BLOG: GolfStat Rankings!

Hello again! 
 
Since Newberry is currently getting a little rain, I have some time to blog!  In addition to checking in, I figured it was a good time to announce our most recent GolfStat rankings.  GolfStat is the ranking system used by the NCAA in order to compare schools at the Division I, II and III levels.  I am going to explain a little (not too much as the actual statistical process is VERY COMPLEX!) about the ranking process as it differs from other sports.

When we attend a college golf tournament, we are playing against all the schools at the tournament.  Where football or basketball teams play individual games head-to-head for one win or loss, golf tournaments allow teams to accrue many wins and losses at each event.  While the golf rankings are sometimes difficult to understand, GolfStat has created a very reliable system.  It combines scoring, head-to-head wins and losses with course difficultly, strength of field and many other statistical variables to produce the public rankings.  Each tournament we attend is monitored by GolfStat and each week during the season GolfStat releases official rankings. 

The latest GolfStat publication as of 2/25/09 has the Newberry College Women's Golf team ranked 19th in the nation!  GolfStat also produces a ranking for the top group of freshmen in the nation.  Our team, comprised of three freshmen (Julia Sizemore, Kaitlin O'Sullivan, Maria Besio) is ranked 3rd in Division II!  This means we have some of the BEST first year players in the nation! 

I am looking forward to our next tournament in Charlotte, NC to improve our scores yet again.  While rankings are fun to look over, we know that to achieve our goals we need to keep the focus on individual improvement and scoring.  It will ultimately be the GolfStat rankings that determine if we will attend the NCAA Regional Tournament in May.  However, in order for us to be in a position to make post-season play we need to keep working hard on what we can control...OUR SCORES!  Please wish us luck as we prepare for our third tournament of the spring!

Coach Ressler