Opinion & Analysis

Don’t know the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics? Here’s why you should

Published

5 years ago

Nov 10, 2018

Let’s start with a little college golf quiz: Name the college golfer who, in 2017, won the Nicklaus Award, played a PGA Tour event, won five times and earned a spot on the Palmer Cup? Hint: it’s not Braden Thornberry, Justin Suh or Norman Xiong. The answer is Dalton State’s outstanding freshman S.M. Lee (pictured in the featured image).

For many reading this article, you may be confused. Who’s S.M. Lee and even more importantly, where is Dalton State? If that’s your reaction, great! This article is written to help introduce you to the emerging world of National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, golfers, including players like S.M. Lee, and schools, like Oklahoma City, Texas Wesleyan, Coastal Georgia, Wayland Baptist, Marymount University (California), Keiser University, University of South Carolina Beaufort, Ottawa University Arizona and Dalton State.

Oklahoma City University

When discussing NAIA golf, it is important to note the success of one person: Kyle Blaser. Blaser, the coach of the 2018 NAIA National Champion Oklahoma City University Stars, is a 21-year veteran of the NAIA. During his career, he has won 11 national championships, 11 regional championships, 19 conference championships, and 107 tournament titles.

However, maybe the most important contribution Blaser has made is setting a high bar for other coaches — this year, his team shot net under par for three of nine events including 9 under at the national championship, a team low round of 263, and a team individual scoring average of 71.64 per player or 286.5 per team round.

The standard set by Blaser has resulted in a fiercely competitive group of teams. According to GolfStat, seven teams in the NAIA finished the season with team scoring averages of 73 or better. According to my data, this would put them among approximately the top 60 teams in Division I Golf. This is demonstrated by several schools including Keiser University and Dalton State. Overall, in 2018 Keiser had a 16-3 record vs. NCAA DI teams and 18-3 record vs. NCAA DII. Similarly, when Dalton State had the opportunity to compete in the prestigious Carpet Capital hosted by Georgia Tech in the fall, they finished 12th out of 15 teams, beating Virginia, UT-Chattanooga, and Troy.

NAIA golf is also starting to attract younger, professional coaches. Recently, Johnson and Wales University hired Danny Randolph to lead their men’s team. Randolph’s resume includes time in the Big 12 at Texas Christian University, as well as two team national championships during his time at Lynn University. Randolph follows in the footsteps of individuals like Ben Rickett, who left University of Tennessee Chattanooga to start Dalton State after helping Steven Fox win the 2012 U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills on the 37th hole.

Danny Randolph, the head coach at Johnson and Wales, came to the program from Lynn University where his team won back to back NCAA Division II titles. According to Randolph,

“I grew up in the NAIA, first watching and then playing at Bethel College. There are very good athletes and programs at the NAIA level in all sports but especially golf. Many teams travel the country competing on tour level golf courses against very good competition, often NCAA DI and DII schools. Universities invest time and resources, so the student-athletes have a tremendous college experience.”

The players

In 2017, the NAIA also featured 13 players in Golfstat Cup, each with an adjusted stroke average below par. The highest player ranked is S.M. Lee of Dalton State at six. He is also No. 103 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, a two-time Nickulas Award Winner who played in the 2017 Barbasol Championship and will represented the United States in the 2018 Palmer Cup.

Another player of note is Rowan Lester of Texas Wesleyan. A review I did after the fall semester demonstrated his tournament handicap to be +4.5. Pretty impressive, however the NAIA has a tradition of attracting talented players: Jim Renner and Tyrone Van Aswegen are a couple examples of individuals who used NAIA golf as a path to the PGA Tour.

Like teams from other divisions, NAIA coaches spend countless hours searching out the world’s best talent. As a result, a review of rosters demonstrated that many teams have both significant diversity and skill. For example, Keiser University features players from eight countries and seven states and have inked No. 197 on NJGS, Kritchayapol Sinchai and four other players with WAGR rankings for 2018.

