2024-25 Season: Championship Anniversaries
There’s something inherently satisfying about celebrating anniversaries in sports. Maybe there’s a direct emotional connection with your favorite team or player winning a title. Maybe it’s a less tangible connection to an era or moment in history that resonates with you. Maybe there’s no connection at all, but it’s just interesting.
Whatever the case may be, the 2024-25 season culminates on one of those years where anniversaries are mathematically pleasing - 25 years ago being 2000 is sure to make you feel some kind of way even if it’s not “pleased” - and happen to be rather historically significant. Let’s celebrate the anniversary some college golf history!
*NOTE: underlined text provides a link to references or sites with more information
**For the email subscribers: due to the length and number of photos in this post, you may enjoy it more through the app or viewing anytime online HERE
Championship Anniversaries
1 year (2023-24)
This is the start of what might be the permanent destination of D1 college golf. Will we look back on this championship in 25/50/100 years as a milestone moment in the sport? Time will tell.
Men
Team champ: Auburn (#6 seed)
Indv champ: Hiroshi Tai [Georgia Tech]
Women
Team champ: Stanford (#1 seed)
Indv champ: Adela Cernousek [Texas A&M]
5 years (2019-20)
**NONE
5 years ago the championship was cancelled after the entire country went into lockdown
Was the first interruption for the women in the NCAA era and first since WWII when accounting for pre-NCAA era
Likewise was the first time in the NCAA era for the men and first since WWI when accounting for pre-NCAA era
Was supposed to be the first of three consecutive championships hosted by Arizona State at Grayhawk GC
instead hosted the next three championships (2021-23)
10 years (2014-15)
Men
Team champ: LSU (#3 seed)
Indv champ: Bryson DeChambeau [SMU]
Women
Team champ: Stanford (#4 seed)
**was the first using the new match play format to match the men’s format used since 2009
Indv champ: Emma Talley [Alabama]
20 years (2004-05)
Men
Team champ: Georgia
Indv champ: James Lepp [Washington]
Women
Team champ: Duke
Indv champ: Anna Grzebien [Duke]
25 years (1999-00, Silver)
Men
Team champ: Oklahoma State
won second ever NCAA playoff (over Georgia Tech)
Indv champ: Charles Howell III [Ok St]
**broke scoring records!
Women
Team champ: Arizona
Won the final 8 tournaments of the season!
Indv champ: Jenna Daniels [Arizona]
30 years (1994-95, Pearl)
Men
Team champ: Oklahoma State
epic win over Stanford - which included freshman Tiger Woods - in the first ever playoff
Indv champ: Chip Spratlin [Auburn]
Women
Team champ: Arizona State
**the undefeated season caps off an epic three-peat of team titles for a team that is widely considered to be one of the best in history during one of the greatest runs in the sport
Indv champ: Kristel Mourgue d’Algue [Arizona St]
35 years (1989-90, Coral)
Men
Team champ: Arizona State
Indv champ: Phil Mickelson [Arizona State]
Per ASU:
Joined Ben Crenshaw as only freshman to defend NCAA title...won 1990 U.S. Amateur and was medalist...shot a 64 in second round of Amateur...became only second golfer to win NCAA and U.S. Amateur titles in same year (Jack Nicklaus was the other in 1961)
Women
Team champ: Arizona State
Indv champ: Susan Slaughter [Arizona]
40 years (1984-85, Ruby)
Men
Team champ: Houston
**16th and final team title won by legendary Coach Dave Williams
won back-to-back titles for the first time since 1974 & 1975 Wake Forest, wasn’t done again until 2010 & 2011 Augusta St
Indv champ: Clark Burroughs [Ohio St]
wins with a par on the first playoff hole over Sam Randolph [USC]
Women
Team champ: Florida
Indv champ: Danielle Ammaccapane [Arizona St]
50 years (1974-75, Gold)
Men
Team champ: Wake Forest
repeat champions with Curtis Strange and Jay Haas
Indv champ: Jay Haas [WF]
