"Are you serious?" Baton Rouge Women's Regional Cancelled

Here’s the scene in Baton Rouge when officials canceled NCAA Regionals without one single shot being played over the course of three days. pic.twitter.com/JtchPN9zlt

— Golfweek (@golfweek) May 12, 2021

The NCAA Women’s Golf regional hosted by LSU was called after not playing for three days due to torrential rains. NCAA rules do not allow the competition to continue after Wednesday, making for an easy decision to send the top seeded teams on to the finals.

Except, the optics were not good. The tournament director said the course was “playable, it’s not playable at a championship level.” That was compounded by the stunning player reaction in the video obtained by Golfweek posted above (which is also quite beautiful in hearing such passion from the players but won’t give the seniors their opportunity back).

Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols notes the optics problem that included an inability to get comment from the NCAA’s on site rep, and also signs that the committee and course passed up windows to play.

For days now, several coaches have maintained that there were windows of time in which golf could have been played. Miami coach Patti Rizzo walked all 18 holes on Tuesday afternoon and said that maybe four or five bunkers were in bad shape. She did not see any of the maintenance crew working on the golf course during that time. She suggested to the committee that the par-4 seventh hole be shortened to a par 3 to adjust for the standing water in the fairway.

Young, who has served on NCAA committees for several years, like Rizzo, felt that the decision-makers in Baton Rouge were unprepared. Young was one of several coaches who noted that she hadn’t seen a single pump on the golf course.

Also problematic is the appearance of the home course possibly not doing all it could and having the host school benefit. From GolfChannel.com’s Brentley Romine:

It’s worth noting that the host school, which happened to be top-seeded LSU, does not dictate the final decision, though university employees do run the golf course and therefore would play a role in the process. The Tigers were among six schools to advance to next week’s NCAA Championship, along with Ole Miss, Baylor, Oregon, Maryland and Alabama. The three highest-ranked players in Golfstat not on advancing teams also made it through: Houston’s Karen Fredgaard, Miami’s Nataliya Guseva and Sam Houston State’s Hanna Alberto.

Another video of the incredible scene:

@GolfDigest @GolfChannel @NCAA @GolfweekNichols @USGA @Golfweek_Jules @GolfweekRingler @golfweek @golfweekron

— Sara Byrne (@sarabyrne01) May 12, 2021

Dartmouth Reinstates Golf Programs After Pressure Campaign; Hanover CC Still Set For Closure

Shuttered amid budget shortfalls and short-sighted thinking, Dartmouth has bowed to legal pressure over Title IX sexual discrimination and an alumni campaign to reinstate the sports ended last July.

The men’s and women’s golf teams are part of the announcement.

Not saved, at least as of now, is Hanover Country Club, the charming 121-year-old home course to the teams controlled by the university.

The news landed just a day after Global Golf Post’s Jim Nugent filed this opus on the saga that included some headscratching revelations.

More than 100 athletes were impacted. As many as 15 athletic department jobs were eliminated. At the time, Hanlon (Dartmouth Class of 1977) said these measures would save about $2 million.

As the weeks wore on and reality sank in, golf team members felt that that school was not being transparent, that the decision just didn’t add up. They were silent for months, working closely but quietly with an alumni group called Friends of Dartmouth Golf (FODG) to see if they could get the decision reversed in a non-confrontational way.

Even worse was an alumni package put together, as detailed in the story, to free the school of obligations while adding many perks for non-golf students. That was declined.

This was embarrassing but not shocking:

Elimination of the Dartmouth golf teams didn’t stop the school from squeezing every last dollar from alumni. The fiscal year ended on June 30. One golf alum was contacted six times in the month of June alone.

Nine days after the fiscal year ended, and after FODG had just completed its highest fund-raising effort in history, including financing for a new team van and upgraded indoor practice facilities, the eliminations were announced.

“They knew the programs were being shut down, but they continued to fundraiser. Unbelievable,” said one former player.

