The transfer portal was busy this summer.
As is the case in every sport since the introduction of the transfer portal, college golf is no stranger to seeing players pack up from one school and head to the next for a change of scenery, playing opportunities and more.
Not only do some players still have an extra year of NCAA eligibility to use due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, but don’t forget the NCAA also passed a new rule in 2021 that allows players to transfer penalty-free one time in their collegiate career.
Here’s a look at some of the top transfers ahead of the 2023-24 college golf season.
Ian Gilligan
Transferred from: Long Beach State | Transferred to: Florida
Last year, Gilligan was a second-team All-America selection at Long Beach State, but he’s heading to the defending national champions and will be one of the fixtures of the Gators’ lineup. He had four victories, including in the Big West Championship, and nine top-10 finishes as a sophomore.
Mirabel Ting
Transferred from: Augusta | Transferred to: Florida State
Ting was one of the biggest names on the women’s side to change scenery. The third-team All-American as a freshman is heading to Tallahassee, where she’ll join a lineup with Charlotte Heath and Lottie Woad. Ting was the Southland Conference Freshman of the Year and led the Jaguars to a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Athens Regional. The fifth-place regional finish vaulted the program into the NCAA Championship for the first time in program history.
Maxwell Ford
Transferred from: Georgia | Transferred to: North Carolina
Maxwell Ford, the twin brother of UNC star David Ford, is joining forces with his brother in Chapel Hill. He averaged 71.49 strokes over 70 rounds as a Bulldog and finished T-18 at the 2023 NCAA Championship. As a sophomore, he had a 71.19 stroke average and shot a career-low 64, one of his nine rounds in the 60s.
Caitlyn Macnab
Transferred from: TCU | Transferred to: Ole Miss
One of two major transfers to Ole Miss this offseason, Macnab, who will be a junior, has played in 23 total tournaments, compiling a career 71.73 stroke average. She logged 11 top-10 finishes over the last two seasons with the Horned Frogs and is a member of the South African national team.
Tim Tillmanns
Transferred from: Kansas State | Transferred to: Ole Miss
Tillmanns, a four-year letter-winner at Kansas State beginning in 2019, comes to Oxford having 32 career tournaments played underneath his belt, logging a 71.85 career stroke average. As a senior, he earned six top-20 finishes, including five top-10 and two top-5 finishes. The Cologne, Germany, native logged a career-best 70.21 stroke average in his senior season, shooting 24 out of his 33 rounds par or better. He’ll be a graduate student.
Justine Fournand
Transferred from: South Carolina | Transferred to: Ole Miss
Yes, another transfer to Ole Miss. Justine Fournand left fellow SEC program South Carolina to join the Rebels. In her collegiate career, the Erstein, France, native has played in 35 total tournaments, compiling a career 73.54 stroke average. She has also logged nine top-5 finishes over the last four seasons. Before playing at South Carolina, she was at FAU, where she won four times.
