STEPHANIE MEADOW IS NUMBER ONE IN US WOMEN'S COLLEGE GOLF RANKINGS

                                STEPHANIE MEADOW ... Top of the tree in US women's college golf
                                              Picture by Cal Carson Golf Agency 

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com 
Stephanie Meadow's nine-stroke victory at the weekend has propelled her to the No 1 spot in the United States women's college rankings, both on the Golf Week/Sagarin list and also the GolfStat rankings.
I've been following US college golf for a number of years now and I cannot remember the last British or Irish player to be No 1 in either set of rankings, let alone both.
If any reader has a better memory, please get in touch! 
Jeff Sagarin’s rating system is based on a mathematical formula that uses a player’s won-lost-tied record against other players when they play on the same course on the same day, and the stroke differential between those players, then links all players to one another based on common opponents. 
The ratings give an indication of who is playing well over the past 52 weeks.
Alabama University third-year student Stephanie, 21 on January 10, from Jordanstown, Northern Ireland, winner of the British women's open amateur championship at Carnoustie last June, and later one of the winning GB and I team in the Curtis Cup match at Nairn, has  a ranking of 70.25. 
Stephanie has spent most of the last six years in the States, having been a pupil at the Hank Haney International Academy at Hilton Head Island before enrolling at Alabama University.
The expectation is that she will turn professional - very likely in America - after graduating about 13 months from now. But perhaps she will wait until after the 2014 Curtis Cup match in America!
Back to the college rankings and the next British or Irish student is England's Hayley Davis (Baylor) at No 17 with 71.41.
Another English-born player, Charlotte Thomas (Washington) is in 35th position on 72.11 while former British champion Lauren Taylor (Baylor), who won her conference title by eight shots at the weekend, is No 44 at 72.29.
With rankings, particularly the RandA Women's World Amateur Golf Rankings, playing a much bigger part in the selection of teams from this year on, Davis, Thomas and Taylor must be rated contenders for places in the nine-strong GB and I team to play the Continent of Europe in the Vagliano Trophy match at Chantilly, Paris at the end of June.

TOP TEN 
1 Stephanie Meadow (Alabama) 70.25
2 Annie Park (USC) 70.50
3 Kelsey Vines (Oklahoma St) 70.61
4 Tiffany Lee (UCLA) 70.61
5 Mariah Stackhouse (Stanford) 70.61
6 Sophia Popov (USC) 70.82
7 Lindy Duncan (Duke) 70.89
8 Grace Na (Pepperdine) 70.96
9 Noeme Jimenez (Arizona St) 70.97
10 Brittany Altomare (Virginia) 71.00

OTHER BRITISH AND IRISH STUDENTS IN TOP 500
17 Hayley Davis (Baylor) 71.41
35 Charlotte Thomas (Washington) 72.11
44 Lauren Taylor (Baylor) 72.29
99 Sally Watson (Stanford) 73.56
111 Gemma Dryburgh (Tulane) 73.75
126 Elizabeth Mallett (UNC) 73.92
148  Meghan MacLaren (Florida Int) 74.42
163 Rachael Watton (Denver) 74.18
171 Emma Carberry (Baylor) 74.44
228 Elizabeth Haycock (Old Dominion) 75.04
241 Sian Evans (East Tennessee St) 75.18
325 Rosie Davies (Indiana) 75.84
363 Brogan Townend (Texas-San Ant) 76.08
364 Sophie Godley (Florida Int) 76.09
367 Alison Knowles (Louisiana-Monroe) 76.13
370 Megan Thompson (Missouri St) 76.15
383 Heidi Baek (Maryland) 76.25
413 Abigail Laker (Arkansas St) 76.54
416 Kim Bradbury (Old Dominion) 76.56
430 Emma Clegg (Missouri St) 76.67            

+Editor's note: These are NCAA Division 1 rankings which would not include Division 2 college performances. If as a parent or a player you spot an omission of a British or Irish player from the above list, please E-mail Colin@scottishgolfview.com