Scott Verplank tells it like it is, newest member of Oklahoma Golf Hall of Fame

Verplank's

remarkable journey

BY JOHN ROHDE

Nothing has ever simply been handed to Scott Verplank, including his 2021 induction into the Oklahoma Golf Hall of Fame.

His entire career has been a never-ending quest of courage.

One of the most accomplished amateurs in the sport’s history, Verplank steadily climbed Mount Everest, reaching the summit when he won the 1984

U.S. Amateur at his soon-to-be home course of Oak Tree Golf Club (now Oak Tree National) in Edmond. But roughly a decade after turning pro, Verplank found himself stranded in Death Valley trying to survive a slew of surgeries that would have sent mere mortals into early retirement.

It would have been understandable for Verplank to wallow in what his pro career potentially could have been had it not been for all the medical maladies. In time, he instead has come to accept his achievements despite all the setbacks.

“Looking back, I appreciate being able to do the stuff that I have up to this point. I really do,” Verplank said. “I’ve gotten to play in some of the best tournaments in the world. And I appreciate how good I was when I was 21 years old. I appreciate that now more than ever. I was on a track at an early age to do a lot more than I’ve done (as a pro). But at the same time, my window was a lot shorter just because of health reasons. I’m not complaining. I never have and I won’t. I’m pretty lucky to get to where I’m at, I think. I’ll just go with that.”

The 56-year-old Verplank paused and jokingly surmised, “I don’t think I’d be in the Oklahoma Golf Hall of Fame the way I’m playing right now.”

If you’re looking for candid and sometimes painful answers to questions, Verplank is your guy. Along the way, this occasionally has ruffled the feathers of fellow club members and some tour players, but people have always known where Verplank stands on any issue. “I’ll tell you the truth,” he said.

And here’s the truth: Verplank assembled an astonishing amateur resume.

He was the 1982 AJGA Player of the Year and won the Texas State Amateur three times (1982, 1984 and 1985).

A three-time, first-team All-American at Oklahoma State, Verplank won nine collegiate tournaments, including being the 1984 Big Eight and 1986 NCAA Championship medalist.

In addition to the 1984 U.S. Amateur, Verplank also won the Porter Cup twice and in 1985 swept the Western Amateur, Porter Cup and Sunnehanna Amateur en route to being named to the Walker Cup team.

Upon Verplank’s induction into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame in 2016, former Cowboys coach and retiring athletic director Mike Holder said he regarded Verplank to be the best collegiate player ever, with the possible exception of Arizona State’s Phil Mickelson.

“I went into a lot of amateur tournaments knowing that if I didn’t beat myself, then nobody else would, either,” Verplank said. “That’s a great feeling. I was lucky enough to have that for a little while. Heck, Tiger Woods has gone about 30 years with that feeling. That’s pretty good.”

Verplank won five PGA Tour events and earned more than $29.5 million in official career earnings. In addition to winning the 1985 Western Open in a playoff against Jim Thorpe, Verplank also captured the 1988 Buick Open (two strokes ahead of runner-up and fellow Hall of Famer and Oak Tree touring pro Doug Tewell), the 2000 Reno-Tahoe Open, the 2001 Bell Canadian Open and the 2007 EDS Byron Nelson Championship. Verplank also captured the 1998 World Cup individual title.

He now plays on the Champions Tour and has also embarked on a broadcasting career with CBS and the Masters.com website.

As a new inductee, Verplank will join fellow Oklahoma Golf Hall of Famer Bill Glasson (Class of 2019), who like Verplank battled multiple physical ailments throughout his career. Glasson has endured 20-something surgical procedures, although the exact number is uncertain.

Informed of Glasson’s shocking total, Verplank said with a chuckle, “I’m not as big an addict as him. Unfortunately, I believe I’ve had nine different surgeries. I’d prefer to have had none.” Verplank’s official surgical scorecard: three on the left wrist, two on the right elbow, one on each shoulder, one on the left elbow and one on the right thumb. There also were chronic bouts with plantar fasciitis. Asked how much of his life has been spent wearing some sort of cast, Verplank said, “I was always in a sling for shoulders, elbows and wrists. Not many casts, which is good.”

