For instance, when combining Golfweek’s men’s and women’s NCAA Division I top 25, seven California-based programs are ranked, while there are six from Texas, and four each from North Carolina and Oklahoma.
But it’s one of the states that’s tied for fifth place, with three representatives in the top 25 — men’s and women’s rankings combined — that might raise a few eyebrows.
That would be none other than Colorado.
Yes, that’s right: Going into the spring portion of the schedule, which starts as soon as next week for some teams, three Colorado-based NCAA Division I programs are ranked in Golfweek’s men’s and women’s top 25. Only the aforementioned four states have more combined representatives in those polls.
For the record, the University of Colorado women are ranked 14th by Golfweek, while the University of Denver women are 23rd (20th by Golfstat), and the Colorado State University men are 18th. And, in the NCAA Division II ranks, the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs men are 10th nationally according to Golfstat.
Not bad for a state that has its fair share of snow during the college golf season.
Not coincidentally, the three ranked DI teams are the three Colorado programs that posted outright team victories in the fall, with the DU women notching two wins and the CU women and CSU men one each.
But the crucial part of the season comes with the “spring” schedule, which in some cases begins in late January and continues through May. That includes conference championships and NCAA regionals and finals. First up for local teams is the DU men’s appearance at the Arizona Intercollegiate in Tucson Monday and Tuesday (Jan. 29-30).
Individually, a plethora of local players and golfers from Colorado-based teams are ranked among the top college players in the country going into the spring schedule.
In Golfstat’s top 100 on the women’s side are:
9. Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster, Wake Forest
28. Robyn Choi, CU
39. Kirsty Hodgkins, CU
55. Hannah Wood of Highlands Ranch, Oklahoma
58. Lauren Whyte, DU
69. Sophie Newlove, DU
70. Brittany Fan, CU
Kupcho, who remains third in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Rankings, and Hodgkins, along with CSU’s Katrina Prendergast, scored individual victories in the fall.
In Golfstat’s men’s top 100 is CSU sophomore AJ Ott, who checks in at 92nd. In the Division II ranks, 2016 CGA Amateur champion Colin Prater of UCCS is 16th, while Chase Carlson of Colorado Christian is 30th.
Kyler Dunkle of Larkspur, who plays for Utah, posted an individual win in the fall and is ranked 228th.
Here’s a brief look at each of the Colorado-based NCAA Division I programs entering the spring season:
CU Men
Spring Opener — Feb. 1-3, Amer Ari Intercollegiate, Waikoloa, Hawaii.
Conference Championship — Pac-12 Men, April 23-25, Rolling Hills Estates, Calif.
Highest Current National Ranking — 54th (Golfweek).
Top-Five Team Finishes This Season — Tie for first (lost in playoff), third.
Top-Five Individual Finishes — Spencer Painton (second), Yannik Paul (third), Daniel O’Loughlin (fifth).
Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — 185. Daniel O’Loughlin (Golfstat).
Top Fall Scoring Average — Daniel O’Loughlin 71.00.
CU Women
Spring Opener — Feb. 11-13, Lady Puerto Rico Classic.
Conference Championship — Pac-12 Women, April 22-24, Seattle.
Highest Current National Ranking — 14th (Golfweek).
Top-Five Team Finishes This Season — Won Gonzaga Coeur D’Alene Resort College Invitational, second, third, fourth.
Top-Five Individual Finishes — Kirsty Hodgkins (win, second), Robyn Choi (second, third, fifth).
Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — 28. Robyn Choi (Golfstat), 32. Kirsty Hodgkins (Golfweek), 70. Brittany Fan (Golfstat).
Top Fall Scoring Average — Robyn Choi and Kirsty Hodgkins 71.92.
CSU Men
Spring Opener — Feb. 25-26, National Invitational Tournament, Tucson, Ariz.
Conference Championship — Mountain West Men, April 20-22, Bremerton, Wash.
Highest Current National Ranking — 18th (Golfweek).
Top-Five Team Finishes This Season — Won Ram Masters Invitational, second, third, fifth.
Top-Five Individual Finishes — Max Oelfke (second), AJ Ott (fourth), Jake Staiano (fifth).
Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — 92. AJ Ott (Golfstat); 151. Max Oelfke (Golfstat); 155. Jake Staiano (Golfstat); 175. Parathakorn Suyasri (Golfstat); 180. Colton Yates (Golfstat).
Top Fall Scoring Average — AJ Ott 70.75.
CSU Women
Spring Opener — Feb. 12-13, Gold Rush, Long Beach, Calif.
