Here are 15 men’s college golf freshmen to watch in the 2023-24 season
Classes are back in session at most schools across the country, which means college golf is set to officially tee off for the 2023-24 season this month.
As colleges and universities across the country are welcoming their student-athletes back to campus, most of the nation’s attention will be fixated on the preseason All-Americans and Haskins Award Watch List, but there are more than a few new faces in the college game that will be contributing immediately for their teams. It won’t take long for many of these golfers to become national stars.
These are the men’s newcomers to college golf that fans may want to keep an eye on this season.
Kush Arora, Stanford
Arora joins the Cardinal as the 12th-ranked player in the Golfweek/Sagarin Boys rankings. He is a 2022 Scholastic Junior All-American, member of the 2020 AJGA Junior All-Star team and won the 2021 AJGA Reno/Tahoe Jr.
Johnnie Clark, Oklahoma State
Clark was named a second-team AJGA All-American in 2022. He was also tabbed as a member of the United States Junior Presidents Cup Team. Clark shot 72-69 in stroke play at the 2022 U.S. Junior Amateur and advanced to the Round of 16.
Ryder Cowan, Oklahoma
Cowan, ranked 10th in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, played in the 2023 U.S. Amateur, finished T-6 at the 2023 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley, T-3 at the 2022 PING Invitational and won the 2023 Oklahoma State Junior while finishing runner-up in the Oklahoma Golf Association Match Play later this summer.
Ethan Fang, Cal
Ninth-ranked Ethan Fang joins the Bears following an amateur career that included a fourth-place finish at the 2023 Texas Amateur and second at AJGA Simplify Boys Championship at Carlton Woods.
Ethan Gao, Stanford
Another stellar Stanford signee, Gao earned AJGA Rolex Junior All-America first-team honors in 2022, was named a Scholastic Junior All-American and was a four-time Rolex Tournament of Champions invitee.
Max Herendeen, Illinois
Herendeen heads to the Fighting Illini with a chance to make an early splash in the lineup. He’s the 2022 Junior PGA Champion, a 2022 AJGA Rolex All-American and won the 2022 Washington 3A Championship.
Bryan Kim, Duke
No. 3 Bryan Kim had a stellar summer, culminating in his victory at the 2023 U.S. Junior Amateur at Daniel Island Club in South Carolina. He’s also a two-time Rolex All-American.
Carson Kim, Georgia Tech
Kim is another who could make an early impact in the lineup of the defending national runners-up. He earned Rolex All-American first-team honors in 2022 to cap a year that saw him post five top-5 AJGA results.
Jackson Koivun, Auburn
Koivun, the top-ranked junior in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, capped his summer with a quarterfinals appearance at the 2023 U.S. Amateur before losing to eventual champion Nick Dunlap. He won both the 2022 Rolex Tournament of Champions and 2023 Dustin Johnson World Juniors.
Eric Lee, Cal
Another stellar junior heading to Cal, Lee was named the 2022 AJGA Rolex Junior Player of the Year for being the top male junior golfer in the world and is a two-time AJGA Rolex First Team All-American.
PJ Maybank III, Oklahoma
The trend of strong duos continues, as Maybank will look to join a deep Oklahoma lineup this fall. He is a two-time Wyndham Cup team selection, 2023 Junior Presidents Cup member for Team USA and has more than a dozen top-10 AJGA finishes.
Jacob Modleski, Notre Dame
Modleski advanced to the Round of 32 at the U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills this summer. He’s a two-time Indiana state champion and a three-time All-State honoree.
Cayden Pope, Auburn
Pope played in the 2023 U.S. Amateur, and he also was a Kentucky High School team state champion and earned top-10 finishes at the 2022 Wyndham Invitational, 2022 Polo Golf Junior Classic, 2022 Rolex Tournament of Champions and the 2023 Junior Orange Bowl International Golf Championship.
Preston Stout, Oklahoma State
Stout advanced to match play at the 2023 U.S. Amateur. He also won the 2023 Byron Nelson Junior Championship, joining Jordan Spieth as the only other player to win the event three times.
Connor Williams, Arizona State
Williams has collected plenty of accolades in his junior career. He is a Rolex Junior All-American, won the 2020 Se Ri Pak AJGA, won the Southern California Jr. Amateur Champion and made match play at U.S. Junior in 2021 and 2022.