The medical challenge of a lifetime came with the diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes (T1D) when Verplank was age 9 and lapsed into a coma, which is why he carries a pager-sized

Scott Verplank and Mike Holder. See Verplank on page 40

Class of 2021 members Danny Edwards, Floyd Farley, Scott Verplank, Art Proctor and David Edwards

THE ARCHITECT, THE PRO AND THE PLAYERS

by ken macleod

homagolfhof.org. Danny became a two-time first-team All“I am thrilled beyond words,” Proctor American and two-time Big Eight Cham-

The connective threads linking the said. “I’m very seldom at a loss for words pion. He turned professional in 1973, earned stories of the members of the 2021 but when I was told about this I was flab- his PGA Tour card in 1975 and went on to Oklahoma Golf Hall of Fame class bergasted. I’m just very humbled and very win five times (1977 Greater Greensboro are quite remarkable. proud to represent the state of Oklahoma Open, the 1980 Walt Disney World National

Brothers David and Danny Edwards grew and it’s great golf history.” Team Championship (with brother David), up playing at Kickingbird Golf Course in Between Danny (5), David (4) and Ver- the 1982 Greater Greensboro Open, the Edmond, designed by Floyd Farley. There plank (5), this class has won 14 PGA Tour 1983 Miller High Life QCO, and the 1985 they learned the game from the course’s first events. While our state boasts designs from Pensacola Open.) head professional Art Proctor. Perry Maxwell, A.W. Tillinghast, In addition to the victories at OSU, Danny’s

Now both the Edwards broth- Tom Fazio and other notables, it amateur career included a stint on the 1973 ers, Proctor and Farley will be is the more than 20 entertain- ing Walker Cup Team. He was low amateur the entering the Hall together in a public course designs of Farley that same summer at The Open Championship. class that also features long-time provide great entertainment and He won the 1972 North and South Amateur Edmond resident and one of the challenge to tens of thousands of and the 1972 Southeastern Amateur. state’s most accomplished profes- Oklahoma golfers. Although he played briefly on the Chamsional golfers Scott Verplank. Proctor was instrumental in pions Tour, Danny was consumed with oth-

“I think it will be one of the most Tom Jones turning Kickingbird into one of er opportunities. He was an original founder unique classes that we’ll ever have,” said the busiest courses in the country, averaging of Royal Grip, later successfully sold to Tom Jones, chairman of the Oklahoma Golf more than 60,000 rounds annually. He start- investors. He became a highly proficient Hall of Fame Executive Board and President ed a junior golf program that led to Edmond professional auto racer and was heavily inand COO of Oak Tree National in Edmond. becoming known nationwide as a hotbed of volved with divot repair company (Green “First of all you have the Edwards brothers junior golf talent. Fix Golf). He has recorded a series of videos and the pro that was the influential reason teaching proper chipping methods. they started playing golf. Then the architect DANNY EDWARDS that designed the course where they played When the Edwards and so many great public courses in the family first moved state. from Wichita Falls to

“Then in Scott, you have a world class Edmond, Kickingbird player who has played in the Ryder Cup, had yet to open. Danny won the U.S. Amateur at Oak Tree and won hit balls in a field, and a professional tournament as an amateur. I often secretively, on think it’s a very impressive class and the sto- the still growing-in course while no one was rylines and the way they tie in together are watching. Somehow he became proficient pretty incredible.” enough to win the state championship for

The five will be inducted Nov. 21 at Okla- Edmond and earn a scholarship to Oklahohoma City Golf & Country Club. Sponsor ma State. table and tickets are available at www.okla- A hard worker and driven to succeed,

DAVID EDWARDS

Although some mistake his laid-back personality for a lack of the same drive that fueled older brother Danny, that would be a mistake. “David was one of the most driven players we’ve ever had at Oklahoma State,” said former teammate Jones. “He wasn’t the

Scott Verplank celebrates after rolling in a 6-foot, par-saving putt on the second hole of sudden death to win the Western Open in Oak Brook, Ill., becoming the first amateur in 29 years to win a professional golf tournament.

VERPLANK cont. from page 36

insulin pump to help control his blood sugar when he’s on the golf course.

Verplank said he never has withdrawn from a tournament because of diabetes. “I’ve always just fought through that,” Verplank said, “but I’ve withdrawn at times because of injuries.”

Verplank is a mix of determination and relentless fortitude, two reasons why he was honored with the 2002 Ben Hogan Award from the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA) given to golfers who achieve success despite physical handicaps.

Verplank doesn’t specifically know what led to his wide range of ailments.

