2013 Golf Oklahoma October | November issue

Official publication of the Oklahoma Golf Association www.golfoklahoma.org

•••••• 1

RULE #8

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— Brandel Chamblee, Golf Channel analyst and quick on his feet 2 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

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www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 3

Volunteer Now!

Registration is now open for the 2014 U.S. Senior Open Volunteer Program.

Sign up today to ensure your spot as championship golf returns to Oak Tree National.

Go to www.2014ussenioropen.com to register and for more information.

Purchase of volunteer package required.

2014 U.S. Senior Open • July 7-13 • Oak Tree National • www.2014ussenioropen.com

4 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

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www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 5

Contents OCTOBER | NOVEMBER 2013

Volume 3 Issue 5

w w w . go l f o k l a h oma . org

Features

26 28 38 42 58

Oak Tree readies greens for U.S. Senior Open

Pete Dye looks back at creation of Oak Tree National Alabama offers much more than RTJ Trail

Tripp Davis’ Old American a big hit in Metroplex OSU, OU men and women take aim at national title

Departments

STACY PRAMMANASUDH A look back at the career of one of Oklahoma's finest................ page 32

8 Letter from the editor 10 OGA 11 Rules, Gene Mortensen 13 WOGA 14 Chip Shots, Oklahoma news 18 The Goods 22 Equipment 44 Pro Profile: Kevin Tway 45 Amateur Profile: Tom Hoch 48 Celebrity Profile: Nancy Lopez 50 Junior spotlight: Thomas Johnson 52 Fitness 53 Instruction: Jerry Cozby 54 Club Fitting: Pat McTigue 56 Superintendent’s Perspective 60 Schedules, Results

Support junior golf by contributing to the OGA Foundation Call 405-848-0042 for more information 6 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

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www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 7

October/November 2013 letter from the publisher Volume 3, Number 5 Golf Oklahoma Offices Southern Hills Plaza 6218 S. Lewis Ave., Ste. 200 Tulsa, OK 74136 918-280-0787 Oklahoma City Office 405-640-9996 Publisher Ken MacLeod ken@golfoklahoma.org

Oklahoma City coach Marty McCauley believes in Oklahoma junior golf.

You're doing fine, Oklahoma City U! Readers who frequent our website at www.golfoklahoma.org will see results from all events on the Oklahoma Junior Golf Tour, as well as all the tournament results from area colleges. Not just the Division I powers such as Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Tulsa and Oral Roberts, but the many other schools in state that have golf powerhouses in their respective divisions such as Oklahoma City University, Oklahoma Christian, University of Central Oklahoma, Northeastern State, Rogers State and others.

You may have noticed a great correlation over the last few years. Names that are battling it out on the OJGT one year are competing for tournament, conference and national titles at state universities the next.

Oklahoma City University is a perennial NAIA power, having won its sixth national title in the spring of 2013. Those championships were won using a formula of signing talented international players supplemented with a few regional players. No one had less reason to change than head coach Marty McCauley.

Yet he has. OCU, which won last spring with three international players in the starting five, now has one holdover. Every other player on the roster hails from Oklahoma.

At UCO, a Division II school, the entire men’s and women’s golf rosters are Oklahoma recruits.

Credit McCauley, UCO men’s coach Pat Bates and UCO women’s coach Michael Bond with the guts to go all Oklahoman though it may cost their programs a competitive notch or two as they compete for national titles.

Then again, OCU women were ranked No. 2 in the nation when the first GolfStat poll came out in early October. Bates has no doubts his players will be competitive.

“There’s no question we can compete at 8 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

the highest level,” Bates said. “We’re in a bit of a rebuilding mode early this year because we’ve lost seven starters over the past two years. But we’re recruiting good kids that have talent and we’re going to make them better players.”

At OJGT and high school events, McCauley witnessed a golfers who were both competitive but also good friends.

“I just saw this group of kids that had a great connection with one another. All the joy and fun they had was really appealing to me. I just thought wouldn’t it be cool if all these kids were on the same team. It’s a great group of kids that have fun playing together.”

