By Ryan Herrington
Photos By Travis Lindquist/Getty Images; Todd Bennett
August 29, 2008
There used to be some givens in college golf. A dominant player competing in a team's No. 1 spot could offset a weak No. 5 man or woman. Southern schools had a minimum three-shot edge over northern ones in any tournament contested early in the spring. Arizona always, always qualified for nationals. Yet as the 2008-09 Division I season beckons, such fundamental truths appear to be losing their, well, truthfulness. Even one the collegiate game's longstanding tenets—a national champion must be decided by 72 holes of stroke play—is going by the wayside, at least for the men.
Suffice it to say, the biggest adjustment to the NCAA Championship in decades—altering the format to have schools go head-to-head in match play to determine the team winner—has coaches and players trying to figure out how to best prepare for the new challenge. Never mind that nobody has a firm grasp of what it means to be the best prepared.
By contrast the changes in the women's game are more subtle although hardly less intriguing. Foremost, perhaps, is that for the first time in recent memory a certain private school in Durham, N.C.—begins with a D, ends with an E and has a UK in the middle—isn't the first or second choice (or maybe even the third) when picking a favorite to win the '09 national title.
Just what might happen in this brave new world of college golf? We offer a few answers to some of the sport's bigger questions.
1. How will the changes to the NCAA Championship affect the men's game?
As far as the regular season, frankly not much. With the exception of the Callaway Golf Collegiate Match Play in March, multi-team stroke-play events remain the norm. Coaches continue to focus as much on the ".500 rule," which requires schools have a winning record to qualify for postseason eligibility, as they do on what's taking place at the championship itself.
That said, a few schools might adjust their schedules to incorporate some type of match-play competition so as not to arrive at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio, for nationals in May without having played the format "live." "We might call up a couple of schools and have a one-day event, maybe a round-robin kind of thing," says Charlotte coach Jamie Green. "You might see that happen in different areas around the country."
If nothing else, expect top programs to include more match play during spring practices and not just for the players' sakes. "I've never coached match play before," Clemson coach Larry Penley says. "We've always preached to our kids about going in there, grinding out every shot to get the best score they can. Well, it's not the same as match play. It's going to change things."
2. Will the new format help or hinder UCLA from becoming the first men's team to defend its NCAA title since 1985?
The good news for Bruins' fans is several UCLA players got a healthy dose of match-play experience this summer. Five golfers reached the Western Amateur's Sweet 16 and two—senior Erik Flores and sophomore Philip Francis—advanced to match play at last week's U.S. Amateur. Such performances speak to the team's talent, the Bruins having grabbed the top spot in the Golf World/Nike Golf preseason coaches' poll.
While UCLA looks to end the repeat hex, its competition appears equally ready to keep that from happening. "It seems as though there are five or six teams that are just flat-out loaded," notes USC coach Chris Zambri. His fourth-ranked Trojans are among them thanks to the return of four players, most notably 2007 NCAA champ Jamie Lovemark, who earned All-American honors last season.
- Text Size:
- Small Text
- Medium Text
- Large Text