“All the injuries I’ve had, yes, being diabetic did not help,” Verplank said. “The specific cause of all the injuries, I can’t tell you (why). I don’t think anybody could tell you. But my whole life is diabetes-related. I don’t heal up as fast. I just don’t. If you’re a Type1 diabetic, it’s an autoimmune disease and my circulation is not as good. I’ve been very lucky that I’ve gotten to play golf my whole life, to be honest with you. That saved my health, the fact that I get to go outside most days and get exercise.

“That’s why I give college scholarships to Type 1 diabetic kids. I want them to play a sport and be outside and be active and then you can kind of control the disease versus the disease controlling you.”

Scott and wife, Kim, have four children – Scottie, Hannah, Emma and Heidi Ann. The goal of the Scott and Kim Verplank Foundation is to provide young people with Type 1 diabetes the financial ability to pursue a college education.

The foundation’s website states: “The physical and emotional trials of being a child with T1D are well documented; however one of the less publicized effects of T1D is the strain on the families. Parents are faced with concerns over the health of their child compounded by the question of how to pay for the daily care and supplies, much less the idea of paying for their college tuition. The Foundation is funded through personal resources of the Verplank Family and other donations. In addition, the Verplanks host an annual celebrity golf tournament, the Verplank Foundation Invitational, to raise additional dollars to fund scholarships.”

Despite his impressive amateur achievements, Verplank still was not offered exempt status to the PGA Tour and had to endure 1987 Qualifying School, where he finished T6 to earn exempt status. Ten years later after suffering a string of injuries, Verplank again was required to go through Qualifying School to obtain exempt status and finished as the 1997 School medalist.

Verplank was a member of two Ryder Cup teams (2002 and 2006), both of which unfortunately were won by the Europeans.

The 2002 Ryder Cup was played at The Belfry in England, where Verplank was paired with Hal Sutton in the afternoon foursome

See Verplank on page 42

best player when he got here but he was when he left.”

David, who did get to practice and play at the now-opened Kickingbird, went to OSU in 1974, where he aver- aged 77.6 shots per round as a freshman, lowering that to 71.8 as a senior when he won two events, finished second or third in five others and capped off his dominating year by winning the 1978 NCAA Individual Championship and leading the Cowboys to the team championship.

He didn’t take long as a professional to break into the win column, claiming the 1980 Walt Disney World Na- tional Team Championship with brother Danny, then winning the 1984 Los Angeles Open, the 1992 Memorial Tournament and the 1993 MCI Heritage Golf Classic. He also won the 2006 3M Championship on the Cham- pions Tour and was a two-time winner of the Oklahoma Open (1994 and 1996).

Never a long hitter, David was highly accurate and a great putter. He led the Champions Tour in Driving Accuracy (80 percent) in 2008 for the third consecutive year. In 2007, he had the longest streak of consecutive holes without a three-putt for the season (263 in a row).

Whether making an appearance at a youth tournament, a golf expo or a charity function, David has always been generous with his time to give back to the game in Oklahoma.

FLOYD FARLEY (1907-2005)

Floyd Farley was born in Kansas City and was a passionate and talented golfer for decades before turning his attention to course design, winning the South Central PGA Section Championship in 1937 and 1942.

He started golf as a caddy at age 12 and, as a player, was a part of one of the top high school teams in Kansas history in 1925. Also on that team at Rosedale High School in Kansas was Kansas Hall of Famer Jug McSpaden, who was runner-up in the 1937 PGA Championship and finished fourth at the 1947 Masters.

In 1931, Farley came to Oklahoma and became head pro at Twin Hills Golf & Country Club in Oklahoma City. At 25 years of age, in 1932, he designed his first course – Woodlawn Golf Club in Oklahoma City – and stayed on as head pro. After discovering his new love of golf architecture, he designed more than 100 courses, includ- ing new designs of some 40 courses in Oklahoma and renovations or additions to many others.

Farley escorted A.W Tillinghast on his visit to Oklahoma, a trip that resulted in designs for Tulsa Country Club and The Oaks. He also credited Perry Maxwell and William Bell as influences. After returning from a stint in World War II, in 1941, Farley designed and built now-defunct Meridian Golf Club in Oklahoma City. He owned that course until 1961.