According to Keiser Coach Brandon Miller, “the NAIA has been getting stronger and deeper every year. The talent pool of players in our fields and the depth of school’s with talented players are impressive. We are at the point where our NAIA tournaments are deeper and more competitive than the mid-major NCAA D1 events we play. I think many NAIA school’s can offer the same if not more to the student-athlete’s development as a golfer, student, and person in terms of facilities, tournament schedule, academics, and support. NAIA golf is on the rise; it’s exciting to see where we’ll be in a few years.”

The facilities

Beyond the quality of the play, maybe the most impressive (and overlooked) aspect of NAIA golf is the quality facilities. For example, Keiser University has an on-campus practice facility, as well as access to PGA National, host of the Honda Classic. Likewise, according to Ben Rickett, the head men’s coach Dalton State,

“We have access to so many good golf courses that allows us to draw some quality golfers to the school including The Farm and Dalton Golf and Country Club. We also have The Honors Course (2010 NCAA venue), Barnsley Gardens and Council Fire within an hour.”

I saw the nature of these facilities first hand, as I recently visited Ottawa University Arizona and head coach Clayton Sikorski in Phoenix, Arizona. Between touring campus and learning more about this dynamic new university, we had the opportunity to play rounds at Wigwam and Quintero. I quickly fell in love with Quintero, not only because I won, but because of the immaculate condition and breath-taking change of evaluation. Simply spectacular.

Why not NAIA?

Based on this the question is, “Why not NAIA?” At the root, it’s about stigma: People want the cache of dropping terms like “Division I” and “full scholarship.” However, I hope that readers will consider a different paradox: Schools should not be characterized by division, but instead by funding — either funded or not funded. A student athlete who is serious about pursuing golf should be less worried about the “division” and more about the school’s commitment to funding the program. By having this perspective, student athletes will find a school, coach, and team that is more likely to meet their golf expectations and enhance the experience of college golf.

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19th Hole

Vincenzi’s 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans betting preview

Published

6 days ago

Apr 22, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

The PGA TOUR heads to New Orleans to play the 2023 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. In a welcome change from the usual stroke play, the Zurich Classic is a team event. On Thursday and Saturday, the teams play best ball, and on Friday and Sunday the teams play alternate shot.

TPC Louisiana is a par 72 that measures 7,425 yards. The course features some short par 4s and plenty of water and bunkers, which makes for a lot of exciting risk/reward scenarios for competitors. Pete Dye designed the course in 2004 specifically for the Zurich Classic, although the event didn’t make its debut until 2007 because of Hurricane Katrina.

Coming off of the Masters and a signature event in consecutive weeks, the field this week is a step down, and understandably so. Many of the world’s top players will be using this time to rest after a busy stretch.

However, there are some interesting teams this season with some stars making surprise appearances in the team event. Some notable teams include Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, Collin Morikawa and Kurt Kitayama, Will Zalatoris and Sahith Theegala as well as a few Canadian teams, Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin and Taylor Pendrith and Corey Conners.

Past Winners at TPC Louisiana

2023: Riley/Hardy (-30)
2022: Cantlay/Schauffele (-29)
2021: Leishman/Smith (-20)
2019: Palmer/Rahm (-26)
2018: Horschel/Piercy (-22)
2017: Blixt/Smith (-27)

2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans Picks

Tom Hoge/Maverick McNealy +2500 (DraftKings)

Tom Hoge is coming off of a solid T18 finish at the RBC Heritage and finished T13 at last year’s Zurich Classic alongside Harris English.

This season, Hoge is having one of his best years on Tour in terms of Strokes Gained: Approach. In his last 24 rounds, the only player to top him on the category is Scottie Scheffler. Hoge has been solid on Pete Dye designs, ranking 28th in the field over his past 36 rounds.

McNealy is also having a solid season. He’s finished T6 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and T9 at the PLAYERS Championship. He recently started working with world renowned swing coach, Butch Harmon, and its seemingly paid dividends in 2024.

Keith Mitchell/Joel Dahmen +4000 (DraftKings)

Keith Mitchell is having a fantastic season, finishing in the top-20 of five of his past seven starts on Tour. Most recently, Mitchell finished T14 at the Valero Texas Open and gained a whopping 6.0 strokes off the tee. He finished 6th at last year’s Zurich Classic.

