Week 1 in the NCCGA is finally here! Hurricane Florence has changed the date of the first North Carolina regional, so the season will kick off with just four tournaments this weekend. The regions playing are extremely competitive, and all four sent multiple teams to Nationals in the spring. The questions is, which one of them will get off to the best start and solidify their position to return to Nationals in Myrtle Beach this season? Here's what the NCCGA Student Leaders had to say about the first round of tournaments. 

Desert

The Desert region kicks off at Palm Valley Golf Club this weekend. GCU opens as the favorite, having won the National Championship in the spring as well as coming into the season ranked #1. Even though it's a small region, the Desert arguably has one of the strongest regions seeing that the past two national champs play here. Arizona State was named co National Champions last fall in Las Vegas, and they will be looking to take down GCU and be crowned once again. Golf Academy of America- Chandler and University of Arizona will also be competing this weekend and cannot be ignored. Any one of these teams could string together a good tournament and begin the season with a win as they look to get to Myrtle Beach in November!

Ohio Valley

Bel-Wood Country Club is set for the Ohio Valley region’s first fall regional tournament. Look out for the National Invitational winners, Miami of Ohio, to put up a test for the favorites, Ohio State. With new talent coming in this semester, anything is possible. Weather could be a potential obstacle though, so be on the lookout for some rain that could prove to be difficult for scoring.

South

Bear Trace at Harrison Bay will play host to the South region this weekend, as they kick off the season and teams begin their bid for a spot at Nationals. Alabama and Georgia both finished in the top 10 at Spring Nationals in St. Louis, and both teams will be a force in the south region this season. However, there are plenty of teams that have the capability to prove themselves and will be looking to take down both UGA and Alabama this weekend.

Texas 

The Texas region is sure to have some heavy competition this weekend with 14 competing teams, many of whom competed at Nationals this past spring. The University of Texas took 4th place at Norwood Hills, The Golf Academy of America at Dallas took 10th, Baylor University took 15th, and Texas Christian University took 27th. The first regional tournament will be played at The Golf Club at Champions Circle in Fort Worth, Texas. We are looking forward to what the Texas region will bring this year and which teams will defend their status from last season.