The NCAA Division I Men's Golf Committee discussed potential format changes with the intent to accommodate television coverage for future championships at its annual meeting June 28-30 in Indianapolis.

The committee decided not to make any changes for the 2001 championships, but will consider several format changes suggested by a television production group that might make the tournament more television-friendly. The committee is concerned that proposed changes would change the fabric of college golf, and it was not comfortable taking action without significant input from the college golf community.

One proposed change would have every shot taken for a team counting toward the team score. Currently, the best four scores out of five players count toward the team score.

The committee discussed changing the dates of the 2001 championships to avoid a television conflict with the Professional Golf Association Tour's Memorial event. The committee will continue to evaluate this matter.

Another proposed format change involved making a cut during the championships. The committee submitted a recommendation to the Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet to eliminate the cut that currently takes place after the second round of competition. The committee is requesting to keep administrative authority to reduce the field in order to ensure timely completion of the championships, if necessary.

In other action, the group awarded the University of New Mexico the West regional in 2002. The committee still is accepting bids for the Central and East regionals for 2002. Bids should be sent to John Cochrane, NCAA assistant director of championships, at the national office. Bids are due no later than August 31, 2000.

Institutions or groups that are interested in hosting the 2006 championships will have an opportunity to present to the committee in person on January 24, 2001, in Orlando, Florida, in conjunction with the Golf Coaches Association of America annual convention.

In other actions, the committee:

Discussed regional allocations to the championship site and decided to award equally to the three regions. After selections, the group will balance the regional fields before competition, adjusting for team strength after the regular season. The plan calls for the top 80 percent of teams in each region to be guaranteed the opportunity to stay in their home region. The next 20 percent from each regional will be used to balance the three regional fields.

Determined that fivesomes would not be allowed on the first practice round of the championships in order to encourage participation in the East-West matches.

Eliminated district rotation, which has been used in the past when selecting sites, effective for the 2003 tournament. The committee believes this helps ensure that the highest-quality sites are used for competition.