Quick 9: Atypical Trophies
Fall 2024
One of the best things about college golf is the sheer number of tournaments hosted around the country each season. Each one has its own unique style and array of trophies and awards. Some will make excellent additions to trophy cases while others will adorn practice facility walls. All of them tell a story.
Won’t you join me for a picturesque quick 9?
*NOTE: underlined text provides a link to references or sites with more information
1. SAHALEE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP [Sep 7-8, 2024]
The Sahalee Players Championship started as an elite (male) amateur tournament in 1992 hosted by Sahalee CC. In 2023, Washington became the host team in the first iteration of the tournament as a collegiate team event. Now in its second year in this format, the SPC continues to be a big time event with big time trophies. Arizona State ran away from the field with an 11-stroke victory and was the only team to finish the tournament under par. Two players - reigning US Am champ Jose Luis Ballester and Preston Summerhays - tied for 2nd place individually, just a shot behind Oregon’s Aiden Krafft who took the individual title at 212/-4. Krafft started the day in a tie for 2nd, but ended the final 9 holes (front 9) at -1 to earn his first collegiate medalist honors.
2. BETTIE LOU EVANS INVITATIONAL [Sep 8-10, 2024]
Kentucky hosted the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational for the first time since 2019, playing at Champion Trace at Keene Trace Golf Club. The tournament is held in honor of former Kentucky women’s Head Coach Bettie Lou Evans, who coached from 1979-2001 and then served as the Director of Golf Operations for the entire Kentucky golf program 2001-18. The tournament - formerly known as the Wildcat Fall Invitational - has been played 31 times since 1979, was revived and renamed after the recent passing of Coach Evans last year. TCU was in command from the opening round and back-to-back even par 288s closed out a 12 stroke team victory. Washington State’s Alice Johansson earned her first career medalist honors with a final round 68/-4 that, despite two closing bogeys, was good enough to hold off TCU’s Kirstin Angosta by a single stroke.
3. INVERNESS INTERCOLLEGIATE [Sep 9-10, 2024]
The legendary Inverness Club and the University of Toledo have hosted the Inverness Intercollegiate since 2000. This year’s tournament is the first since 2022 and some ongoing renovations by Andrew Green had the par 71 course reduced down to a par 69. Virginia started the final round 8 strokes and three positions back, but a closing 270/-6 made up the deficit and gave them a four stroke victory as the only team under par. Auburn’s Jackson Koivun opened the tournament with a 63/-6 and cruised to a two stroke victory with a final 198/-9 total for his 12th career top5 finish in only 14 starts.
4. FOLDS OF HONOR COLLEGIATE [Sep 9-11, 2024]
The Folds of Honor Collegiate is quickly becoming one of the most high profile events of the Fall season. In its third year of play at the American Dunes Golf Club, tv viewers were treated with great golf on a stunning course with an equally stunning fighter pilot helmet as a trophy. The women’s event - played concurrently with the men’s - is new for this year and will undoubtedly become just as important in the coming seasons. Fans tuned into the Golf Channel on a Wednesday morning to see the Arizona women capture a 3 stroke victory and earn new head coach Giovana Maymon a win in her debut tournament at the helm of the Wildcat team. Florida State gave it a great run down the stretch as Mirabel Ting birdied five of her last six holes to earn medalist honors and perhaps the coolest trophy in college golf.
On the men’s side, Alabama swept the team and individual titles, managing to capture this cool photo just before sunset. The Tide earned their celebratory milkshakes in a seven stroke victory led by new transfer Dominic Clemons who became the first Bama golfer to medal in his team debut since Justin Thomas won his freshman year.