Conference Championship — Mountain West Women, April 16-18, Rancho Mirage, Calif.
Highest Current National Ranking — 99th (Golfstat).
Top-Five Team Finishes This Season — Third twice.
Top-Five Individual Finishes — Katrina Predergast (win, second), Ellen Secor (fifth).
Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — 161. Katrina Prendergast (Golfweek).
Top Fall Scoring Average — Katrina Prendergast 72.33.
DU Men
Spring Opener — Jan. 29-30, Arizona Intercollegiate, Tucson, Ariz.
Conference Championship — Summit League Men, April 29-May 1, Newton, Kan.
Highest Current National Ranking — 95th (Golfstat).
Top-Five Team Finishes This Season — None.
Top-Five Individual Finishes — None.
Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — 121. Chris Korte (Golfstat).
Top Fall Scoring Average — Chris Korte 71.33.
DU Women
Spring Multi-Team Opener — Feb. 18-20, Allstate Sugar Bowl Invitational, New Orleans.
Conference Championship — Summit League Women, April 22-24, Nebraska City.
Highest Current National Ranking — 20th (Golfstat).
Top-Five Team Finishes This Season — Won Golfweek Conference Challenge, won Ron Moore Women’s Intercollegiate, fourth.
Top-Five Individual Finishes — Sophie Newlove (fourth).
Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — 58. Lauren Whyte (Golfstat), 69. Sophie Newlove (Golfstat), 111. Mary Weinstein (Golfstat).
Top Fall Scoring Average — Sophie Newlove 72.08.
UNC Men
Spring Opener — Feb. 15-17, John Burns Intercollegiate, Lihiu, Hawaii.
Conference Championship — Big Sky Men, April 13-15, Davis, Calif.
Highest Current National Ranking — 129th (Golfstat).
Top-Five Team Finishes This Season — None.
Top-Five Individual Finishes — Joshua Matz (fifth).
Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — none.
Top Fall Scoring Average — Joshua Matz 71.50.
UNC Women
Spring Opener — Feb. 12-13, Battle at Boulder Creek, Boulder City, Nev.
Conference Championship — Big Sky Women, April 20-22, Boulder City, Nev.
Highest Current National Ranking — 155th (Golfstat).
Top-Five Team Finishes This Season — None.
Top-Five Individual Finishes — None.
Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — none.
Top Fall Scoring Average — Morgan Sahm 73.08.
Air Force Academy Men
Spring Multi-Team Opener — Feb. 25-26, Loyola Intercollegiate, Goodyear, Ariz.
Conference Championship — Mountain West Men, April 20-22, Bremerton, Wash.
Highest Current National Ranking — 187th (Golfstat).
Top-Five Team Finishes This Season — None.
Top-Five Individual Finishes — Bryant Falconello (fourth), Joseph Crisostomo (fifth).
Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — none.
Top Fall Scoring Average — Tate Tatom 72.83.
The two months from early September to early November featured the following highlights from a Centennial State perspective:
— Four team victories in invitational tournaments for Colorado-based programs. That includes a remarkable feat by the University of Denver women, who won two events in just 11 days — both victories coming in Colorado. Other outright team wins in the fall were notched by the Colorado State University men (left at their Ram Masters Invitational, where they prevailed for the fourth straight year) and the University of Colorado women. For statistical and rankings purposes, the CU men technically tied for a win in their own Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational, but Utah won a team playoff to claim the title at Colorado National.
— Four individual wins by Coloradans or players at Colorado-based schools. Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster (Wake Forest), Kyler Dunkle of Larkspur (Utah), CU’s Kirsty Hodgkins and CSU’s Katrina Prendergast all scored individual victories. It was the fourth in her college career for Kupcho, and the first for Dunkle, Hodgkins and Prendergast.
— Three of the nine Colorado Division I teams are ranked in the top 20 in the nation after the fall schedule. The CU women are No. 14 nationally according to Golfweek, while Golfstat has DU No. 20 in the nation. On the men’s side, CSU is 18th in the country according to Golfweek after four top-five finishes in four fall events.
— Ten local players are ranked among the top 100 individuals nationally by Golfstat, including four Colorado residents. Among women, Kupcho is ninth, CU’s Robyn Choi 28th, CU’s Hodgkins 39th, Coloradan Hannah Wood (Oklahoma) 55th, DU’s Lauren Whyte 56th, CU’s Brittany Fan 71st and DU’s Sophie Newlove 72nd. For the men, there’s three CSU players in the top 100: Max Oelfke at 75th, AJ Ott at 76th and Jake Staiano at 88th. Kupcho, who’s No. 3 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Rankings, and Choi played in this year’s U.S. Women’s Open, and Kupcho and Wood in last year’s.
