By Cassie Stein, Golfweek
We’re halfway through the college season, and
while many tournaments still remain, certain
players have put themselves in front for the
Haskins Award, which honors college golf’s top
player. Players not on the list are not excluded
from consideration. Players can still play their
way into contention this spring.
Here’s a look some frontrunners, potential
winners and surprise players of the fall:
LEADERS IN THE CLUBHOUSE
Trey Mullinax, Alabama senior
Hometown: Birmingham, Ala.
Golfweek rank: 1
Fall finishes: T-4, OFCC Fighting Illini
Invitational; 2nd, Jerry Pate National
Intercollegiate; Won, Isleworth Collegiate
Invitational; T-6, Gifford Collegiate
The skinny: Mullinax made a name for himself
this fall, and that’s especially hard with names
like Whitsett and Wyatt on a stacked Alabama
team. He has stepped out of the shadows and
into the spotlight showing he can win and
contend at tournaments on the grandest of
stages.
Ollie Schniederjans, Georgia Tech
junior
Hometown: Powder Springs, Ga.
Golfweek rank: 2
Fall finishes: T-1, Carpet Capital Collegiate;
3rd, Tar Heel Intercollegiate; T-4, Brickyard
Collegiate; Won, U.S. Collegiate
Championship
The skinny: Possibly the most dominant player
of the fall with his two wins at two
tournaments with top-notch fields.
Schniederjans' wins at the Carpet Capital and
the U.S. Collegiate were his first and second
wins of his collegiate career, and with that,
expect him to be hungry for more in the spring.
Brandon Hagy, California senior
Hometown: Westlake Village, Calif.
Golfweek rank: 4
Fall finishes: 2nd, Gopher Invitational; 3rd, St.
Mary’s (Calif.) Invitational; Won, Jack Nicklaus
Invitational; T-4 Alister MacKenzie Invitational;
T-8, Isleworth Collegiate Invitational
The skinny: Has shown he can play with
anyone over the last two years. Hagy’s length
and putting is a huge factory in why he has
five top-10 finishes in five events this fall. He
has one of the best head-to-head records
thus far this season with a 350-13-5 record.
Ben Crancer, Texas A+M sophomore
Hometown: Kirkwood, Mo.
Golfweek rank: 5
Fall finishes: Won, Dick’s Challenge Cup; T-8,
Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate; T-23, U.S.
Collegiate Championship
The skinny: When Crancer won the Dick’s
Challenge Cup with rounds of 68-63-66 and by
seven shots, he showed that he can play with
top talent. His game has come around since
joining the Aggies last fall.
HAVE POTENTIAL
Patrick Rodgers,
Stanford junior
Hometown: Avon, Ind.
Golfweek rank: 24
Fall finishes: T-21, OFCC Fighting Illini
Invitational; Won, Erin Hill Intercollegiate; T-
15, U.S. Collegiate Championship; T-8, Royal
Oaks Intercollegiate
The skinny: Rodgers struggled this fall,
although he picked up his sixth collegiate
career victory. Expect more out of this
talented Cardinal as the spring race for player
of the year heats up.
Michael Kim,
California junior
Hometown: Del Mar, Calif.
Golfweek rank: 67
Fall finishes: T-8, St. Mary’s (Calif.)
Invitational; T-11, Jack Nicklaus Invitational;
T-18, Isleworth Collegiate Invitational
The skinny: The reigning Haskins Award winner
isn’t living up to last season's hype, where he
won four times and finished in the top 10 in 10
of 14 stroke-play events. He was absent for
two of Cal’s tournaments this fall due to the
Walker Cup and illness, but don’t rule him out
just yet. As long as he stays in school, after a
little break this winter, Kim should be ready to
go in the spring and help the Bears make a run
to the national championship.
SURPRISE CANDIDATES
Gavin Green, New Mexico junior
Hometown: Malaysia
Golfweek rank: 18
Fall finishes: 3rd, Gopher Invitational; T-7,
Golfweek Conference Challenge; T-1, William H.
Tucker Championship; T-16, Isleworth
Collegiate Invitational; T-15 Royal Oaks
Intercollegiate; Won, Western Refining College
All-America Golf Classic
The skinny: Green made a name for himself by
winning the All-America Golf Classic in El Paso
for his second win of the fall season. He can
close tournaments with low final rounds (5-
under 66, All-America Golf Classic).
Scott Vincent, Virginia Tech junior
Hometown: Zimbabwe
Golfweek rank: 20
Fall finishes: T-1, Golfweek Conference
Challenge; Won, VCU Shootout; T-4 Brickyard
Collegiate; Won, Bank of Tennessee
Intercollegiate; T-36, UNCG Bridgestone
Collegiate
The skinny: In all three of his wins, Vincent
shot low numbers to either win or come from
behind and win, and that says a lot about
Vincent as a player. He averaged a 69.71 in
the fall and never shot over 75.
J.T. Poston, Western Carolina junior
Hometown: Hickory, N.C.
Golfweek rank: 16
Fall finishes: Won, Golfweek Program
Challenge; Won, Cardinal Intercollegiate; 4th,
Wolfpack Intercollegiate; T-2, The Invitational
at the Ocean Course; Won, Hummingbird
Intercollegiate
The skinny: Three wins this fall is impressive.
His overall head-to-head record is 348-4-1,
but only 1-1-0 against top-25 players. He
averaged a 68.93 this fall.
Denny McCarthy, Virginia junior
Hometown: Rockville, Md.
Golfweek rank: 10
Fall finishes: 4th, Northern Intercollegiate; 5th,
Dick’s Challenge Cup; 2nd, Bank of Tennessee
Intercollegiate; 15th, U.S. Collegiate
Championship
The skinny: McCarthy was one of the top-
ranked juniors coming out of the class of 2011.
He has stayed under the radar for most of the
last two years, but this year may be his
coming-out party.
OTHERS ON OUR RADAR
Michael Weaver, Senior, California; Bobby
Wyatt, Senior, Alabama; Cory Whitsett,
Senior, Alabama; Joey Garber, Senior, Georgia.