The golfers coming up through the junior ranks in Oklahoma now are not just populating the state schools. Look at the impact two-time Class 6A state champion Max McGreevy is already having at Oklahoma early in his freshman season. OSU starts two Oklahoma players (Ian Davis and Talor Gooch) and has Brendon Jelley of Jenks in reserve.

Thomas Johnson, who led the Oklahoma Open for the better park of two rounds, has committed to OU prior to his junior season at Norman North.

“With all the talent in state, there’s no reason to look outside,” Bates said. “Give credit to Morri Rose with the OJGT and the PGA Section for stepping up their junior programs.”

There’s nothing wrong with recruiting nationally and internationally. We just think that in a non-revenue and basically non-spectator sport like college golf, any opportunities that can be afforded to the homegrown talent should be. Will the OCU women repeat as national champions this year? Maybe not, but let’s give them a chance.

That’s what their coach has done.

– Ken MacLeod

COO/Marketing Director A.G. Meyers agm@golfoklahoma.org Art & Technology Director Chris Swafford chris@golfoklahoma.org Subscriptions to Golf Oklahoma are $15 for one year (five issues) or $25 for two years (10 issues). Call 918-280-0787 or go to www.golfoklahoma.org.

Contributing photographers Rip Stell, Mike Klemme Golf Oklahoma PGA Instructional Staff Jim Woodward Teaching Professional, Oak Tree National jwoodwardgolf@sbcglobal.net, 405-348-2004 E.J. Pfister Teaching Professional, Oak Tree National ejgolf@me.com Pat McTigue Owner, GolfTec Tulsa and Oklahoma City pmctigue@golftec.com Steve Ball Owner, Ball Golf Center, Oklahoma City www.ballgolf.com, 405-842-2626 Pat Bates Director of Instruction, Gaillardia Country Club pbates@gaillardia.com, 405-509-3611 Tracy Phillips Director of Instruction, Buddy Phillips Learning Center at Cedar Ridge vt4u@yahoo.com, 918-352-1089 Jerry Cozby PGA Professional jerrycozby@aol.com, 918-914-1784 Michael Boyd, PGA Professional Indian Springs Country Club 918-455-9515 Oklahoma Golf Association 2800 Coltrane Place, Suite 2 Edmond, OK 73034 405-848-0042 Executive Director Mark Felder mfelder@okgolf.org Director of Handicapping and Course Rating Jay Doudican jdoudican@okgolf.org Director of Junior Golf Morri Rose morose@okgolf.org Copyright 2013 by Golf Oklahoma Magazine. All rights reserved. Contents may not be reprinted or otherwise reproduced without written permission from Golf Oklahoma.

Golf Oklahoma is published by South Central Golf, Inc.

2014 u.s. senior open championship

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2014 U.S. Senior Open • July 7-13, 2014 • Edmond, Oklahoma • www.2014ussenioropen.com www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 9

From the Executive Director

The Patriot in Owasso will be the site of the 2014 Oklahoma State Amateur Championship.

2014 venues are outstanding, led by The Patriot Golfers who compete in Oklahoma Golf Association events in 2014 will get a tour of some of the state’s greatest courses designed by noted architects ranging from Perry Maxwell to Robert Trent Mark Felder Jones II. OGA As previously anExecutive nounced on the Golf Director Oklahoma newsletter, the OGA State Amateur will be held July 21-23 at The Patriot, the highly-regarded RTJ II golf course that swoops through canyons, meadows and forests in Owasso. This will be the second OGA event to be held at The Patriot and the match-play format will be perfect for the dramatic layout that offers a great deal of risk-reward holes.

The 2014 Stroke Play Championship will be at Shangri-La Resort on Monkey Island

by Grand Lake. If you haven’t seen ShangriLa lately, you haven’t seen it. A multi-million renovation was completed last spring and all the holes have been completely reworked to incorporate many of the classic design elements of early Scottish architecture.

The OGA will also be making stops at Twin Hills (Perry Maxwell), The Territory 10 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

(Randy Heckenkemper), Oak Tree CC (Pete Dye), Gaillardia CC (Arthur Hills and later Tom Kite) and Kickingbird Golf Course (Floyd Farley).

We are also thrilled to be able to announce that the State Amateur Championship will be going to Oak Tree National in 2015. This Pete Dye masterpiece will be the site of the U.S. Senior Open next July.