In addition to Kickingbird, some of his notable Oklahoma designs include Quail Creek Golf & Country Club, Ar- rowhead State Park Course, LaFortune Park and the Woodbine Course at Mohawk Park in Tulsa, John Conrad in Midwest City, Adams GC in Bartlesville, Lew Wentz in Ponca City, Roman Nose State Park and dozens more.

ART PROCTOR

Teacher, professional, coach, course designer, competitor.

See Fame on page 43

(alternate shot) match against Darren Clarke and Thomas Bjorn on opening day.

“Standing on the first hole at a Ryder Cup the first time, everybody had told me, ‘You’re going to be nervous, you won’t be able to tee the ball up and you won’t even be able to see the ball and hit it,’ ” Verplank recalled. “I got on the first tee and I was hitting first in alternate shot. I looked around and thought, ‘Why would you be all worked up? This is the greatest thing I’ll ever do in golf.’ And I had a ball. I played awesome in every match I had at the Ryder Cup because I was so pumped to be there and so happy that nothing was going to ruin it. I was not nervous at all. Why would I be nervous? It was the most fun I ever had playing golf.”

Verplank recalled hitting his opening tee shot down the middle of the fairway. “I was thinking, ‘OK, here we go.’ Hal was like, ‘Don’t be nervous.’ I was like, ‘Screw you. Knock it up there close. I’m gonna make it.’ ”

Sutton hit the approach about 20 feet from the cup and Verplank made the putt for birdie. “I said, ‘Come on, let’s go. Quit talking about me. You better not play crappy.’ And we won (2 and 1).”

Verplank finished with a 2-1 record as a Ryder rookie, which was capped with a 2-and-1 singles victory over Lee Westwood.

The 2006 Ryder Cup was played at The K Club in Ireland, where Europe dominated with an 18.5-9.5 victory. Two of those points came compliments of Verplank, who posted a 2 and 1 victory alongside Zach Johnson in a morning fourball match on the second day. Verplank closed with a 4 and 3 singles victory over Padraig Harrington, which included an ace on the 14th hole for the only American hole-in-one in Ryder Cup history.

The Americans also lost the 2012 Ryder Cup, during which Verplank served as vice captain under captain and long-time friend Davis Love III. The Europeans claimed 8½ of a possible 12 points in singles matches on the final day to post a stunning 14.5-13.5 comeback victory at Medinah Country Club near Chicago. Although Love’s decisionmaking was widely second-guessed afterward, Verplank steadfastly endorsed Love opting to stick to his original game plan that had given the Americans a seemingly insurmountable four-point lead heading into singles matches.

“I don’t know how Davis could’ve done anything better than the way he did it,” Verplank said. “From the players’ perspective, everything was taken care of, everyone was happy with how things were going. We were up 10-6. That’s the majority of the strategy is how you get through the first two days and that’s as good as anyone’s ever done. Ninety-nine out of 100 times we’re going to win with a 10-6 lead. It just didn’t happen. My first thought afterward was that Davis should do it again. I would’ve asked him on the spot to do it again.”

Verplank also participated in the 2005 and 2007 Presidents Cup, playing both times under captain Jack Nicklaus.

Asked if the pressure to represent America was equal in both events, Verplank immediately said, “No, no, no. The Presidents Cup is more like a friendly inner-club. When Jack

Nicklaus is your captain, you want to win. I love representing the United States. There are some great stories from all that, but Jack was basically, ‘You guys just tell me who you want to play with.’ It was a lot of fun. Love both events, particularly the Ryder Cup.”

A huge fan of many sports, Verplank shared this analogy: “The Ryder Cup is the Super Bowl and the Presidents Cup is the Pro Bowl.”

Verplank’s overall record at the Ryder Cup was a combined 4-1-0, a winning percentage of .800. At the Presidents Cup, Verplank went 6-2-1 for a winning percentage on .722, which ranks sixth all-time among American players.

Of all his notable achievements, Verplank admitted his pinch-me moment came at age 42 when he won the Byron Nelson Championship at Las Colinas in Irving, a suburb of his birthplace of Dallas. Unfortunately, it came seven months after the death of a man Verplank described as “one of the greatest humans ever.”

“Things (various body parts) were hurting,” Verplank recalled. “I had a good run for a while, but was not playing great the first half of that year. To win in Dallas where I grew up and Byron Nelson had helped me as a teenager and befriended me, that was one where I was really like, ‘Wow. This is cool.’ Listen, it was unbelievable. I was so lucky that he was so nice to me.”