Alumni relations were not helped by the move…

Jake Gehret, class of 1981, donated to FODG for the six-figure van. It was delivered last March. But the golf teams never got to use it due to COVID-19. Gehret has not heard from anyone about the fate of the van. No one in FODG knows about its whereabouts or usage.

A significant contributor to Dartmouth through the years, Gehret cut all ties to the school.

And this is the capper:

The FODG calculated that the operating costs for both teams added up to $350,000 annually. Seventy-one percent of that came from alumni contributions, including the coaches’ salaries. The remaining $100,000 came from the school.

Hopefully next up on the to do list: somehow saving at least part of Hanover CC as a team and community asset.

La Costa To Get Gil Hanse Renovation In Anticipation Of NCAA Championship Hosting Role

Tremendous news on all fronts as the NCAA Championships eventually move west in 2024 to La Costa for what sounds like an audition as a permanent host site: Gil Hanse has been enlisted to renovate the Champions course in advance of the event.

Once a regular site for the PGA Tour’s Tournament of Champions and later the WGC Match Play, La Costa’s course has lost a few steps even as the resort and spa were upgraded. A rethinking should position it back in the limelight of tournament golf thanks to the facilities and location in golf’s west coast hub.

Well, of course, until all of the manufacturers move to Pinehurst to be closer to the USGA ;).

Anyway, Tod Leonard at GolfDigest.com details how the vision for La Costa and the NCAA’s came together.

Anyway, For Immediate Release:

NCAA Selects Omni La Costa Resort & Spa as first “neutral” site to Host Trio of National Championships following Gil Hanse Renovation

Reimagined Champions Course to Host Men’s, Women’s NCAAs in 2024, 2025 and 2026
Carlsbad, Calif. – The NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Golf Committees has selected Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, Southern California’s premier golf and luxury resort destination, as the host site for the 2024, 2025 and 2026 Division I Men’s and Women’s Golf Championships. Play will be conducted on the resort’s famed Champions Course following a planned 2022 renovation by acclaimed golf course architect Gil Hanse.

The event’s debut at Omni La Costa will mark the Division I Women’s Golf Championship’s return, after a 28-year absence, to Southern California. The Division I Men’s Golf Championship was last played in the region (at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades) in 2012.

The Men’s and Women’s Championships will be contested over consecutive weeks starting in 2024, the first year each culminating national championship will be played in combination at a neutral site. While the University of Texas will serve as the official host institution for all three sets of championships, no players – outside of those teams and individuals who advance each year to the championship – will be permitted to play Omni La Costa’s Champions Course during that season.

“We are thrilled that the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Golf Championships will return to California in 2024,” said Connie Hurlbut, senior associate commissioner at the West Coast Conference and chair of the NCAA Division I men’s golf committee. “The collegiate golf community is excited about the opportunity to play La Costa as a neutral site for the championships and we have complete confidence that it will prove to be a unique and challenging championship experience for all.”

Touched by fresh ocean breezes and set within a captivating 400-acre Spanish Mission-style village, Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, is home to 36 holes of award-winning golf on the Champions and Legends Courses along with a host of luxurious recreation and leisure amenities.

Omni La Costa boasts a rich history of stars and professional golf events. In 1965, shortly after La Costa opened, the original Dick Wilson designed course hosted the made-for-TV CBS Golf Classic. The PGA TOUR’s Tournament of Champions (later called the Mercedes Championship and the Sentry Tournament of Champions) was hosted from 1969 until 1998 with a parade of Hall of Famers, including Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Tom Watson, Lee Trevino, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods further cementing their winning legacies at Omni La Costa. In 1999, the WGC Andersen Consulting World Match Play Championship was played on the original course layout.

