Top transfers: College golfers who made the most of their new homes in 2021

December 21, 2021

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When you hear “NCAA transfer portal” these days, chances are your mind immediately thinks of top-tier college football players looking for a big name, image and likeness payday.

Established in October of 2018, the portal, which allows players to declare their intention to transfer and begin communication with prospective schools while still on campus at their current school, has been used by athletic programs across the country, especially in college golf. This year, the NCAA also passed a new law that allows players to transfer penalty-free one time.

With many student-athletes possessing an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic cancelling a year of competition, more and more athletes have taken their talents elsewhere, and a few have stood out among the rest.

Here are the players who have made the most of their new homes so far in the 2021-22 season.

After finishing in the top 10 in four of his nine starts last season for national champion Pepperdine, Golfweek honorable mention All-American RJ Manke took the transfer portal up the coast from Malibu to Seattle to attend the University of Washington for his final year. Manke, who grew up in nearby Lakewood, has been feeling the good vibes back home and it’s showing in his scores. Over five starts this fall, Manke has led the team in each event and has continually improved.

Manke, ranked No. 5 on the Golfweek/Sagarin Men’s Collegiate Individual ranking, started the year T-3 at the Maui Jim Intercollegiate, then finished runner-up in consecutive events at the Husky Invitational and The Windon before rattling off back-to-back wins at the Fighting Irish Classic and Oregon State Invitational to end the fall.

Manke earns two wins to end the fall? Hold my trophies, says Letizia Bagnoli.

The Italian was featured heavily as a freshman at Wake Forest when the Demon Deacons won the ACC Championship in 2019, but made just one start as an individual last season. After transferring to FAU, Bagnoli began the fall with three straight wins out the gate at the William and Mary Fall Invitational, Hoover Invitational and Jupiter Women’s Invitational.

Letizia Bagnoli. (Photo: FAU Women’s Golf)

Mateo Fernández de Oliveira helped TCU reach the 2021 NCAA Championship as a sophomore before transferring to Arkansas for the 2021-22 season. So far, so good in Fayetteville for the native of Argentina, who earned his first collegiate win at the inaugural Jackson T. Stephens Cup, a T-2 at the Blessings Collegiate Invitational and a T-3 at the Carmel Cup.

Currently ranked No. 7 on the the Golfweek/Sagarin Men’s Collegiate Individual Ranking, Fernandez de Oliveira boasts a 69.89 scoring average and is on the watch list for the Haskins Award.

🏆🥇👏
Congrats to @MateofdeoMateo on winning his 1st college event. Shots 70-79-70 (-6) to win @TheStephensCup on 3rd playoff hole.

3 fall events..
🏌️‍♀️ 3rd at Carmel Cup
🏌️‍♀️ 2nd at @BlessingsCI
🏌️‍♀️ 1st at @TheStephensCup
🐗⛳️ #winasonerazorback pic.twitter.com/ruqwRpZTiL

— Razorback Men’s Golf (@RazorbackMGolf) October 19, 2021

Speaking of the Golfweek/Sagarin ranking, what better time to introduce the No. 1 player, Chris Gotterup.

An All-American and former Big Ten Player of the Year at Rutgers, Gotterup was immensely needed to fill massive holes in the Sooner lineup after the departure of Quade Cummins, Garett Reband and Jonathan Brightwell – an All-American transfer last season.

Gotterup started the season with a T-14 at the Carmel Cup then added a pair of T-3s against strong fields at Maridoe and Colonial. Expect the redshirt senior to be a key player for Oklahoma come championship season.

Oklahoma head coach Ryan Hybl and Chris Gotterup. (Photo: Oklahoma Men’s Golf)

The junior transferred to Stillwater, Oklahoma, this year from Kent State after earning MAC Golfer of the Year and MAC Freshman of the Year in her sophomore and freshman seasons, respectively. McGinty finished third at the Sam Golden Invitational out of the gate and won her next two starts at the Schooner Fall Classic and Jim West Challenge. She was 23 under for those two victories.