A Rose by any other name would swing as sweet

So the St. Louis Cardinals lost their wild-card game the other day. That’s just too bad.

Back to school

Things are pretty sleepy in the professional ranks, so let’s catch up with the college kids. We’re just over a month into fall golf in the NCAA, and here are some highlights:

Cardinal dominance – Through a combined four men’s and women’s tournaments, the Stanford golf teams have racked up three wins and a fourth-place finish. Freshman Rose Zhang has been the most impressive player of all. Winner of the 2020 U.S. Women’s Amateur and 2021 U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur, Zhang won her first two collegiate starts and boasts a 70.83 scoring average. On the men’s side, sophomore Michael Thorbjornsen and sixth-year senior Henry Shimp have been the standouts.

OOOOOOOOOOklahoma – Logan McCallister started his senior campaign at Oklahoma University with a win, a T-3, and a T-18. The Sooners have a victory and two runner-ups as a team, earning them the top spot in the latest Golfweek ranking.

Anything but a boar – With rounds of 63-64-64 at the Cougar Classic in South Carolina, Arkansas’s Brooke Matthews broke the NCAA record for the lowest 54-hole score.

Carolina blue – After a run to the quarterfinals at the 2021 NCAA championships, the North Carolina men’s team has two wins and a fourth-place finish in its first three events this fall. Senior Ryan Gerard and junior Austin Greaser both have individual victories already, and neither has finished outside the top 10 in any tournament. Greaser is coming off a big summer: he was runner-up in the U.S. Amateur and a quarterfinalist at the Western Amateur.

Quick Hooks

After Jin Young Ko won the Portland Classic by four shots in late September, we wrote that we hoped Ko and Nelly Korda would have a showdown sometime soon. We may get our wish at the Cognizant Founders Cup this weekend. Ko jumped out to an early lead on Thursday with a 63, but Korda is lurking four strokes back. Leaderboard

Sandra Gal is three shots behind Ko at the Founders Cup, but she’s battling a much bigger foe. Full Story from Amy Rogers

Sung Kang lit up Vegas with a first-round 61 at the Shriners Children’s Open. Sungjae Im, Charley Hoffman, and Hideki Matsuyama are also in the mix. Leaderboard

Not to be outdone, Ross McGowan recorded a 61 of his own at the Acciona Open de España on the European Tour. Unfortunately for McGowan, Jon Rahm is in hot pursuit. The No. 1 player in the world opened with a 63 and is looking for his seventh top 10 in his last eight starts. Leaderboard

Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker, and host Jim Furyk headline the Constellation Furyk & Friends (seriously, that’s what it’s called) on the PGA Tour Champions. Tee Times

Our friends at the Illinois Junior Golf Association are raising money for their 100-hole marathon. The funds go toward entry fees for juniors who need help entering events. IJGA Marathon Fundraiser

The Latest from The Fried Egg

Our founder Andy Johnson took some eye-catching photos at The Country Club, host of next year’s U.S. Open.

Photo credit: Andy Johnson

The Shotgun Start – Friday Mailbag, gambling on youth sports, and a Vegas Invitational flashback. Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify.

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