Having similarly honored Arnold Palmer a year ago, the Golf Coaches Association of America will give Jack Nicklaus its lifetime achievement award later this month at its annual Hall of Fame Reception and Awards Banquet in Orlando. Nicklaus played two seasons of college golf at Ohio State, winning the Big Ten and NCAA individual titles in 1961 before turning pro later that year and going on to have his historic career. Only last month I advocated that if the GCAA ever started a college players wing to its Hall of Fame, Nicklaus should be in the inaugural class.

"I have always embraced and respected collegiate golf for its purity and competitiveness," Nicklaus said in a press release. "My college experience was something I still cherish to this day, so to be recognized by college coaches across America is a very special and humbling honor for me."

The GCAA's national-player-of-the-year awards in Divisions I, II and III and NAIA are named after Nicklaus, with the four winners honored as his guests each year during the final round of the PGA Tour's Memorial tournament.

Nicklaus will be the fourth person to receive the GCAA lifetime achievement award, joining Karsten Solheim, Byron Nelson and Palmer. Also being honored on Jan. 26 are Hall of Fame inductee Randy Lein and Honor Award winner Lowell Lukas.

Photo credit: George Silk/Time Life Pictures/Getty Images

The first half of the 2008-09 campaign wasn't anything like deja vu all over again for Derek Freeman's UCLA men's squad compared to the start of its NCAA championship run the previous season. After posting a perfect mark in the fall of 2007--two tournament wins, 21-0 overall record--the Bruins finished 12th, tied for ninth and third in three tournaments in the fall of 2008, finishing with a 20-21-1 record and falling from preseason No. 1 in the Golf World/Nike Golf coaches' poll to No. 22 by the winter break.

Needless to say, the Bruins will have to find a different means to their desired end if they're to become the first men's program in 24 years to repeat as national champions; with the sub-.500 record they have, they wouldn't current qualify for an at-large bid to NCAA regionals. To write them off, though, would be a mistake. Here are four reasons why UCLA will not only be more competitive come spring but good enough to again be a contender for the national title.

1) The spring can't be more tumultuous than the fall.
Replacing the graduating Kevin Chappell, the 2008 NCAA medalist and national player of the year, was going to be tough enough, but the Bruins also had two players (Jason Kang and Lucas Lee) unexpectedly leave school early to turn pro, one in the middle of October. Suddenly talented but inexperienced freshmen Gregor Main, Mauricio Azcue, Alex Kim and Beau Schoolcraft were no longer going to be "eased into" the college game but asked to step up and immediately perform. "That's not to say freshmen can't do it," Freeman told me recently. "But all of a sudden they had all this pressure on themselves to perform [that they weren't expecting]."

Additionally, Freeman admits that having his team play its first event, the Fighting Illini/Olympia Fields Invitational, in early September--before classes had begun in Westwood--was a mistake; recall that in the fall of 2007, UCLA didn't play its first tournament until the end of October

"I love Olympia Fields, I love the golf course, I love the competition there, but it's too early for us to play," Freeman said. "I tried that this year because I wanted to go there. I wanted my team to be able to play there but it hurt us. And so you know that's something I've learned as a coach, that's probably not the best place for us to begin our fall."

2) You can gain from your pain.
The so-so start allowed Freeman to have honest dialogues with all his players at the end of the fall about areas they could improve on in the off-season. Playing challenging courses such as Olympia Fields and Isleworth exposed "every weakness in everyone's game," Freeman said. "It's exactly what we needed to have happen in the fall. They really could evaluate where their golf games are and understand there are things they need to change if they're going to improve." Each player then developed a very specific game plan for the winter break to address their own points of emphasis.

3) They ended the fall with a good taste in their mouths.
The Bruins' third-place finish at the CordeValle Collegiate came with a tournament-best one-under 359 (they played six players and counted five) on the final day, including a closing 66 from sophomore Philip Francis, the best round of his college career, and a 67 from senior Erik Flores. "A lot of positives happened that day that are important," Freeman said, "that can really carry on into the spring and will show these guys that they can compete."

4) Flores is finally rested.
Big things were expected of the Bruins' senior All-American, particularly after he closed the summer with a runner-up finish at the Western Amateur. Truth be told, no one expected them more than Flores, who Freeman believes might have put too much pressure on himself to step up in the fall. By year's end, however, fatigue likely explained how the Grass Valley, Calif., native finished no better than 14th individually, and had a surprising 74.11 average. Luckily for Bruins' fans there is precedent for Flores to turn around a slow start to a season; in 2007-08, he finished T-25 and T-69 before finding his game in two JV events and eventually finishing the year with a 72.5 average.

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.

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