It’s February, which means college golf is again in full swing.
That means there are multiple tournaments every week, as teams look to quickly get into form ahead of regionals and the NCAA Championships, which will be at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, for the final time before moving to San Diego next year.
Each week, Golfweek will put together a roundup of the best individual and team performances from across the country, as teams continue on the road to Grayhawk, highlighting spectacular performances and keeping you up to date on which teams are making a title push.
Here’s what you need to know from the last week in college golf.
UCF's Anna Nordfors sets record on Sunday, breaks it on Monday
Anna Nordfors started the UCF Challenge about as well as she possibly could.
The grad student at Central Florida carded an 8-under 64 on Sunday, which set a new team record for low 18-hole score. After the first round, she was tied for the lead with Wake Forest’s Rachel Kuehn.
That record didn’t last long. Come Monday, Nordfors fired a round of 9-under 63 to set a new low 18-hole score and take a three-shot lead into the final round at Eagle Creek Golf Club in Orlando. On Tuesday, she capitalized on her big lead, making birdies on four of her final five holes to shoot 21-under 195 and win by two over Mississippi State’s Julia Lopez Ramirez.
The 21 under is the lowest 54-hole score in UCF history. As a team, the Knights finished fourth at 27 under, which also set a 54-hole scoring record.
In the team competition, Wake Forest came from behind to win for the second straight year, shooting 42 under. That’s the second-lowest 54-hole score in school history, behind only last year’s 45-under performance.
It’s the fourth win for the Demon Deacons this season, also capturing titles at the Annika Intercollegiate, the Mercedes Benz Intercollegiate and the stroke play portion of the Stephens Cup.
Mississippi State finished four shots behind Wake Forest, and Northwestern, which led after the second round, was one stroke off the Bulldogs.
Kuehn finished third at 15 under while Lauren Walsh tied for fourth at 12 under.
High winds cause Amer Ari to be canceled
High winds have been causing problems at every level the past week.
The third round of the PGA Tour’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am was postponed because of high winds Saturday, and the first round of the Amer Ari Invitational in Hawaii was canceled because of winds gusting up to 50 miles per hour in Waimea, Hawaii on Wednesday. Then on Thursday, the remainder of the tournament was canceled because the winds continued.
Bad news from the Big Island: the Amer Ari Intercollegiate has been canceled in its entirety due to the windy conditions.
📊https://t.co/QGGij37Dxn#GoHuskies!
— Washington Men's Golf (@UW_MGolf) February 9, 2023
The Amer Ari is one of the best tournament fields of the year because of its depth. The field of 20 teams, which included No. 2 Auburn, No. 3 North Carolina, No. 4 Arizona State, No. 5 Stanford and No. 6 Texas Tech, were all well into their first rounds when the decision was made to cancel the first round Wednesday, and then the ultimate decision came Thursday.
Hapuna Golf Course in Waimea, Hawaii, was going to challenge all of these teams, but the wind had other ideas.
Baylor women win in Mexico
There were only 12 teams in the field, but all of them were ranked and it was Baylor who came out on top at the Collegiate Invitational at Guadalajara Country Club in Mexico.
The Bears finished at 8 over, beating Florida State by 10 shots and Georgia by 12.
In the individual competition, only three players finished under par, with Baylor’s Rosie Belsham taking home the trophy at 6-under 210. Georgia’s Jenny Bae, fourth in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, finished a shot behind. Baylor’s Silje Ohma finished at 3 under for the tournament.
For Belsham, it was her first collegiate victory.
Texas wins in California behind three freshmen
The Texas men’s golf team had big shoes to fill from last year’s national championship team.
Only Travis Vick returned from the five golfers who started in match play against Arizona State for the national championship. Yet it seems as if some youngsters aren’t afraid to step into the spotlight.
Texas captured the Southwestern Invitational at North Ranch Country Club in Westlake Village, California. It’s the first win for the Longhorns this year, and three freshmen finished in the top five.
Most impressive was Jacob Sosa, who opened with a program-record 11-under 61. He finished third at 7 under. Keaton Vo finished second at 8 under, and Christiaan Maas was T-5 at 4 under.
Texas was at 14 under as a team, beating Pepperdine by 13 shots.
In the individual competition, Wake Forest’s Michael Brennan birdied three of his final four holes to win by one shot over Vo.
Brennan started his day with bogeys on two of his first three holes but made five birdies on his final 13 to bring home his fifth collegiate win.
Vanderbilt, Gordon Sargent continue strong play
Last year’s NCAA individual champion is playing like someone capable of winning the Haskins Award.
Gordon Sargent won at The Hayt, and the sophomore helped Vanderbilt capture the team title, as well. Sargent won by seven shots, a record margin, at 15 under, besting North Florida’s Nick Gabrelcik. The Commodores also set a 54-hole scoring record at 28-under 836.
Vanderbilt also showcased its depth in the win.
College facility spotlight: South Carolina
We’re continuing to spotlight college golf practice facilities from around the country.
This week, take a look at South Carolina’s Huskey/Dietrich Golf Practice Facility.