5. ANNIKA INTERCOLLEGIATE [Sep 9-11, 2024]
The Annika (Sorenstam) Foundation, which also sponsors the Annika Award, initiated the Annika Intercollegiate tournament in 2014 at the Royal Golf Club in Minneapolis, MN. The 10th playing this year (none in 2020) saw the South Carolina team repeat as champs and set multiple records. The team had led all three rounds, pulling away with a final round 276/-12 for a tournament-record 27-stroke victory. Teammates Hannah Darling and Louise Rydqvist finished 1st and 2nd on the individual side, with Darling setting the new tournament low score record with her 202/-14. Rydqvist had finished co-medalist last year with three other players and had been chosen by her coach to receive the coveted sponsor exemption into the ANNIKA LPGA Tour event which was awarded to the winning team. The South Carolina team voted to give Rydqvist the exemption again this year, where she will hope to again make the cut at the tournament this November.
6. NITTANY LION INVITATIONAL [Sep 14-15, 2024]
Penn State has hosted the Nittany Lion Invitational 34 times dating back to the event’s debut in 1974. The 2024 tournament marked the 25th consecutive playing of the event in the fall season. Princeton took over the lead in the second round and never looked back as they cruised to a 15 stroke victory. Both team and individual Lion(ess) trophies made the trip back to New Jersey as Princeton’s Catherine Rao returned to the lineup - missed last season due to injury - in a big way.
7. JT POSTON INVITATIONAL [Sep 15-17, 2024]
You know you have an iconic trophy when it is used as the logo for your tournament. That’s exactly what Western Carolina has done with the JT Poston Invitational. The namesake of the trophy is former player JT “The Postman” Poston who graduated in 2015 and played in this tournament - which began in 2004 - when it was known as the Hummingbird Intercollegiate. The tournament was renamed in 2019 in honor of the very successful alum. The 2024 edition was played at its new home, the Waynesville Inn & Golf Club, a place Lipscomb apparently really likes. On the back of a 2nd round 269/-11 blitzing of the course, Lipscomb took the team title by 8 strokes. They left North Carolina with not one but two new mailboxes for the golf facility back in Nashville as Alejandro Rodriguez earned his first medalist honors by four strokes.
8. VALERO TEXAS COLLEGIATE [Sep 21-23, 2024]
Now in its second playing at TPC San Antonio, the Valero Texas Collegiate - which is associated with the Valero Texas Open PGA Tour event - has already gained a reputation as a high-class collegiate event. It proved to be an interesting stage for Oklahoma men’s team to continue a unique streak: winning a team title in each of the 16 seasons under head coach Ryan Hybl. The Sooners got off to a hot start behind Jase Summy’s program-record 62/-10 in the first round, and took the team lead early in the final round, ultimately prevailing by 6 strokes. Virginia’s Ben James started the final round in 5th, but a closing birdie to shoot 66/-6 moved him into a tie with Auburn’s Josiah Gilbert. James beat out Gilbert in a one-hole playoff to earn the individual title (they share co-medalist honors in the record books) and exemption into the 2025 Valero Texas Open.
9. SCHOONER FALL CLASSIC [Sep 21-23, 2024]
Oklahoma first started hosting the Schooner Fall Classic in 2013 at Belmar Golf Club, and since then the event has seen plenty of history including the 2018-19 Alabama team setting multiple women’s NCAA golf records: low 54-hole score and score-to-par records on both the team and individual sides. The 2024 edition was shortened to 36 holes after the second round was washed out. The Houston team did not post the lowest round either day, however their combined 551/-9 was good enough for a two stroke victory. Florida State’s Mirabel Ting continued her impressive Fall season with a second consecutive victory, out-pacing teammate Lottie Woad, Valentine Delon [Virginia Tech], and Anna Davis [Auburn] by a single stroke.
AT THE TURN:
THE CLIFFHANGER [Sep ?-14, 2024]
Sometimes you see some cool things in the clubhouse when grabbing a snack at the turn. Today we spotted a trophy that is even more unique because it doesn’t come from a collegiate tournament, but rather from a team qualifier. Cal senior Charlie Berridge won the first team qualifier to take (temporary?) ownership of The Cliffhanger trophy. New head coach Michael Wilson posted this picture on social media, giving fans a rare glimpse into the uniquely cool things teams do for qualifying to make the traveling lineup.
We will definitely be doing more posts on college golf trophies! Let me know what suggestions you have on trophies to highlight.