Joel Dahmen is having a resurgent year and has been dialed in with his irons. He also has a T11 finish at the PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass which is another Pete Dye track. With Mitchell’s length and Dahmen’s ability to put it close with his short irons, the Mitchell/Dahmen combination will be dangerous this week.

Taylor Moore/Matt NeSmith +6500 (DraftKings)

Taylor Moore has quickly developed into one of the more consistent players on Tour. He’s finished in the top-20 in three of his past four starts, including a very impressive showing at The Masters, finishing T20. He’s also finished T4 at this event in consecutive seasons alongside Matt NeSmith.

NeSmith isn’t having a great 2024, but has seemed to elevate his game in this format. He finished T26 at Pete Dye’s TPC Sawgrass, which gives the 30-year-old something to build off of. NeSmith is also a great putter on Bermudagrass, which could help elevate Moore’s ball striking prowess.

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19th Hole

Vincenzi’s 2024 LIV Adelaide betting preview: Cam Smith ready for big week down under

Published

6 days ago

Apr 22, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

After having four of the top twelve players on the leaderboard at The Masters, LIV Golf is set for their fifth event of the season: LIV Adelaide.

For both LIV fans and golf fans in Australia, LIV Adelaide is one of the most anticipated events of the year. With 35,000 people expected to attend each day of the tournament, the Grange Golf Club will be crawling with fans who are passionate about the sport of golf. The 12th hole, better known as “the watering hole”, is sure to have the rowdiest of the fans cheering after a long day of drinking some Leishman Lager.

The Grange Golf Club is a par-72 that measures 6,946 yards. The course features minimal resistance, as golfers went extremely low last season. In 2023, Talor Gooch shot consecutive rounds of 62 on Thursday and Friday, giving himself a gigantic cushion heading into championship Sunday. Things got tight for a while, but in the end, the Oklahoma State product was able to hold off The Crushers’ Anirban Lahiri for a three-shot victory.

The Four Aces won the team competition with the Range Goats finishing second.

*All Images Courtesy of LIV Golf*

Past Winners at LIV Adelaide

2023: Talor Gooch (-19)

Stat Leaders Through LIV Miami

Green in Regulation

Richard Bland
Jon Rahm
Paul Casey

Fairways Hit

Abraham Ancer
Graeme McDowell
Henrik Stenson

Driving Distance

Bryson DeChambeau
Joaquin Niemann
Dean Burmester

Putting

Cameron Smith
Louis Oosthuizen
Matt Jones

2024 LIV Adelaide Picks

Cameron Smith +1400 (DraftKings)

When I pulled up the odds for LIV Adelaide, I was more than a little surprised to see multiple golfers listed ahead of Cameron Smith on the betting board. A few starts ago, Cam finished runner-up at LIV Hong Kong, which is a golf course that absolutely suits his eye. Augusta National in another course that Smith could roll out of bed and finish in the top-ten at, and he did so two weeks ago at The Masters, finishing T6.

At Augusta, he gained strokes on the field on approach, off the tee (slightly), and of course, around the green and putting. Smith able to get in the mix at a major championship despite coming into the week feeling under the weather tells me that his game is once again rounding into form.

The Grange Golf Club is another course that undoubtedly suits the Australian. Smith is obviously incredibly comfortable playing in front of the Aussie faithful and has won three Australian PGA Championship’s. The course is very short and will allow Smith to play conservative off the tee, mitigating his most glaring weakness. With birdies available all over the golf course, there’s a chance the event turns into a putting contest, and there’s no one on the planet I’d rather have in one of those than Cam Smith.

Louis Oosthuizen +2200 (DraftKings)

Louis Oosthuizen has simply been one of the best players on LIV in the 2024 seas0n. The South African has finished in the top-10 on the LIV leaderboard in three of his five starts, with his best coming in Jeddah, where he finished T2. Perhaps more impressively, Oosthuizen finished T7 at LIV Miami, which took place at Doral’s “Blue Monster”, an absolutely massive golf course. Given that Louis is on the shorter side in terms of distance off the tee, his ability to play well in Miami shows how dialed he is with the irons this season.

