PROVO -- The BYU men's golf team earned a No. 9 ranking in the GCAA/Bridgestone Division I Coaches Poll yesterday, jumping up four spots from No. 13 in the previous poll.
The Cougars, who earned 438 points in the poll, missed the No. 8 spot by one point behind TCU (439). Oklahoma State earned the No. 1 spot followed by Georgia at No. 2 and Georgia Tech at No. 3.
BYU has finished three golfers in the top 20 in four of their seven tournaments this season and boasts the No. 29 collegiate golfer in the nation Greg Machtaler as well as No. 39 Oscar Alvarez.
At the PING Arizona Intercollegiate Jan. 31-Feb. 1, the Cougars finished in second place behind No. 4 New Mexico with their third lowest team score of the season (842). BYU's Jake Ellison finished in third place while Machtaler finished in a fifth-place tie and Oscar Alvarez in a 19th-place tie.
The poll is voted on by a panel of head coaches at Division I institutions. All panel members are also members of the Golf Coaches Association of America, which awards the Golfer of the Year honor at the end of each season.
The next GCAA/Bridgestone Division I Coaches Poll will be released March 11.
GCAA/Bridgestone Division I Coaches Poll
Previous 1st-Place
Rank - University - Points - Ranking - Votes
1. Oklahoma St. 711 3 18
2. Georgia 694 1 9
3. Georgia Tech 677 2 1
4. New Mexico 636 4 1
5. Auburn 535 6
6. Wake Forest 474 14
7. USC 471 10
8. TCU 439 9
9. BYU 438 13
10. Texas 419 5
11. Arizona St. 412 7
12. Duke 394 12
13. Michigan St. 356 18
14. UCLA 350 8
15. Augusta St. 319 17
16. UNLV 287 15
17. Clemson 271 16
18. Florida 267 20
19. Kentucky 191 11
20. Kent St. 171 23
21. Georgia St. 169 21
22. Washington 147 NR
23. Arizona 146 19
24. Minnesota 122 24
25. Tennessee 74 22