May 21, 2024 • by Josh Coles
Before the 2023-24 season, Grand Valley State lost their head coach, Gary Bissell, and the DII National Player of the Year, Charles DeLong. In the 10 strokeplay events this season, they’ve won seven including the GLIAC Conference Championship. They are currently No.3 in the nation and a favorite heading into regionals. Their star player, Drew Coble, won three events, had six top 3s and is currently ranked No.3 in the nation.
Men’s Head Coach, Bryson Worley, led the North Georgia golf team to five wins and four runner-ups in the 11 strokeplay events they played this year. They play in one of the strongest conferences/regions in the country (Peach Belt Conference, Southeast region). They have held the national No.1 rank throughout the entire season with a record of 161-12-2. The team was led by Noah Zediker and Will Chambless, both of whom have won this season alongside multiple top-5 finishes..
The Las Vegas Desert Classic (Missouri St. Louis host) and Argonaut Invitational (West Florida host) were two of the biggest DII events this season. Both events had multiple top-10 individuals and teams. Based on the scoreboard results, those events distributed some of the most weighted points to those teams and individuals.
It is very tough to put someone other than North Georgia as the championship favorites. They have the best record in the nation and some very highly ranked individuals.
Drew Coble of Grand Valley State and Adam Duncan of Colorado Christian both had fantastic years. If either of their respective teams are successful at the championship, they'll be a big reason why.
Jordan Wilson out of Central Oklahoma leads the No.1 Midwest team. After a slow start in the fall, he played in every event in the spring and he was in the top-10 for each of those events.
Tucker Hughes: I have yet to make it out to Orange County National Golf Club, but from what I have seen, there’s tight fairways, big bunkers and lots of water! Being in the heart of Florida, teams from the North and Midwest might struggle adjusting to the different playing conditions.
The course can stretch out to almost 7,400 yards, so it should be a great test for these fantastic golfers.
Tucker Hughes: The NCAA DII Men’s National Championship is one of my favorite events of the year. The quality of play is always fantastic with many rounds under par. The matchplay portion of the national championship should give us very intriguing match ups with teams who would typically never play against each other. Many of those matches will come down to the final few holes, creating very exciting golf!.
There is tons of talent across Division II golf, and we are in store for a fantastic national championship.