NCAA headquarters let the question of where the NCAA stands on collegians competing in Q schools to be asked again. Surprisingly, the NCAA has been OK with allowing players to participate in Q schools and then letting them return to college should they not earn a card. Truth be told, the NCAA seems more accepting of this than most coaches, many of whom actually would like the NCAA to take a tougher stand on the matter and not allow players to compete at Q school. The NCAA then would be the "bad cop" that the coaches could blame when telling players (that's you, Jaclyn Sweeney) they can't miss class time and/or  jump ship half way through the season if they do earn a card.

The coaches might get their wish, however, as the compliance guy here (a decent fellow, actually, named Steve Clar) made it sound like the circumstances surrounding how things work at Q schools might be getting close enough to crossing the line on the "intent to professionalize" as to warrant another look by the folks in Indianapolis. Interestingly, it might be the Duramed Futures Tour's allowance for players to hang on to a tour card until the summer--letting players stay in school another semester rather than jump ship in December--that brings the whole thing down.

* Expanding the number of teams competing at NCAA regionals.
The NCAA golf committee's request to add three more schools to the field at each of the three regionals (increasing the number of teams overall from 61 to 70) has advanced to the NCAA championship cabinet and is expected to be voted on in February. It seems likely this will be approved for the 2009-10 season.

* Host courses for the 2010 NCAA regionals and nationals.
A change in the NCAA national office on how the bid process occurred for championships in all sports delayed the golf committee's ability to name hosts for the 2010 postseason. The process, however, is back on track and the three regional sites and the NCAA Championship host site should be picked by mid-January.

* Overhauling the selection process for the NGCA Hall of Fame.
A subcommittee led by Tennessee coach Judi Pavon is fleshing out details on a points system that would be used in the future to determine what golfers qualify for the players' wing of the Hall of Fame, something akin to how the LPGA handles its HofF selections. This would allow juniors to know exactly what it would take while in college for them to achieve the honor. Currently, players are nominated by their schools with the requirement that the player must have actually graduated from college to be considered (it's why, for instance, Annika Sorenstam isn't in the Hall of Fame). Graduation might not be a future requirement but would be another way to earn the necessary points to qualify.

* Coaches giving advice on greens and in bunkers.
Like grandma's Christmas fruit cake, this issue keeps coming back each year. Honestly, I've never seen such bickering over such a seemingly frivolous thing. Nancy Cross, chair of the D-I golf committee, said that her committee was still debating the matter and that no decision had been made as to whether to change the rules and allow this to happen (as is the case in the men's game). Current sentiment suggests it's going to be changed soon, but then again I've been hearing that for a decade now.

* The ".500 rule"
A year and a half after it was put in place in the men's game, women's coaches are in the early stages of exploring whether to require that schools have a winning record to be selected for at-large berths to NCAA regionals. It wasn't hotly debated here in Vegas, but it's definitely something that lower profile "mid-major" programs want to see reviewed sooner than later.

The arguments heard during the debate among the men's coaches are all brewing on the women's side as well: to qualify currently for nationals requires being ranked high in the Golfstat rankings; to be ranked high requires a strong strength of schedule; smaller schools don't get invited to the top tournaments so their strength of schedule can't improve; mandating a .500 or better winning percentage will force top teams to invite the smaller schools to big events, allowing the smaller schools a chance to take on the bigger schools head-to-head. Higher profile schools, meanwhile, want to compete against the best competition and thus don't want to have to invite lower ranked teams to their events.

This issue won't be decided in the next few months but will become a big deal in the not too distant future. Just like with the men, it's sure to polarize things between the "haves" and the "have nots" and promises to become a sticking point for conventions to come.

No one ever questioned Annie Thurman-Young's work ethic when she played at Oklahoma State from 2001-05, fully recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered playing high school basketball to earn first-team NGCA All-American honors as a senior while also claiming the Big 12 Player of the Year award. Indeed, during a trip I took to Stillwater, Okla., in the spring of 2003 while researching a feature on then OSU men's coach Mike Holder, I recall talking to Holder on the practice range at Karsten Creek GC where a half dozen or so of his players were practicing beside one woman--Thurman-Young.