“Omni La Costa is one of 12 exceptional golf resorts within the Omni portfolio and is well known for its elevated service and amenities, including its two championship golf courses,” said Peter Strebel, president of Omni Hotels & Resorts. “Gil Hanse is a gifted architect and his redesign of the Champions Course, alongside our partnerships with PGA TOUR and PGA of America and securing the Division I Men’s and Women’s Golf Championships, further demonstrates our commitment to world-class golf, our members, guests and clients.” 

Hanse, whose growing list of high-profile design projects has pushed him to the top of his profession, is the architect of the highly anticipated, under-construction East Course at PGA Frisco (new headquarters of the PGA of America) on the grounds of the Omni PGA Frisco Resort, which was awarded the 2027 and 2034 PGA Championships and a potential future Ryder Cup. His recent work includes restorations of major championship venues like the West and East Courses at Winged Foot Golf Club (Mamaroneck, NY), The North Course at Los Angeles Country Club (Site of the 2023 US Open), the East Course at Merion Golf Club (Ardmore, PA) and original designs of The Olympic Golf Course in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Ohoopee Match Club (Cobbtown, GA) and the South Course at Los Angeles Country Club.  

“Our team is very excited to be a part of bringing Omni La Costa's esteemed stature in American tournament golf into a new generation. Just as we did with the Olympic Course in Rio, we embrace collaborating with the NCAA on creating a course that is suitable for both top-tier men and women players as well as Omni La Costa's members and resort guests,” Hanse says. “Bob and Blake Rowling (owners of Omni Hotels & Resorts) have tremendously high golf IQs. They understand what quality golf is and what it takes to make it a reality. Their support has been invaluable and motivates us to create something special here in this excellent Southern California landscape. It's too soon to say if the characteristics will be more like a George Thomas Los Angeles Country Club, Bel Air or Riviera style or an Alister MacKenzie look, like at Valley Club of Montecito, or something else, but we're looking forward to 'solving the puzzle' out in the land.”

NCAA officials share Hanse’s optimism for a dynamic, pleasing course set up. “The renovation that La Costa has committed to with Gil Hanse will make the Champions Course outstanding on many levels for our men’s and women’s student-athletes as well as for the membership there,” said Julie Manning, executive associate athletics director and senior woman administrator at Minnesota and chair of the NCAA Division I women’s golf committee. “Similar to what Gil was able to accomplish with the Brazilian Olympic course, the renovation at La Costa will provide a challenging but fair venue, with plenty of teeing grounds for both genders that will undoubtedly lead to outstanding play during each of the championships.”

The NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship was first played in 1939 while the women’s tournament began its history in 1982. Past individual champions of college golf’s most prestigious title include Nicklaus, Mickelson, Woods, Ben Crenshaw, reigning U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau, Annika Sorenstam and Stacy Lewis.

Grayhawk Regains A Year On NCAA Hosting Deal Before La Costa Takes Over

Grayhawk lost the 2020 NCAA men’s and women’s golf championships due to the pandemic. But the coaches committees ratified a new deal that awarded the 2023 NCAA’s to the Scottsdale course and then moves the event to Carlsbad’s La Costa resort.

Adam Woodward at Golfweek with the news and noble effort to get the championships in prime time and where thunderstorms are not a part of daily life, both very good things.

Dartmouth Ends Men's And Women's Golf Programs, To Shutter 121-Year-Old Hanover Country Club

Thanks to all who sent the dreadful news of Dartmouth College ending both of its golf programs and announcing the permanent closure of semi-private Hanover Country Club, established in 1899.

From the communications department announcement quoting Philip Hanlon, President of Dartmouth:

The changes, which will eliminate five varsity athletic teams and a number of staff positions, will give Dartmouth more flexibility in admissions, reducing the number of recruited athletes in incoming classes by 10%. The move also contributes to the steps Dartmouth is taking to address budget challenges, including a projected $150 million financial deficit brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The teams to be eliminated, effective immediately, are men's and women's swimming and diving, men's and women's golf, and men's lightweight rowing, dropping to 30 the number of varsity teams. A total of about 110 student-athletes participate on these five teams.

