The Loop

Texas men stay atop Golf World/Nike Golf coaches' poll

February 29, 2012

Voters in the Golf World/Nike Golf Division I coaches' poll looked past Texas' T-6 finish at the Puerto Rico Classic, focusing on the Longhorns win at the Amer Ari Invitational to start the spring as they kept UT in the No. 1 spot of the first poll of the spring semester.

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Thanks to a victory at the SunTrust Gator Invitational to start its spring, Auburn jumped into the No. 2 spot in the poll. Alabama's victory at the Puerto Rico Classic moved the Crimson Tide to the No. 3 spot and helped the squad earn the remaining two first-place votes.

Rounding out the top five were two Los Angeles schools: No. 4 USC and No. 5  UCLA. Another Pac-12 program, California, moved into the top-10 in the ninth spot, thanks to a win at the John Burns in Hawaii. It's the highest ranking the Bears have achieved in the Golf World poll since it resumed in 2001-02.

Couple other interesting notes: No. 23 Florida and No. 24 Georgia both jumped back into the top 25. The two programs had never been out of the Golf World poll since 2001-02 until last fall. Meanwhile, Oklahoma State's run of 90 straight appearances in the poll was kept alive—barely. The Cowboys took the No. 25 spot in this week's poll, the lowest they have ever been ranked.

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Lynn, the top-ranked school in the final fall edition of the Division II coaches' poll, has some company in the top spot of the first spring poll. The Fighting Knights, runners-up at the Matlock Collegiate Classic earlier in the month, find themselves sharing the No. 1 spot with CSU-Stanislaus, the two schools each receiving 370 total points.

This is the first time two teams have been tied for No. 1 since Golf World joined with the GCAA in maintaining the Division II poll in 2007.

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On the strength of two fall tournament wins, Guilford kept its hold on the No. 1 ranking in the Division III coaches' poll. The Quakers also claimed their spring opener, winning the Pine Needles Intercollegiate after voting closed for the poll last Friday.

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Oklahoma Christian claimed 11 of the 15 first-place votes to retain its spot atop the NAIA coaches' poll. The Eagles won twice in the fall and earned a victory in their spring-opener, the San Antonio Shoot-Out.

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Status quo remained in the NJCAA Division I and II polls, with Meridian and South Mountain both keeping their No. 1 spots, respectively