Holder noted that she "loved to practice with the guys," getting involved in all sort of contests, from who could can hit the most balls inside five feet of a given target to who could hole the most putts on the greens. "And let me tell you, she usually holds her own," Holder said. "She absolutely hates to get beat."

Fast forward five-plus years, and perhaps it's not surprising then that Holder, now the school's athletic director, announced today that Thurman-Young, all of 26, had been named the fifth women's coach in OSU history. Granted, she wasn't the first name you thought of for the job, seeing as the Highlands, Utah, native had spent her time since graduating with a marketing degree in 2005 trying to break through on the LPGA Tour. Yet in replacing Laura Matthews, who abruptly resigned as women's coach in October, she brings a competitive mindset that can help the program contend nationally.

"I've always wanted to coach and when the opportunity to go back to OSU came up, it seemed like the right thing to do and things fell into place quite nicely," Thurman-Young said in a press release Monday.

Certainly, Thurman-Young satisfies Holder's desire to have a women's coach who can still play at a high level. (She's a former U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links champion and won the decisive point for the U.S. Curtis Cup team in 2004.) The fact that she has never worked as an assistant coach let alone run a program on her own at any level, however, means there is some risk in hiring her to lead a team ranked fourth in the final fall Golf World/NGCA coaches' poll.

Holder believes other factors can offset her inexperience. "She will compensate ... with work ethic, playing experience, enthusiasm and passion for OSU," Holder said. "We are proud that she is an alumna, and this should give her an advantage in selling the program."

Additionally, Thurman-Young will have veteran assistant coaches Alan Bratton and Donnie Darr to help her in the transition this winter and spring.

"I'm coming into quite a good situation with the players that we have right now," Thurman-Young said. "We have a great opportunity to win a conference championship this year and also have a shot at a national championship. OSU has not won a national championship, and there's no reason that we shouldn't win one with the talent that we have and the opportunities that we have at Oklahoma State."

THE FAB FIVE
My look at the top five teams in the country right now
(Updated: Dec. 5)

MEN
1. Georgia (Last syllabus: 1)
Fall results: 4 starts; 2 wins (Brickyard Collegiate; Isleworth/UCF Collegiate), 3 top-5s, 4 top-10s
The Bulldogs not only lead the country with the lowest average adjusted score (72.70) but also have the lowest drop-score average (76.90).
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
The Cowboys had a losing head-to-head record this fall against just two schools: Indiana (0-2) and Texas Tech (0-1).
Spring opener: Puerto Rico Classic, Rio Mar GC (River course), Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, Feb. 27-March 1

3. USC (3)
Fall results: 3 starts; 1 win (CordeValle), 3 top-5s
If the Trojans can improve their final-round stroke average (75.63), they can certainly fight on all spring.
Spring opener: UH Hilo Invitational, Mauna Lani North Course, Kohala Coast, Hawaii, Feb. 4-6

4. Alabama (4)
Fall results: 4 starts; 1 win (Jerry Pate Collegiate), 3 top-5s, 4 top-10s
If college golf had a most valuable player award, my vote would go to Matthew Swan. Besides the senior's 71.5 stroke average, he's been key to the acclimation of a band of freshmen that have the Crimson Tide back among the national elite.
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
The Fighting Illini no doubt have national championship aspirations, but they are in great position to win their first Big Ten title since 1988.
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
You know things are going well when you've got a former U.S. Women's Amateur winner (Maria Jose Uribe) on your squad who has the sixth best stroke average and you've still won three tournaments.
Spring opener: Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge, Palos Verdes GC, Palos Verdes, Calif., Feb. 9-11

2. USC (3)
Fall results: 4 starts; 3 top-5s, 4 top-10s
My favorite team stat posted by the Trojans this fall: 72.60 final-round stroke average, second best in the country.
Spring opener: Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge, Palos Verdes GC, Palos Verdes, Calif., Feb. 9-11

3. Arizona State (2)
Fall results: 3 starts; 2 wins (NCAA Fall Preview, Derby Invitational), 3 top-5s
With Golf World's player-of-the-(mid)-year Anna Nordqvist leaving school early, there's more pressure on January additions Carlota Ciganda and Giulia Molinaro to hit the ground running in the spring.
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
Short term, loss of Laura Mathews hasn't been too tough; long term, Cowgirls signed AJGA All-American Jane Rah but failed to get NLIs from Kimberly Kim and Sue Kim during the early signing period after both gave verbal commitments to the school earlier in the year.
Spring opener: Arizona Wildcat Invitational, Peninsula GC, Puerto Penasco, Mexico, Feb. 22-24

