Leading the way at the Williams Cup and the Stephens Cup

The GIST: The leaves are changing, the Halloween costumes are out for delivery, and college golf’s fall season is racing towards hibernation. Teams are scrambling to rack up wins like kids collecting king-size candy bars, and they’re piling up some dramatic results.

The Williams Cup: It’s unsurprising that UNC’s top-ranked men beat a crowded field to bag a Cup dub yesterday, but the margin of victory is raising some eyebrows. The Tar Heels shot 11 under par, a mind-boggling 18 strokes better than second-place No. 4 Auburn.

• The key to the Tar Heels’ victory? Three top finishers: junior David Ford, who tied for the best score in the individual competition, followed closely by grad student Austin Greaser and fifth-year Dylan Menante, who tied for second-best. That’ll do it.

The Stephens Cup: The men’s half of the Stephens Cup isn’t surprising so far — No. 13 Florida State, the field’s top-ranked team, is five strokes ahead — but the women’s side could be a BFD. No. 5 Wake Forest and No. 9 Texas are tied, leading a field of seven ranked squads, including No. 1 Stanford and No. 4 South Carolina.

• Two athletes from the Lone Star State lead the way in individual competition: Texas A&M junior Adela Cernousek and Texas freshman (!!!) Lauren Kim, whose pretty putting kept her Longhorns in the hunt yesterday. Hugs all around.

• But it ain’t over ’til it’s over, and with Stanford in the mix, no lead is safe. Follow along on the Golf Channel at 3:30 p.m. ET as play wraps today.