In addition, Dartmouth is permanently closing the Hanover Country Club—which is owned by Dartmouth and operated at the College-owned golf course—after years of the club's running in the red, with deficits expected to swell to $1 million a year.

Reader Peter kindly sent this extensive and excellent Rick Shefchik story from 2014 looking at the course history, it’s place with students and golfers, how the course lost some character when 500 yards was added to the scorecard, and most disconcertingly, concerns then about the possibility of the land being developed.

Yale AD: Course Remains Closed, "Course Landscape Experts" To Be Called In

Well it’s a start, but the (ongoing) sad state of affairs at America’s top collegiate course and most affordable membership option in the area seem likely to be addressed.

Sadly, at Yale Golf Course during the pandemic—one of the few sad stories of neglect—will take time to fix. In such a short season, even the latest news below does not exactly make me optimistic for C.B. Macdonald and Seth Raynor’s masterful design. But at least the current Athletic Director seems concerned. This is progress.

Thanks to all who forwarded this.

Pepperdine's Sahith Theegala Wins The Ben Hogan Award

Pepperdine’s first Ben Hogan Award nominee is also the university’s first winner: Sahith Theegala.

Brentley Romine at GolfChannel.com on Theegala taking two of the more prestigious awards in golf and in the season after redshirting due to a wrist injury.

He won twice, at the Alister Mackenzie Invitational and Southwestern Invitational, and added four other top-6 finishes before his college career was cut short because of the coronavirus pandemic. In amateur competition, Theegala won the Sahalee Players Amateur and SCGA Amateur last summer and captured the Australian Master of the Amateurs in December, while also qualifying for match play at the U.S. Amateur and Western Amateur.

Before turning professional last week, Theegala was ranked fifth in the World Amateur Golf Ranking and third in the Scratch Players World Amateur Ranking.

The Chino Hills, California, native headed to Chandler, Arizona, for his pro debut, at the Outlaw Tour’s Lone Tree Classic, where he opened in 62 and eventually tied for third. His first check amounted to $1,850.

He has already accepted a sponsor exemption into next month’s Rocket Mortgage Classic, which will mark his PGA Tour debut as a pro.

Here he is accepting the award:

Here's more reaction from @SRTheegala winning the @BenHoganAward:#WavesUp pic.twitter.com/WIfaOaHaWe

— Pepperdine Men’s Golf (@PeppGolf) June 10, 2020

Pepperdine's Sahith Theegala Takes The Haskins, Furman's Natalie Srinivasan Wins The Annika As College Golf's Top Golfers

In a bittersweet year with NCAA golfers were stripped of the chance to complete their season, the sight of Player-of-the-year winners from Pepperdine and Furman at least injected 2020 a nice memory. Both schools have under 4000 undergraduates.

The Haskins to best male golfer went to Pepperdine’s Sahith Theegala, while Furman's Natalie Srinivasan took the Annika given to the top female golfer.

As a Pepperdine alum, I can’t speak to how incredible a moment this is for the school’s golf program and southern California junior golf to have produced golf’s equivalent of a Heisman winner. Also, a huge tip o’ the cap to Pepperdine Coach Michael Beard for not ignoring Theegala’s potential despite his less-than-orthodox swing.

Oh, and most impressive of all? Theegala wins the award as a senior after redshirting the year prior to heal an injured wrist. Not Hogan or Zaharias level comebacks, but mighty impressive nonetheless.

From Brentley Romine’s GolfChannel.com story:

Despite the competition year being shortened due to the pandemic, Theegala and Srinivasan, both seniors, built strong resumes and finished the year ranked atop the Golfstat rankings. Theegala won twice and posted four other top-6 finishes for the top-ranked Waves. Srinivasan captured three events and ended her season with a runner-up finish at the prestigious Darius Rucker Intercollegiate.