In addition to the LIV finishes, Oosthuizen won back-to-back starts on the DP World Tour in December at the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the Mauritus Open. He also finished runner-up at the end of February in the International Series Oman. The 41-year-old has been one of the most consistent performers of 2024, regardless of tour.

For the season, Louis ranks 4th on LIV in birdies made, T9 in fairways hit and first in putting. He ranks 32nd in driving distance, but that won’t be an issue at this short course. Last season, he finished T11 at the event, but was in decent position going into the final round but fell back after shooting 70 while the rest of the field went low. This season, Oosthuizen comes into the event in peak form, and the course should be a perfect fit for his smooth swing and hot putter this week.

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Opinion & Analysis

The Wedge Guy: What really makes a wedge work? Part 1

Published

1 week ago

Apr 18, 2024

Terry Koehler

Of all the clubs in our bags, wedges are almost always the simplest in construction and, therefore, the easiest to analyze what might make one work differently from another if you know what to look for.

Wedges are a lot less mysterious than drivers, of course, as the major brands are working with a lot of “pixie dust” inside these modern marvels. That’s carrying over more to irons now, with so many new models featuring internal multi-material technologies, and almost all of them having a “badge” or insert in the back to allow more complex graphics while hiding the actual distribution of mass.

But when it comes to wedges, most on the market today are still single pieces of molded steel, either cast or forged into that shape. So, if you look closely at where the mass is distributed, it’s pretty clear how that wedge is going to perform.

To start, because of their wider soles, the majority of the mass of almost any wedge is along the bottom third of the clubhead. So, the best wedge shots are always those hit between the 2nd and 5th grooves so that more mass is directly behind that impact. Elite tour professionals practice incessantly to learn to do that consistently, wearing out a spot about the size of a penny right there. If impact moves higher than that, the face is dramatically thinner, so smash factor is compromised significantly, which reduces the overall distance the ball will fly.

Every one of us, tour players included, knows that maddening shot that we feel a bit high on the face and it doesn’t go anywhere, it’s not your fault.

If your wedges show a wear pattern the size of a silver dollar, and centered above the 3rd or 4th groove, you are not getting anywhere near the same performance from shot to shot. Robot testing proves impact even two to three grooves higher in the face can cause distance loss of up to 35 to 55 feet with modern ‘tour design’ wedges.

In addition, as impact moves above the center of mass, the golf club principle of gear effect causes the ball to fly higher with less spin. Think of modern drivers for a minute. The “holy grail” of driving is high launch and low spin, and the driver engineers are pulling out all stops to get the mass as low in the clubhead as possible to optimize this combination.

Where is all the mass in your wedges? Low. So, disregarding the higher lofts, wedges “want” to launch the ball high with low spin – exactly the opposite of what good wedge play requires penetrating ball flight with high spin.

While almost all major brand wedges have begun putting a tiny bit more thickness in the top portion of the clubhead, conventional and modern ‘tour design’ wedges perform pretty much like they always have. Elite players learn to hit those crisp, spinny penetrating wedge shots by spending lots of practice time learning to consistently make contact low in the face.

So, what about grooves and face texture?

Grooves on any club can only do so much, and no one has any material advantage here. The USGA tightly defines what we manufacturers can do with grooves and face texture, and modern manufacturing techniques allow all of us to push those limits ever closer. And we all do. End of story.

Then there’s the topic of bounce and grinds, the most complex and confusing part of the wedge formula. Many top brands offer a complex array of sole configurations, all of them admittedly specialized to a particular kind of lie or turf conditions, and/or a particular divot pattern.

But if you don’t play the same turf all the time, and make the same size divot on every swing, how would you ever figure this out?

The only way is to take any wedge you are considering and play it a few rounds, hitting all the shots you face and observing the results. There’s simply no other way.

So, hopefully this will inspire a lively conversation in our comments section, and I’ll chime in to answer any questions you might have.

And next week, I’ll dive into the rest of the wedge formula. Yes, shafts, grips and specifications are essential, too.

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