5. Wake Forest (NR)
Fall results: 4 starts; 2 wins (Lady Tar Heel, Landfall Tradition), 2 top-5s
I took a little more time to digest the Demon Deacons' fall ... after disappointing start  (9th at Preview; 14th at Mason Rudolph) two wins to close out the semester provides the right kind of momentum.
Spring opener: Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge, Palos Verdes GC, Palos Verdes, Calif., Feb. 9-11

STAT OF THE WEEK
6
Number of playoff holes needed for Marquette's Mike Van Sickle to claim the title at the Western Refining College All-American Golf Classic last month at El Paso (Texas) CC. Van Sickle outlasted Oklahoma State's Trent Leon after shooting a final-round 63 that included two eagles. Leon also made two eagles during a final-round 66, but three bogeys in the final four holes dropped him to six-under 207 overall and forced the playoff. Van Sickle holed a seven-foot birdie putt on the sixth sudden-death playoff hole to win the event and end the longest overtime in the tournament's 34-year history.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR
* At next week's National Golf Coaches Association convention in Las Vegas, a trio of deserving honorees will be inducted into the NGCA's Hall of Fame: LSU women's coach Karen Bahnsen and former standout players Wendy Ward (Arizona State) and Shauna Estes-Taylor (Georgia).

Bahnsen was LSU's first recruit as a player when the program was formed 30 years ago and has spent the past 25 seasons as the Tigers coach. Her teams have won 29 tournament titles and appeared in eight NCAA Championships. She has had 29 players win individual titles and 15 named NGCA All-Americans.

Ward was a four-time All-American at Arizona State from 1991-95, helping the Sun Devils win three straight NCAA titles while winning national player-of-the-year honors in 1994 and 1995.

Estes-Taylor, the current women's coach at Arkansas, tied the Bulldogs' school record for individual titles (seven) during her time in Athens (1996-2000), including two SEC championships. She contributed to 18 team victories and a runner-up showing at the 1999 NCAA Championship.

Additionally, Penn State women's coach Denise St. Pierre will receive the Gladys Palmer Meritorious Service Award, the NGCA's most prestigious honor. St. Pierre, in her 16th season with the Nittany Lions, spearheaded the NGCA's fundraising effort following Hurricane Katrina, assisting in raising $60,000 that went to Habitat for Humanity as well as recruiting a group of coaches to go down to the New Orleans area and help building the home they sponsored.

* The D-I men's NCAA Championship handbook is online and a quick glance shows a couple of procedural changes to how the match-play portion of the championship will be conducted compared to what the men's committee outlined last summer. Specifically, in setting their 1-to-5 man starting line-ups for match play, teams will have to use the Golfstat ranking, which will include all results from throughout the year, including regionals and the stroke-play rounds at nationals. Previously, the committee had said that the line-up would be determined based on how players finished after the 54 stroke-play holes. Secondly, the handbook says that all individual matches "will be played to their competition," presumably rather than allowing a match that's all square after 18 holes to be declared a tie. This change will eliminate the possibility of having a 2 1/2-2 1/2 tie between teams and require some form of tiebreaker to determine which school advances to the next round, or wins the NCAA title. My two cents: both changes will only enhance the championship in the long run.

Also, from a scheduling standpoint, there will be only one practice round prior to the start of stroke play at nationals and after the eight teams advance to the new match-play portion of the championship, the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds will take place on the same day rather than over two days.

* Another announcement that got lost amidst the Thanksgiving holiday is that Methodist's Vici Pate has decided to step down as women's coach at the end of the 2008-09 season. Since taking over the program in 2003, she has done alright for herself (if you like perfection that is)--six D-III national championships in six seasons. While the program was similarly successful before Pate took over, to maintain a dynasty like this isn't necessarily a low pressure task. It's what also makes the search for Pate's replacement intriguing. Methodist director of athletics Bob McEvoy is going to have to find somebody who not only can coach but can handle the expectations that come with overseeing the Monarchs' program.