Charlotte Naughton named SEC Freshman of the Week
By Richard Dowling ·
If you are a junior golfer wondering what a good start to college golf looks like, Texas freshman Charlotte Naughton has a real example: a third-place finish in her first event, then a T10 in her second. She has two top-10s, and the Southeastern Conference named her its Freshman of the Week.
Per Texas Athletics, the SEC announced the honor in a release dated 11.04.2026. Texas Athletics reports that Naughton has finished in the top 10 in each of her first two collegiate events.
Naughton began her college career with a third-place finish at the St Andrews Links Collegiate, her first collegiate tournament. In its recap of that event, Texas Athletics says she birdied holes 5, 8 and 10 in her final round and finished 36 holes of stroke play at even par. The same recap says five of the six Texas players finished in the top 10 and all six finished in the top 15.
Her second event was the Nanea Invitational. Per Texas Athletics, Naughton posted 6-under for a T10 finish, and she opened the tournament with a 4-under round.
The Hub's view — and this is our opinion: the most useful part of this story is how steady the start looks. Naughton's two results, a third place and a T10, sit side by side, and both are top-10 finishes. We read that as a reminder that a strong start to the journey can be built from playing well event after event. Texas Athletics does not say why the SEC chose her, so we are not claiming a cause. For junior golfers, we think it is a healthy way to look at a first season: consistent finishes are worth noticing, and so are the single moments, like a final round with three birdies.
What this means for you: start a simple log of your own tournaments. For each event, write down the event name, your finish, your total to par and your opening round. Naughton's story is built from exactly those details: a third, a T10, a 6-under total and a 4-under start. Looking back over a season of numbers like these shows you what a steady stretch looks like for you. Parents can help by asking after each event what went well, such as a strong opening round or a good finish, and not only where the athlete placed. Those habits can help at any level of the game.
If you want to see how programs like Texas could fit into your own journey, you can explore the College search.