May 12, 2009

By Amy Farnum Novin
NCAA.com

For the first time in NCAA history, the Division III men’s and women’s golf championships will be held at the same location as over 300 student-athletes and coaches head south to the PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

The week-long event is being co-hosted by the men’s and women’s golf programs of Methodist University, who are annually national contenders in their respective fields.  Methodist’s women’s team is the only school to win a Division III title since the championship began in 2000, while the men’s squad has made 28 postseason appearances and won nine NCAA titles.
The idea to put the two championships at the same place was Monarchs’ women’s head coach Vici Pate, who thought it would add to the student-athletes’ experience, and work out better logistically for some schools.

“(Pate) had thought about how neat it would be to have the men and the women host a championship together, because there are several men’s and women’s coaches in Division III that coach both,” said men’s head coach Steve Conley.  “If both teams make it, some coaches have to choose to go to one tournament or the other.”

Pate had attended the men’s tournament a few years ago when the two were not on the same weekend, and she felt co-hosting the championships would enhance the event.

“At the women’s championship, we try to make it an experience they’ll remember for the rest of our lives – not just golf, but the overall experience,” said Pate.  “I thought (the men) were highly competitive, but the overall experience did not seem as light as the women’s.  I thought it would be neat to put them together and give all the kids the same experience.”

Since Methodist is located in Fayetteville, N.C., Pate and Conley first talked about pursuing nearby Pinehurst to host the championship, but then turned to a venue more than 600 miles away.

“It’s just a peak season for them, and it was cost-prohibitive for them to do it,” said Conley.  “Both of us are PGA golf professionals, and with our school’s PGA-accredited golf management program, we thought why not the PGA Golf Club.”

With 36 men’s teams and five individuals and 21 women’s teams and six individuals, the PGA Golf Club is able to accommodate the dual championships’ needs with three courses and villas on site.

“It just seemed like, ‘wow, why didn’t we think of this sooner?’” said Conley.

In addition to the golf tournaments, the teams enjoyed a social after practice rounds on May 11, and will be honored at an NCAA banquet on May 12 where they will have their photos take with the Wanamaker Trophy and Ryder Cup for a cherished memento of the event.

“I know the NCAA is extremely excited about this opportunity,” said Conley.  “The other reason we thought about this is because of Division II’s model of having all their national championships in the same city, and our USA South Conference does all the spring championships in the same city.  It’s kind of along the same thinking.”

The men’s teams will play on the Ryder and Dye courses beginning May 13, while the women’s teams tee off on the Wanamaker course.  Each championship will consist of four rounds and 54 holes.

“We’re hoping this is going to be a big hit, and it might be possible in the future to find facilities that can accommodate a large field,” said Conley.