Here's why D-II Augusta University is opting into the House Settlement ... for golf

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Most Division I schools decided to opt into the House settlement. More than 300 D-I schools eventually decided to participate, including every FBS program (outside the service academies), every school in the Horizon, Missouri Valley and WCC, and schools in almost every other conference in the country.

Ultimately, 54 schools decided to opt out — mostly, but not exclusively, private schools in the Northeast and on the East Coast. Every school in the Patriot and Ivy Leagues and eight of the nine schools in the NEC (Long Island being the exception), declined to opt in.

The House settlement structure was centered on D-I, but several schools in Division II and Division III compete at the D-I level in specific sports. These institutions were permitted to opt-into the settlement for those specific sports, but they didn’t have to.

Nine schools outside D-I decided to opt-in: Minnesota State (men’s and women’s hockey), Minnesota Duluth (men’s and women’s hockey), St. Cloud State (men’s and women’s hockey), Lake Superior State (men’s hockey), Michigan Tech (men’s hockey), Colorado College (men’s hockey, women’s soccer), Dallas Baptist (baseball), Johns Hopkins (men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s fencing) … and Augusta University (men’s and women’s golf).

I wasn’t surprised to see so many hockey programs. Ice hockey isn’t offered at the D-II level, so many schools, including championship-caliber programs, compete in D-I instead. Michigan Tech won the CCHA the last two seasons, and Minnesota State and St. Cloud have been postseason regulars. Dallas Baptist and Johns Hopkins are also postseason regulars in baseball and lacrosse.

But … why golf?

There’s no massive TV opportunity in college golf, at least not yet. There are D-II golf tournaments. Why would Augusta University do this?

I reached out to athletic director Ryan Erlacher for an explanation.

“I think it’s safe to say, when you think of Augusta, GA, you think of golf.”

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