OGA ED Mark Felder

MARK FELDER OGA Executive Director

FROM THE OGA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Yes, we're starting to reminisce

When the winner of the 2022 OGA State Amateur Championship is determined on July 29 at Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club, yours truly is going to have to compose himself.

Making the state amateur championship a class event to showcase the incredibly talented golfers throughout the state has always been at the top of our agenda during my tenure at the OGA. This will be my final time handing over the beautiful state amateur trophy, at least as executive director, as I have announced my retirement at the end of 2022.

So if the fountains need to be turned off, hopefully you’ll understand why. Watching our young golfers grow into state champions and many on to the professional ranks has been a particular joy of mine for the past 22 years.

Some of the great names in our state’s history adorn that trophy. You always regret a few that got away. Robert Streb is one, he made it to the finals in 2009 at The Territory, but ran into just the perfect round of golf from Colton Staggs. Then Austin Eckroat, would love to have his name on there, but he made it to the finals twice and lost to great rounds of golf from Hayden Wood at The Patriot in 2018 and Jordan Wilson at Oak Tree National in 2019. And we’re very happy to have Colton, Hayden and Jordan among our great champions.

This year the OGA Stroke Play Cham-

pionship returns to Perry Maxwell’s first layout, the historic Dornick Hills Country Club in Ardmore. We are grateful to architect Tom Doak for his volunteer work to restore that classic back to its Maxwell roots and with the new greens we know our field will enjoy the challenge of battling a classic course restored to its full glory. One of my great memories of the Stroke Play Championship is the 2012 event at Jimmie AusYujeong Son Austin Eckroat tin OU Golf Club, when Talor Gooch set the course record in the final round with a 62, making birdie on the final hole to shoot 20-under for the week and win by 12 shots. Just an incredible performance and we will always be in Talor’s corner wherever his Colton Staggs future golf endeavors take him. Speaking of incredible performances, one we have to mention is Yujeong Son. She won everything she entered, the state junior (2017 and 2018), every OJGT event

Jordan Wilson Shaebug Scarberry Talor Gooch Hayden Wood Kaitlin Milligan See OGA on page 9

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