Here is Theegala receiving the award on Golf Central:

Heads Up: College Golf TV Carrying Final Round Live Stream Of The Bandon Dunes Championship

Just a heads up for those who aren’t aware of College Golf TV, they’ve got final round coverage of The Bandon Dunes Championship at, Bandon Dunes!

Oregon State leads Oregon heading into Tuesday’s final round.

Coverage is from 9 am to 2 pm Pacific Time at the link.

PGA Tour University: Policy Board Approves Plan To Reward Top College Seniors With Korn Ferry Tour Access

Of all the ideas hatched at Camp Ponte Vedra over the last decade, I’m not sure there is one that appeals more than the PGA Tour University concept, reportedly approved by the Policy Board this week.

It’s forward-thinking both in extending the Korn Ferry Tour’s reach, while addressing signs that college players increasingly turn pro before they are ready. The idea of incentivizing top seniors to finish their eligibility via access to the PGA Tour’s top feeder tour should ensure players get a degree (or at least take all Concepts of Coaching classes offered). And should produce a more mature, polished player at 22 or 23. In theory, anyway.

From Ryan Herrington’s Golf World story explaining the concept:

The plan allows for the top five players on a new created collegiate player ranking, which will include only golfers playing in their fourth year of college eligibility, to gain immediate membership on the Korn Ferry Tour after the NCAA Championship in late May, allowing them to compete in the final eight or nine KFT events as full members. If these college players earn enough points in those tournaments to crack the top 25 on the KFT’s year-long points list, they will earn a PGA Tour card for the following season. They can also play their way into the top 75 on the points list and gain entry in the KFT final series. If a player doesn’t crack either threshold, they will still get direct entry into the final stage of KFT Q school later in the year.

Golfers ranking Nos. 6-15, meanwhile, will get to move directly to either the PGA Tour Latinoamérica or Mackenzie Tours, according to sources, and will also be given automatic entry into the second stage of KFT Q school. There will be no direct access to PGA Tour membership.

The program will not impact generational talents either.

Lows And Highs From College Golf: Grieving Enloe Steps Down, Showcase Returns To Riviera

Jason Enloe stepped down as SMU’s golf coach, still struggling with his wife Katie’s passing from leukemia and a dreadful aftermath that includes a legal entanglement with in-laws.

Ryan Lavner files a GolfChannel.com must read on Enloe’s admirable decision and continued grieving not long after his SMU team made an improbably run at the 2019 NCAA’s.

Normally fun-loving and gregarious, Enloe retreated socially and moped around the house, caring for little else other than his two girls, Emma, 7, and Maddie, 4. He questioned everything – his parenting skills, his coaching ability, his new relationship, his growing rift with his in-laws. He felt lethargic. Stopped taking care of himself. Developed dark thoughts.

“Grief has no rules. It has no stages,” he said. “Psychologists say that there’s this stage and then this stage, but that’s bulls---. You can go to counseling and talk about grief, but it’s not foolproof. Time is the only thing that can minimize how it feels and when it comes and how you deal with it.”

And time, of course, is a precious commodity for a college coach at a major program. He’s the point person who has to travel, recruit, fundraise and, yes, lead a roster of 18- to 22-year-olds who have complex personalities and differing needs.

In happier news, one of the more underrated college golf days of the year returns stronger than ever with the 6th annual Genesis Invitational Collegiate Showcase. The deepest field yet will be playing for a spot in the Genesis Invitational hosted by Tiger Woods later that week at Riviera

Good luck to the collegiate players who have the chance at a life-changing week and tip of the cap to all involved for continuing to build on this fine tradition.

