Buckle up buckaroos, we’re about to embark on one heck of a wild ride.
It’s called the 2007 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship and it has all the makings of an old-fashioned, toe-to-toe slugfest.
Normally, you can look at the 30-team field and come up with a handful of Cinderellas. You know, those just happy to be there.
That won’t necessarily be the case this time around when college golf’s premier event takes place this Wednesday-Saturday at Golden Horseshoe Golf Club in Williamsburg, Va.
At least not according the
Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings. Basically, there are no flukes (although some may argue otherwise and point out the sprinkling of teams who did not make it).
Consider that of the 30 teams, all are ranked in the top 50, with 29 of those No. 37 or better. New Mexico is the lowest at No. 48 and the Lobos have 11 top 10s, including one victory.
Twenty-six of the top 30 teams are in the field, including the top 10, headed by No. 1 Georgia and No. 2 Stanford. Only four among the top 30 failed to qualify: UNLV (11), Clemson (12), Texas A&M (16) and Brigham Young (17).
Although every team certainly has a chance, the top 10 is where the obvious favorites lie.
• Second-ranked Stanford has won six times this season and coach Conrad Ray has the Cardinal back in college golf’s big picture for the first time since the mid-1990s.
• First-year coach Brian White inherited a Lamar team that tied for ninth at last year’s NCAAs. With a solid lineup back No. 3 Lamar also racked up six wins.
• No. 4 Alabama is having the best season in school history with four victories and Jay Seawell has to be among the front-runners for coach of the year honors.
• No. 5 Oklahoma State is the defending champ. The Cowboys haven’t played much with that lineup from the last NCAA, but when they have it’s been impressive.
• Southern Cal is No. 6 and has become a consistent contender in just about every start. Coach Chris Zambri’s Trojans enter on the heels of an impressive win at the Pac-10 Championship and a T-3 at the West Regional.
• Florida, No. 7, was ranked first after the fall season when it won the
Golfweek/Ping Preview at this same Golden Horseshoe course. Coach Buddy Alexander’s young Gators struggled a little this spring, but with sophomore Billy Horschel leading the way, they tied for second at the East Regional.
• Some may have felt No. 8 UCLA should have won more this season, but the Bruins still have three victories and never finished out of the top seven. And, coach O.D. Vincent would like to make amends for the last time he brought UCLA to Virginia for the national championship. In 2004 at the Homestead in Hot Springs, UCLA led by five shots going into the final round, but finished second, six strokes behind state rival California.
And coach Bruce Heppler’s No. 9 Georgia Tech team comes in with a co-championship at the ACC and a T-2 at the East Regional, while coach Bill Brodgen’s Tulsa squad has finished first or second in its last five starts, including wins at Conference-USA and the Central Regional.
But come early evening June 2, there will be only one champion: the Bulldogs of Georgia.
Yes, that’s the official Wrong Ron pick for 2007, even with the life-and-limb threats from coach Chris Haack and sophomore Brian Harman.
The Bulldogs have won two NCAA titles over the last nine seasons, in 1999 and 2005. Of course, they weren’t my pick either time. I have picked them in the past, like in 2001 when they finished fifth behind Florida and last year, when they placed sixth behind Okie State.
The way I look at it, Haack and the Bulldogs owe me.
After a so-so fall campaign (three fifths and a third), the Dawgs have really taken a bite out of the spring season. Forget about the sixth-place finish at the SEC Championship – now that is what I’d call a fluke. In the seven other starts, Georgia has won six times, including the East Regional, and finished second in the other.
The Bulldogs boast a solid lineup from top to bottom, led by their two seniors Chris Kirk and Brendon Todd.
This past week Kirk was named winner of the prestigious Ben Hogan Award as the country’s top college/amateur player. He has four wins this season and a trio of thirds, most recently at the East Regional. He is No. 3 in the
Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings as well as the
Golfweek/Titleist Amateur Rankings.
Todd may be one of the most underrated players out there this season. I think he has been the key to Georgia’s success, especially this spring. Winner of the SEC title as a freshman, Todd, No. 9 in the
Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings, has finished in the top-12 in each of his eight spring starts, highlighted by his co-medalist performance at the East Regional.
Then you add sophomores Harman and Adam Mitchell and freshman Hudson Swafford to the mix and you come up with one potent lineup.
So there you have it. Expect a wild time in Williamsburg when the 30 teams and six individuals gather to determine the 2007 NCAA champions.
And, expect the University of Georgia to be taking the championship trophy back home to Athens.
After all, it’s about time the Bulldogs proved Wrong Ron right. I mean, they do owe me!
Posted: 5/26/2007
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