Verplank’s friendship with Nelson began thanks to his mother being a longtime volunteer at the tournament.

“Byron Nelson knew every person who volunteered for that tournament, spoke to every person and knew everybody,” Verplank explained. “He called my mom when I was 16 years old and said, ‘I’ve seen your son’s name in the newspaper. He’s playing pretty good. Ask him if he’d like me to help him.’ I mean, that’s what was offered. I was like, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. What?’ Winning that golf tournament .... Sadly, he wasn’t there, but it felt like it was just meant to be.

“The other stuff, to be honest with you, I kind of expected to do. Not that I ‘expected’ to win the Western Open, but if I played like I had been playing that I would be able to compete. I played better the week before that in an amateur tournament. It was as much a shock to me as winning in Dallas was.

“I was very driven, particularly as an older teenager in college because I was basically more mature. I always said I was ‘smarter’ because that sounds better to me. I was more mature because I had to be. I was 9 years old when they bring me home and tell me I’m going to have to take an insulin shot every day. That’ll make you grow up really fast, so I was just more mature than most of the other kids at the end of junior golf and then in college. I was better than them, but I also was more mature. In a weird sort of way, it (diabetes) helped me as a kid because it made me grow up real fast and it helped my golf. To this day, I still pay attention to things that other people don’t pay attention to.”

Asked what he thought of his pending Oklahoma Golf Hall of Fame induction, Verplank’s normally convictive voice instantaneously became hushed. “I really appreciate it,” Verplank said. “I feel very fortunate to be included in it because of the golf history in the Oklahoma Golf Hall of Fame. That’s how I really feel about it.”

As he said, Verplank will tell you the truth.

Verplank holds the U.S. Amateur trophy after the conclusion of the final round of the 1984 U.S. Amateur Championship at Oak Tree GC.

You name it and Art Proctor has done it and done it well in his 82 years.

It was 50 years ago in 1971 that the Topeka, Kan. native was chosen to be the first head pro- fessional at the new Kickingbird Golf Course in Edmond. He took the job to heart. Soon Kickingbird was slammed from dawn to dusk, with over 66,000 rounds per year. Proctor had started a junior program that has led to dozens of state champions, collegiate and professional stars.

“In my opinion, Art Proctor set the stage for the greatest junior golf dynasty in the history of Oklahoma, said Mike McGraw, former Oklahoma State and current Baylor coach who was an assistant to Proctor while in college and became his junior golf director in 1982. “He gave so many young men jobs at Kickingbird and those jobs led to opportunity. That opportunity led to championships.”

He is credited for helping save the Oklahoma Open when he brought the tournament to Kickingbird in 1979 and helped persuade Oklahoma’s top pros to play in the event. The winners at Kickingbird were Danny Edwards (1979), Jaime Gonzalez (1980), Dr. Gil Morgan (1981), Doug Tewell (1982), Tom Jones (1983), Kenny Huff (1984) and Bob Tway (1985). The tournament then moved to Oak Tree CC with the backing of the Daily Okla- homan and it is still played there today.

“Art’s impact on the Oklahoma Open championship was transformative and long-lasting,” McGraw said. “He took a dying event and turned it into one of the best State Open’s in the country.”

Proctor left Kickingbird to build a 45-hole golf complex near Arcadia, but he ended up losing his shirt and his investors in the oil collapse of 1987. He then took a running the Oklahoma State Parks golf courses, and made many significant improvements, including designing nine holes at Lake Murray, nine holes at Quartz Mountain and nine holes at Cedar Creek in Broken Bow.

In 1999 he qualified for the Senior PGA Tour (now Champions Tour) and remained on tour through 2005. His playing record includes PGA South Central Section match play championships in 1974, 1976 and 1977 and Section Championships in 1983 and 1984. He has played in 20 major championships, including three PGA Cham- pionships, two U.S. Senior Open Championships, five British Senior Open Championships and 10 Senior PGA Championships. His best finish was a tie for 16th. He has also played in 14 national club professional championships with a top finish of third place. In 1984 at the age of 44, Proctor played a then Guinness Book of Records mark by playing 414 holes of golf in one day. He teed off at Kickingbird in Edmond at 5:46 a.m. and finished his 23rd round of golf at 8:51 p.m., averaging about two minutes per hole. The amazing thing, other than endurance, was that he shot 6-under-par for the day.

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