Golf is very different from most other sports because there is no particular age at which the athlete can peek. This in turn means that there is no rush to make it to the pros, as is the case in many other sports. This gives athletes time to get a university degree. Golf is a great sport to play at universities in the US as its gives athletes access to some of the greatest facilities and coaches available while still be able to continue on their education and gain a degree.
As is the case in every sport, the chances of athletes cracking into the top 1% are very difficult. Having a degree still gives athletes the opportunity to do something else during the pro career or even after it. The US is home to many beautiful courses that student athletes are given the chance to play on. The 2012 Division I men’s championship tournament for example was hosted at the Riviera Country Club in California which has also been host to the US open and PGA Championship.
Many professional players including Tiger Woods, who played at Stanford, have come through college programs. Some other notable players include Fuzzy Zoeller from the University of Houston won a Masters Tournament and US Open, Bubba Watson from the University of Georgia won the Masters and Adam Scott, Australia’s second highest ranked player, from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
University golf gives student athletes the opportunity to compete both as a team and as an individual. It poses a unique possibility that gives smaller and less well-known universities the opportunity. This is also one of the longest running tournaments that has seen many champions. Yale University has won the national championship 21 times, the University of Houston has won it 16 times and Alabama will be looking to not only win its third title but it’s third straight NCAA Division 1 Championships and fourth straight final this year having been runner up in 2012 and then winning it in 2013 and 2014.