**unbelievably, there is actually a video with highlights of this championship saved in the Wake Forest archives:
Women [pre-NCAA]
Team champ: Arizona State
ASU added their name under Rollins on a new trophy called the Colgate Cup which now resides in the Tulsa archives
Indv champ: Barbara Barrow [San Diego St]
won 3-hole playoff over Debra Simourian [Wheaton College]
60 years (1964-65, Diamond)
Men
Team champ: Houston
Indv champ: Marty Fleckman [Houston]
first to win all stroke play (no match play)
Women [pre-NCAA]
Team champ: Florida
Indv champ: Roberta Albers [Miami (FL)] def Rhonda Glenn [Palm Beach Junior College]
65 years (1959-60)
Men
Team champ: Houston
**first time officially using the 5-count-4 scoring format (previously was [up to 6]-count-4)
Indv champ: Dick Crawford [Houston] def Steve Smith [Stanford]
repeat champion
**Jack Nicklaus finished runner-up to Arnold Palmer at the US Open in Cherry Hills (Colorado) on Saturday 18th then played 1st round of NCAAs at Broadmoor (Colorado Springs, CO) on Monday 20th; finished runner-up in medalist but fell in 3rd round of match play to eventual runner-up Steve Smith
Women [pre-NCAA]
Team champ: Arizona St
Indv champ: JoAnn Gunderson [ASU] def Judy Eller [Miami (FL)]
In winning a collegiate individual championship, Gunderson became the second woman to pair that title with the US Girl’s Junior Amateur and US Women’s Amateur; Pat Lesser [Seattle] having achieved the feat with her intercollegiate win in 1955. For this win along with the Tucker Intercollegiate, Gunderson became the first female golf All-American at ASU
70 years (1954-55)
Men
Team champ: LSU
Indv champ: Joe Campbell [Purdue] def John Garrett [Rice]
Women [pre-NCAA]
Team champ: Lake Forest
Indv champ: Jackie Yates [Redlands] def Berridge Long [Sophie Newcomb College]
75 years (1949-50)
Men
Team champ: North Texas
Coach Fred Cobb proves the previous year was no fluke as the team set the new NCAA team aggregate scoring record
Indv champ: Fred Wampler [Purdue] def Bob McCall [Colgate]
Medalist: Arnold Palmer [Wake Forest] repeats and sets new low scoring record in the process
Women [pre-NCAA]
Team champ: Ohio State
Indv champ: Betty Rowland [Rollins] def Grace Lenczyk [Stetson]
80 years (1944-45)
Men
Team champ: Ohio State
led by legendary Coach Robert Keppler
Indv champ: John Lorms [Ohio St] def Johnny Jenswold [Michigan]
Women [n/a]
85 years (1939-40)
Men
Team champ: Shared title between Princeton and LSU
there was no rules in place for a tiebreaker
Medalist: John Burke [Georgetown]
Indv champ: Dixon Brooke [Virginia] def Harry Haverstick [Swarthmore]
**introduction of a new trophy, the Chick Evans Bowl
The significance of this championship goes beyond the events on the course, but also the selection of the host site itself which played a major role in not only the selection for the 1941 championship, but by extension the start of women’s college golf championships
Women [n/a]
90 years (1934-35)
Men [pre-NCAA]
Team champ: Michigan
**surprises everyone by repeating as champs
Indv champ: Ed White [Texas] def Fred Haas Jr [LSU]
Women [n/a]
100 years (1924-25)
Men [pre-NCAA]
Team champ: Yale
Indv champ: Fred Lamprecht [Tulane] def AJ Westland [Washington]
became the first “Southerner” to win title, would repeat the next year
Women [n/a]
105 years (1919-20)
Men [pre-NCAA]
**hosted at Nassau where a new team championship trophy was commissioned (put into play the next year but engraved with this Princeton team first)
Team champ: Princeton
Indv champ: Jess Sweetser [Yale]
someone who WASN’T allowed to play was Bobby Jones (see Substack post for more details on why)
Women [n/a]
125 years (1899-90)
Men [pre-NCAA]
**none
The first of only 4 times over the 128 year history of the tournament there was no championship played
There was an unofficial tournament hosted by Laurance Harbour
Women [n/a]
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