The Division I Men's Golf Committee is reviewing options in seeding and bracketing in order to continue to create the most balanced tournament fields in regional and championship competition.

The committee discussed bracketing policies and procedures during its annual meeting June 21-24 in Indianapolis.

Under the revised bracket-format policies the Championships/Competition Cabinet approved last year, the golf committee is permitted to seed 25 percent of the bracket -- the top 20 teams (as determined by Golfstat rankings) -- to balance the three regional competitions. But the committee, in an effort to balance competitive equity with fiscal responsibility, has been studying alternatives in seeding that would involve moving as few seeded teams as possible out of region.

Committee members considered seeding the regionals using an "S" curve system whereby the top teams in descending order would be placed, for example, in the East, Cental, West, West, Central, East, and so on. The "S" curve, which many in the golf community believe is the best method for maintaining competitive equity, does raise the likelihood of more teams being shipped out of region.

Because committee members want to minimize travel for regional play, they agreed to keep the "S" curve among the options they would consider to seed future fields, but they did not commit to it as their primary method of choice.

The golf committee also discussed an emerging issue in championships play, which is whether to allow two coaches to be able to advise golfers during competition. Currently, only one coach is permitted to offer advice, but many Division I institutions now employ two coaches for their golf squads, and those coaches want to be able to contribute during championships competition.

The one-coach-advice rule is a longstanding policy of the United States Golf Association (USGA), the governing body the NCAA golf committees defer to for playing rules. The issue has grown beyond the college boundaries in recent years, as several professional golfers have appealed to the USGA to change its policy for international tournaments such as the President's Cup.

The golf committee may pursue the matter as an experimental rule that could be used during regular-season competition.

Other highlights

Division I Men's Golf Committee
June 21-24/Indianapolis