— Several local golfers landed conference player of the month awards in the fall: Kupcho in the ACC for October, Hodgkins in the Pac-12 for September, and Newlove in the Summit for October.
Here are brief wrapups of the fall for the nine NCAA Division I teams based in Colorado:
CU Men
Top-Five Team Finishes — Tie for first (lost in playoff), third.
Top-Five Individual Finishes — Spencer Painton (second), Yannik Paul (third), Daniel O’Loughlin (fifth).
Highest National Rankings (Golfweek/Golfstat) — 54th (Golfweek).
Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — 190. Daniel O’Loughlin (Golfstat).
Spring Opener — Feb. 1-3, Amer Ari Intercollegiate, Waikoloa, Hawaii.
CU Women
Top-Five Team Finishes — Won Gonzaga Coeur D’Alene Resort College Invitational, second, third, fourth.
Top-Five Individual Finishes — Kirsty Hodgkins (win, second), Robyn Choi (second, third, fifth).
Highest National Rankings (Golfweek/Golfstat) — 14th (Golfweek).
Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — 28. Robyn Choi (Golfstat), 32. Kirsty Hodgkins (Golfweek), 71. Brittany Fan (Golfstat).
Spring Opener — Feb. 11-13, Lady Puerto Rico Classic.
CSU Men
Top-Five Team Finishes — Won Ram Masters Invitational, second, third, fifth.
Top-Five Individual Finishes — Max Oelfke (second), AJ Ott (fourth), Jake Staiano (fifth).
Highest National Rankings (Golfweek/Golfstat) — 18th (Golfweek).
Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — 75. Max Oelfke (Golfstat), 76. AJ Ott (Golfstat), 88. Jake Staiano (Golfstat), 193. Colton Yates (Golfweek).
Spring Opener — Feb. 25-26, National Invitational Tournament, Tucson, Ariz.
CSU Women
Top-Five Team Finishes — Third twice.
Top-Five Individual Finishes — Katrina Predergast (win, second), Ellen Secor (fifth).
Highest National Rankings (Golfweek/Golfstat) — 99th (Golfstat).
Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — 161. Katrina Prendergast (Golfweek).
Spring Opener — Feb. 12-13, Gold Rush, Long Beach, Calif.
DU Men
Top-Five Team Finishes — None.
Top-Five Individual Finishes — None.
Highest National Rankings (Golfweek/Golfstat) — 96th (Golfstat).
Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — 115. Chris Korte (Golfstat).
Spring Opener — Jan. 29-30, Arizona Intercollegiate, Tucson, Ariz.
DU Women
Top-Five Team Finishes — Won Golfweek Conference Challenge, won Ron Moore Women’s Intercollegiate, fourth.
Top-Five Individual Finishes — Sophie Newlove (fourth).
Highest National Rankings (Golfweek/Golfstat) — 20th (Golfstat).
Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — 56. Lauren Whyte (Golfstat), 72. Sophie Newlove (Golfstat), 112. Mary Weinstein (Golfstat).
Spring Multi-Team Opener — Feb. 18-20, Allstate Sugar Bowl Invitational, New Orleans.
UNC Men
Top-Five Team Finishes — None.
Top-Five Individual Finishes — Joshua Matz (fifth).
Highest National Rankings (Golfweek/Golfstat) — 129th (Golfstat).
Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — none.
Spring Opener — Feb. 15-17, John Burns Intercollegiate, Lihiu, Hawaii.
UNC Women
Top-Five Team Finishes — None.
Top-Five Individual Finishes — None.
Highest National Rankings (Golfweek/Golfstat) — 155th (Golfstat).
Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — none.
Spring Opener — Feb. 12-13, Battle at Boulder Creek, Boulder City, Nev.
Air Force Academy Men
Top-Five Team Finishes — None.
Top-Five Individual Finishes — Bryant Falconello (fourth), Joseph Crisostomo (fifth).
Highest National Rankings (Golfweek/Golfstat) — 186th (Golfstat).
Individuals Ranked in Top 200 Nationally — none.
Spring Opener — Feb. 25-26, Loyola Intercollegiate, Goodyear, Ariz.
