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USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Cameron Jourdan

Here are 15 men’s college golf freshmen to watch in the 2023-24 season

Classes are back in session at most schools across the country, which means college golf is set to officially tee off for the 2023-24 season this month.

As colleges and universities across the country are welcoming their student-athletes back to campus, most of the nation’s attention will be fixated on the preseason All-Americans and Haskins Award Watch List, but there are more than a few new faces in the college game that will be contributing immediately for their teams. It won’t take long for many of these golfers to become national stars.

These are the men’s newcomers to college golf that fans may want to keep an eye on this season.

Kush Arora, Stanford

Kush Arora (Photo: AJGA)

Arora joins the Cardinal as the 12th-ranked player in the Golfweek/Sagarin Boys rankings. He is a 2022 Scholastic Junior All-American, member of the 2020 AJGA Junior All-Star team and won the 2021 AJGA Reno/Tahoe Jr.

Johnnie Clark, Oklahoma State

Johnnie Clark, left, shakes hands with Tommy Morrison after Morrison won the match during the round of 64 of the 2023 U.S. Junior at Daniel Island Club (Ralston Creek Course) in Charleston, S.C. on Wednesday, July 26, 2023. (Tom Brenner/USGA)

Clark was named a second-team AJGA All-American in 2022. He was also tabbed as a member of the United States Junior Presidents Cup Team. Clark shot 72-69 in stroke play at the 2022 U.S. Junior Amateur and advanced to the Round of 16.

Ryder Cowan, Oklahoma

Ryder Cowan hits an approach shot on hole 16 during the second round of stroke play of the 2023 U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills C.C. in Cherry Hills Village, Colo. on Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023. (Kathryn Riley/USGA)

Cowan, ranked 10th in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, played in the 2023 U.S. Amateur, finished T-6 at the 2023 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley, T-3 at the 2022 PING Invitational and won the 2023 Oklahoma State Junior while finishing runner-up in the Oklahoma Golf Association Match Play later this summer.

Ethan Fang, Cal

Ethan Fang watches his chip shot to the hole 18 green during the round of 64 of the 2023 U.S. Junior at Daniel Island Club (Ralston Creek Course) in Charleston, S.C. on Wednesday, July 26, 2023. (Tom Brenner/USGA)

Ninth-ranked Ethan Fang joins the Bears following an amateur career that included a fourth-place finish at the 2023 Texas Amateur and second at AJGA Simplify Boys Championship at Carlton Woods.

Ethan Gao, Stanford

Stanford’s Ethan Gao (Photo: Junior Invitational)

Another stellar Stanford signee, Gao earned AJGA Rolex Junior All-America first-team honors in 2022, was named a Scholastic Junior All-American and was a four-time Rolex Tournament of Champions invitee.

Max Herendeen, Illinois

Max Herendeen gives his caddie a fist bump after winning the first hole during the round of 64 at the 2023 U.S. Junior at Daniel Island Club (Ralston Creek Course) in Charleston, S.C. on Wednesday, July 26, 2023. (Tom Brenner/USGA)

Herendeen heads to the Fighting Illini with a chance to make an early splash in the lineup. He’s the 2022 Junior PGA Champion, a 2022 AJGA Rolex All-American and won the 2022 Washington 3A Championship.

Bryan Kim, Duke

Bryan Kim after winning the 2023 U.S. Junior Amateur. (Photo: USGA)

No. 3 Bryan Kim had a stellar summer, culminating in his victory at the 2023 U.S. Junior Amateur at Daniel Island Club in South Carolina. He’s also a two-time Rolex All-American.

Carson Kim, Georgia Tech

Carson Kim readies to hit his tee shot on hole eight during the second round of the 2023 U.S. Junior at Daniel Island Club (Ralston Creek Course) in Charleston, S.C. on Tuesday, July 25, 2023. (Tom Brenner/USGA)

Kim is another who could make an early impact in the lineup of the defending national runners-up. He earned Rolex All-American first-team honors in 2022 to cap a year that saw him post five top-5 AJGA results.

Jackson Koivun, Auburn

Jackson Koivun reacts to missing his putt on hole 15 during the round of 16 of the 2023 U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills C.C. in Cherry Hills Village, Colo. on Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023. (Chris Keane/USGA)

Koivun, the top-ranked junior in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, capped his summer with a quarterfinals appearance at the 2023 U.S. Amateur before losing to eventual champion Nick Dunlap. He won both the 2022 Rolex Tournament of Champions and 2023 Dustin Johnson World Juniors.

Eric Lee, Cal

Eric Lee watches his tee shot on hole 18 during the round of 64 of the 2023 U.S. Junior at Daniel Island Club (Ralston Creek Course) in Charleston, S.C. on Wednesday, July 26, 2023. (Tom Brenner/USGA)

Another stellar junior heading to Cal, Lee was named the 2022 AJGA Rolex Junior Player of the Year for being the top male junior golfer in the world and is a two-time AJGA Rolex First Team All-American.

PJ Maybank III, Oklahoma

PJ Maybank III. (Photo: Greg Johnson)

The trend of strong duos continues, as Maybank will look to join a deep Oklahoma lineup this fall. He is a two-time Wyndham Cup team selection, 2023 Junior Presidents Cup member for Team USA and has more than a dozen top-10 AJGA finishes.

Jacob Modleski, Notre Dame

Jacob Modleski hits an approach shot on hole four during the round of 32 of the 2023 U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills C.C. in Cherry Hills Village, Colo. on Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023. (Chris Keane/USGA)

Modleski advanced to the Round of 32 at the U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills this summer. He’s a two-time Indiana state champion and a three-time All-State honoree.

Cayden Pope, Auburn

Cayden Pope hits his tee shot on hole five during the second round of stroke play of the 2023 U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills C.C. in Cherry Hills Village, Colo. on Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023. (Kathryn Riley/USGA)

Pope played in the 2023 U.S. Amateur, and he also was a Kentucky High School team state champion and earned top-10 finishes at the 2022 Wyndham Invitational, 2022 Polo Golf Junior Classic, 2022 Rolex Tournament of Champions and the 2023 Junior Orange Bowl International Golf Championship.

Preston Stout, Oklahoma State

Preston Stout reacts to making his putt on hole 18 during the second round of stroke play of the 2023 U.S. Amateur at Colorado Golf Club in Parker, Colo. on Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023. (Chris Keane/USGA)

Stout advanced to match play at the 2023 U.S. Amateur. He also won the 2023 Byron Nelson Junior Championship, joining Jordan Spieth as the only other player to win the event three times.

Connor Williams, Arizona State

Connor Williams. (Photo: Western Golf Association)

Williams has collected plenty of accolades in his junior career. He is a Rolex Junior All-American, won the 2020 Se Ri Pak AJGA, won the Southern California Jr. Amateur Champion and made match play at U.S. Junior in 2021 and 2022.

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