For Immediate Release, with details on Monday’s open-to-the-public day that includes PGA Tour pros playing with the groups:

TOP COLLEGIATE GOLFERS TO COMPETE AT RIVIERA

FOR SPOT IN THE 2020 GENESIS INVITATIONAL

Professional alums join pro-am competitors, with winning team earning a donation to their alma mater’s golf program

LOS ANGELES – The Genesis Invitational kicks off its tournament week at The Riviera Country Club on Monday, February 10 with the Collegiate Showcase, featuring top collegiate players vying for an exemption into the 2020 Genesis Invitational field. The Collegiate Showcase tees off at 8 a.m. The event features an individual stroke-play competition for the collegiate entries, with the low collegiate golfer earning a spot in The Genesis Invitational 2020 field. The expected collegiate athletes competing in the 2020 showcase include:

School  Collegiate Player* 

University of Kentucky Alex Goff 

University of Kentucky Allen Hamilton

University of Nevada, Las Vegas Jack Trent

Odessa College Jose Dibildox 

Pepperdine University Clay Feagler

Pepperdine University Josh McCarthy

University of Southern California Yuxin Lin

San Jose State University  Sean Yu

University of Texas Spencer Soosman

Texas Tech University Kyle Hogan

University of Washington  Jan Schneider 

University of Washington  Noah Woolsey 

University of Wyoming  Kirby Coe-Kirkham 

*Players subject to change

2020 marks the sixth time the tournament has hosted the Collegiate Showcase. Past winners of the event who earned an exemption into the PGA TOUR event at Riviera are Kentucky’s Lukas Euler (2019), Texas’ Scottie Scheffler (2018), Pepperdine’s Sahith Theegala (2017), Illinois’ Charlie Danielson (2016) and Wake Forest’s Will Zalatoris (2015).

The Collegiate Showcase also features a pro-am style event with teams comprised of a PGA TOUR pro and two amateurs representing their alma mater. Professionals expected to tee it up at Riviera on Monday include defending champion J.B. Holmes (Kentucky), Abraham Ancer (Odessa), Ryan Moore (UNLV), CT Pan (Washington), Andrew Putnam (Pepperdine) and Jhonattan Vegas (Texas) among others. The three-man pro-am teams compete against each other in best-ball play, with the lowest scoring team winning a $50,000 donation to the school’s golf program. For the second straight year, the tournament has collaborated with the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) to help educate college golf programs on the unique opportunity available by participating in the event.

Amateur Golf Is Doomed, Files: Players Choosing Symetra Tour Life Over Competing For An NCAA Title

I’m loathe to pick on Sierra Brooks for turning pro hot off her Q-Series T-62 finish, guaranteeing Symetra Tour status. A perk she will take while conceding her final few months at Florida where she’s one of college golf’s best players on one of its best teams. But I will anyway.

After all, Brooks is one of many players—male or female—choosing to end her college career to turn pro even if the awaiting opportunities pale in comparison to the college golf structure.

Brooks talked to Golf.com’s Dylan Dethier about her decision despite not securing LPGA Tour status.

Golf is just the latest sport to, in seemingly sound ways, to address the desire of athletes and those around them to test the professional waters with rules that allow players to retain their amateur status while playing at Q-School.

And you know the drill: they do so, and even when faced with long odds or signs that more time in college would serve the athlete well, get convinced that cashing in is the way to go. Just like so many other sports, golf is piling up the cases of can’t-miss prospects who miss, diminishing the interest growth in college golf while not doing what’s best for young people who were often just given bad advice.

In the case of women’s golf, the LPGA’s noble effort to make sure they are open to new talent while also ensuring athletes are ready to perform, all while preserving the health of an important feeder tour in the form of college golf, appears to have failed.

Beth Ann Nichols considers the situation for Golfweek and concludes that allowing amateurs to test those professional waters at Q-School (Series), is not working.

It’s not a bad thing to make these players face a decision that has consequences. The thought process for going to Q-Series and taking that next step without a safety net looks completely different to the current landscape.

Amateurs haven’t always been allowed to participate in Q-School.

Why not go back to that?