On Monday, the sophomore turned 20 years old. And, as a surprise, her mom, dad and two sisters traveled to New Orleans to celebrate the big day, which fell during the Allstate Sugar Bowl Intercollegiate tournament. And to cap things off, Stewart came up with a little surprise of her own, winning a college event for the first time — and against one of the best women’s fields of the season.
“That was pretty awesome,” Stewart said in a phone interview with COgolf.org. “The tournament had such a good field. I guess that was one of the best tournaments to do it in.”
That Stewart had the right stuff wasn’t any major surprise, though. After all, she ranks No. 7 among all the world’s women’s amateurs, according to amateurgolf.com. Still, she proved she’s worthy by beating many of college golf’s top women’s players in posting the victory in the Big Easy.
Among those in the Sugar Bowl field were six of the top 20 women’s college golfers in the nation, according to Golfweek, including No. 1-ranked Lindy Duncan of Duke.
Stewart, who’s in her first season at CU after transferring from NCAA runner-up Purdue, played her last 11 holes in 5 under par and shot a 67. That was enough for her to overcome an eight-stroke deficit on the final day and win by one. (Stewart is pictured above in a photo taken by Tulane University officials.)
It was just the sixth college individual title ever won by a CU women’s player, and coach Anne Kelly said it was the best field a Buff player has ever won against.
“Alex is a great player, and she was a great player when she got here,” Kelly said. “She came back for the spring season ready to play, and (assistant coach Brent Franklin) and I said she was right on the verge. She was in the zone and broke through, which was very exciting to see.”
But Stewart admits she had “no idea” where she stood on the leaderboard coming down the stretch.
“As a player you don’t quite know how you’re doing unless you ask your coach or someone,” Kelly noted. “I was just trying to stay out of her way. When she got off the 18th green I said, ‘Alex, I think you just won.’ And a big smile came across her face.”
Stewart’s performance helped the Buffs beat three of the top four teams in the nation and finish second in the tournament, behind only Duke. That showing helped moved CU up to No. 14 in the most recent Golfstat rankings — the highest in the history of the program.
“That was a real confidence booster for everyone on the team,” Stewart said.
Stewart’s presence has helped take CU from being a strong team to one that can compete effectively with just about any opponent in the country. Stewart joins seniors Emily Talley and Jessica Wallace in leading a CU team that hopes to qualify for the NCAA Championship finals for the first time ever.
Stewart joining the Buffs marked the second very fortuitous addition to the CU roster via transfer in recent years. Wallace transferred to CU from Pepperdine in 2010 after finishing 21st individually in the NCAA Championships. Then Stewart made a similar decision, leaving 2011 NCAA runner-up Purdue to become a Buff.
Stewart grew up in Elk Grove, near Sacramento, Calif., before moving to Arizona when she was 17. She was homeschooled and didn’t play high school golf, but was a very highly recruited golfer by virtue of her performance on the AJGA circuit and in other competition. The 2009 U.S. Junior Solheim Cup team member committed early to Purdue, a team that would go on to win the 2010 NCAA title.
Stewart said she considered CU “a little” during the recruiting process, but wanted to go to a higher-ranked program. And though she played seven tournaments last season for Purdue, she opted to transfer.
“It wasn’t the right fit,” she said of the Boilermakers. “And it was far from home, and I wanted to transfer somewhere closer.”
But there are a lot of quality women’s teams in the western U.S. What made her choose CU?
She said the decision was mainly based on conversations she had with Talley and Wallace, who Stewart knew from junior golf.
“They had a lot of good things to say” about CU, Stewart said. “And I knew I could trust their opinion.”
So after asking Wallace — via Facebook — about the transfer process, Stewart switched to CU, with the move being announced less than two weeks after the 2011 NCAA Championships, in which Stewart didn’t compete for Purdue.
And what Stewart did during tournaments last summer only made Kelly and the Buffs more optimistic about their prospects for this season. Stewart finished second in the prestigious Women’s Trans-National and third in the Canadian Women’s Amateur.
In addition to posting three top-10 individual finishes this season for CU, Stewart had very strong performances at tournaments outside of college in January. She placed fourth in the South Atlantic Amateur and went to the semifinals of the Jones-Doherty Women’s Amateur.
“I watched her as a junior (player) and I was impressed then, and she gets better and better,” Kelly said. “She’s a hard worker and is dedicated to becoming the best player she can be. She has the ability to take it to the LPGA Tour if that’s what she wants.”
And Stewart does want to be a professional tour player. But in the meantime, she has some big aspirations for the remainder of her college career.
“My goal is to play in nationals and win as an individual and as a team,” she said.