The college fall season is wrapped up and after three months of competition, and some storylines have bubbled to the surface. As the winter approaches, players and teams will regroup to prepare for a strong spring season. 

Before closing the book on the fall, here are some storylines that stand out and might be worth tracking in the coming months.

David Ford is playing the best golf of his life.

The UNC senior has rocketed up the PGA Tour University standings over the course of the fall. In the September 11 ranking, he was ranked 8th. Now he’s in the top spot after two consecutive wins to finish the fall. 

The Tar Heels lost some pivotal players after last year - Dylan Menante, Austin Greaser, and Peter Fountain. Ford has stepped into the role of leader, recording his best scoring average (69.17) since arriving at Chapel Hill. In four events, his worst finish is a T8 at the Sahalee Players Championship. 

Jasmine Koo is this year’s Jackson Kiovun

The first year player at USC has been sensational this fall. After a 15th place debut in the Leadership and Golf Invitational, she got her feet under her and won the last three events - Windy City Collegiate, Stanford Intercollegiate, and East Lake. East Lake was a one round event, but she also helped the Trojans win the East Lake Cup team event. 

There are two players in the Scoreboard individual rankings who have two wins this fall - Mirabel Ting (FSU) and Natasha Kiel (Purdue). Koo is the only one with three.

Top ten shake-up

Comparing the most recent Golfweek College Coaches poll to the preseason version, and it’s clear to see there has been a shakeup. Five of the teams from the preseason pool remain in the top 10 (Auburn, ASU, Virginia, Texas, UNC) and five are out (Vanderbilt, FSU, Tennessee, Illinois, and Florida). Of course, five new teams have jumped into the top ten. Ole Miss and Oklahoma crashed the party and are currently No. 1 and No. 2., respectively. LSU, Oklahoma State, and Arizona have also ha strong fall seasons and cracked the top ten. 

Ole Miss has been stupendous this fall, winning twice and finishing runner-up in their other two events. They were 12th in the Golfweek Preseason Poll. 

What does all this mean for the spring? It’s hard to say. Some teams will have a lot of questions to answer when they tee it up in the spring. Vanderbilt, in particular, who are currently 16th in Golfweek’s ranking and in the national Scoreboard powered by Clippd ranking. 

Stanford Women continue incredible run

The Cardinal dominated again this fall. They won all three stroke play events - The Molly Collegiate, Stanford Intercollegiate, Nanea Invitational. They also had two individual winners, as Paula Martin Sampedro earned her first collegiate win at The Molly, and Megha Ganne notched her second career win at the Nanea Invitational.  Winning three team events is impressive, but also recording two individual titles highlights how strong the Stanford roster is. 

They also won all three matches in the in NB3 Matchplay at Twin Warriors against New Mexico, New Mexico State, and Texas. Every other team in the top 25 on Scoreboard played at least four matches. 

LPGA Q-School Choice

Adela Cernousek (Texas A&M), Zoe Campos (UCLA), Caroline Canales (UCLA), Julia Lopez Ramirez (Miss. St), and Catie Craig (W. Kentucky) all qualified for LPGA Final Qualifying. They each have a choice before the Final Qualifying on Dec. 5. Turn pro and try to earn an LPGA Tour Card or remain an amateur and play college golf. 

It’s not the first time this has happened, and it seems likely that they will all be on campus for the spring season; however, it’s something worth watching as they are all seniors, and there is the temptation of being so close to LPGA Tour status.

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