It’s up to the LPGA to make some changes that will benefit all of women’s golf. Deferral was a good idea in theory, but there won’t be many Kupchos and Fassis who follow.

College golf isn’t the tour’s responsibility, but it is the main feeder system for the LPGA and Symetra Tour, and the lifeblood of American women’s golf.

Once again, there’s got to be a better way.

Collegiate Stars Graduating From LPGA Q-Series Again Choosing Pro Golf Over School

The rush to turn pro continues to be an ongoing theme for men’s and women’s college golf—followed by the inevitable coach quotes saying how happy they are for the players.

With four of five 2019 LPGA Q-Series participants deciding to turn pro instead of finishing the 2019-20 season—and Andrea Lee undecided—the situation stinks for women’s college golf and next spring’s Augusta National Women’s Amateur losing five marquee players. There is also the mixed record of players leaving school early and the societal pressures to rush into a pro career.

But as Ryan Lavner notes in his Tweet, it’s a no-win all the way around:

4 of the 5 college players who competed in the LPGA Q-Series have now turned pro, with Stanford star (and No. 2-ranked amateur) Albane Valenzuela announcing her decision today. Andrea Lee still undecided. No-win situation for players, coaches and teams.

— Ryan Lavner (@RyanLavnerGC) November 13, 2019

Cypress Point Opens Up For College Golf (Again), Check It Out!

And if you’re in the area Tuesday you can get a rare glimpse of Alister MacKenzie’s masterpiece.

Or there’s Instagram!

A sampling from some majestic fall days on the Monterey Peninsula for the occasional Cypress Point Classic with one day to go:

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Swipe left for a quick glimpse of golf heaven. Ready to get after it with @illinimgolf at the Cypress Point Classic!

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Couldn’t pick a prettier spot to finish off the fall season #gotrojans #fighton #dubszn

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United States Amateur Champion Andy Ogletree. Wanted to chat about California girls and the deer population more than the golf course.

A post shared by Paddy’s Golf Shots (@paddygolfshots) on Oct 28, 2019 at 8:01pm PDT

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This place is unreal🔥 Ready for a team match with my man @elvis_lin666666666

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Old school calligraphy...The Cypress Point Classic.....Open to the public, so if you fancy an incredible day out (Tuesday) get yourself down to 17 Mile Drive.

A post shared by Lawrence Donegan (@lawrencedonegan) on Oct 28, 2019 at 8:33pm PDT

Will California's New Law Put Another Nail In The Amateur Status Coffin?

On the surface, major upheaval in college golf seems unlikely when California Governor Gavin Newsom likely signs the assembly bill allowing college athletes to profit off their likeness.

(Steve Berkowitz’s USA Today report here at Golfweek.com.)

This last paragraph in Berkowit’z piece clarifies the student athlete relationship with their school’s official shoe and apparel deals:

The amendments added by the Assembly include provisions designed to address potential conflicts between prospective athlete deals and school deals, such as shoe-and-apparel contracts. An athlete would not be allowed to have a deal that conflicts with a school contract, but a school contract would not be allowed to restrict an athlete from using their name, image and likeness for a commercial purpose when not engaged in official team activities.

While players now get free clubs, are on a first name basis with tour reps, wear corporate logos in the US Amateur and are committed to agents long before announcing the intent to turn pro, amateur status would seem to be a out the window once a player starts profiting off their likeness. The rules are pretty clear on this front.

However, exceptions for Tony Romo and Lucy Li would seem to open a player profiting off their likeness to point to those cases as amateur status-retaining precedent and therefore maintain access to USGA events or the Masters (should they be so fortunate).

The NCAA’s rebuttal is not expected until next month but given the number of athletes and schools in California, they’ll have a hard time containing this given the bill’s easy victory and support from top athletes.

It’s a huge mess, but one brought on by the NCAA’s refusal to find a solution as it rakes in millions and pays its head man $4 million a year on the backs of unpaid athletes.