The Division II Men’s Golf Committee used its annual meeting July 10-12 in Indianapolis to prepare for the Division II regionalization system that will be implemented in 2008-09 for golf.

Committee members worked on possible pairings under the new format, which would change from a 10-region system that feeds five super regionals to an eight region/four super regional plan. The committee recommended that the following regions be paired under the regionalization format beginning with the 2009 championships: South Central/Midwest, South/Southeast, East/Atlantic and Central/West.

The committee recommended to the Division II Championships Committee that the top five teams from each of the four pairings, regardless of region, will advance to the championship tournament. Current rules call for the highest-placing team in each region to advance (for a total of 10 teams) with the other 10 determined using on a formula based on the performance of the regions at the finals over the past three years.   

In other items, the committee discussed feedback from coaches on course set-up at the championships. Some believe recent set-ups have been too difficult, which has produced higher scores and may reflect poorly on the Division II golfers. Others, though, including the committee members, think the championship should be the golfers’ toughest test of their college careers and are fine with the current philosophy. Thus, the committee voted no change in that regard.

The committee also recommended appointing a head rules official for each super regional in addition to the one currently appointed for the championship tournament. Currently, that role at the regional level often is filled by a head coach or a club pro, but the committee thinks having a standing position would lead to more objective input on course set-up and tournament administration. The committee would have to reallocate funds to afford the position immediately, but it plans to request funding for the 2007-09 budget cycle.

The committee also recommended that in the case of ties for the 10 additional berths beyond the region champions, the tiebreaker for at-large berths would be based on the previous year’s championship performance of the super region. The region with the greatest number of top-10 teams would win the tiebreaker.

Division II Men’s Golf Committee

July 10-12/Indianapolis

• Commended the 2006 hosts (Concord University and the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) at the Glade Springs Resort in Daniels, West Virginia, for administering an efficient championship despite inclement weather conditions.
• Voted not to allow range finders in regional or finals competition.
• Forwarded recommendations for super regional sites for 2007 to the Division II Championships Committee.
• Proposed requiring teams to have played in 12 rounds of competition, with at least six played after January 1, to be considered for selection to the championships.
• Named Tommy Riggs, associate athletics director at Pittsburg State University, as the new chair, effective in September, replacing Randy Warrick, the athletics director at the University of South Carolina at Aiken.
• Agreed to solicit potential hosts for the 2008 regionals and the 2009 finals beginning this fall.