The OGA is very fortunate to have the support of the finest clubs in Oklahoma.

We’re blessed that they allow our amateurs from across the state to get a chance to experience competition at these incomparable venues.

Following is the OGA schedule for 2014.

A few events remain to be finalized, but you can check www.okgolf.org in the future.

2014 OGA Schedule May 20-21, Four Ball and Senior Four Ball, Twin Hills CC, OKC June 2-5, Boys and Girls State Junior Amateur Stroke Play and Match Play at Kickingbird Golf Course, Edmond June 16-19, Senior State Amateur, The Territory, Duncan June 30-July 1, Mid-Amateur Championship, Gaillardia CC, OKC July 8, State Amateur Qualifying at Page Belcher GC, Tulsa July 10, State Amateur Qualifying at Lincoln Park GC, OKC July 21-23, State Amateur Championship, The Patriot, Owasso Aug. 4-6, Stroke Play Championship, Shangri-La Resort, Afton Aug. 22-24, Oklahoma Open, Oak Tree CC, Edmond Dates and sites for the Senior Stroke Play Championship and State Club Championship, along with USGA qualifiers and the 2014 schedule for the Oklahoma Junior Golf Tour will be announced in the coming months.

Oklahoma Golf Association News

We bet you would like to keep amateur status Each year a number of players take actions which result in the loss of their “amateur status”. Why is amateur status important, you ask? The USGA conducts 13 events each year and in ten of them the Gene Mortensen first line of the application OGA Rules reads, “Entries are open to Director amateur golfers. . . “ The Oklahoma Golf Association conducts 10 events each year and nine of them are for amateurs. The club and local events you play on weekends are for amateurs. So, if you wish to play competitive golf, retaining your status as an amateur is absolutely essential.

The United States Golf Association created the Rules on Amateur Status to protect the game. Those Rules are intended, “ . . . to encourage amateur golfers to focus on the game’s challenges and inherent rewards, rather than any financial gain.”

I will discuss three Rules which, I believe, are the most likely to be at issue.

First; amateur golfers must not play

golf for cash prizes, or its equivalent. The amount of prize money to be offered is inconsequential.

If an amateur wishes to play in an event in which cash prizes will be offered, he must first waive his right to claim all prizes.

Think about this before you sign up for that handicapped cash event next weekend.

Second; amateur golfers may participate in events in which merchandise vouchers are awarded as prizes. however, the amount must not be of retail value in excess of $750.00. This limit applies to any form of competition, whether on a golf course, driving range or simulator, including nearest to the hole and long drive contests. This restriction does not include a “symbolic prize” such as a trophy made of gold, silver, glass or the like and which is permanently and distinctively engraved.

Third; according to the Policy on Gambling, an amateur golfer must not wager for “excessive” amounts.

If Andy and Barry wish to play Charlie and David for a $5.00 Nassau, there is no problem. The players know each other and the sole source of all money won by the

players is advanced by those players. The term, “excessive” is relative because that five dollar wager at a club in Tulsa is probably akin to a $500 wager at Cypress Point. I submit, based on the circumstances, neither would be considered “excessive”.

The fear is that playing for an excessive amount could give rise to an abuse of the Rules and manipulation of the handicaps and that is absolutely contrary to the spirit of the game..Other forms of gambling which are not acceptable include Calcutta and auction sweepstakes where other than the players contribute to the pools which are usually, very large.

The amateur wishes to birdie the 18th hole because that will give him his lowest score this year. The gambler wishes to birdie the 18th hole so he will win $2,500. There is a clear difference.

Mankind is competitive by nature and there is no game more suitable to satisfying that urge than golf. The United States Golf Association is a strong advocate for amateur golf. It is the purest form in which the game can be played. We should all do our part to see that the Rules are enforced.

www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 11

Oklahoma Golf Association News

Worrell wins Oklahoma Open as amateur by murray evans

EDMOND - Chris Worrell finished his playing career at the University of Tulsa this spring and planned to turn pro eventually, perhaps after playing some amateur golf tournaments this coming winter.

Part of him wished he wouldn’t have waited. Worrell, from Enid, used a hot front nine to seize control and held on for a three-shot win over a group of six professionals after the final round of the Oklahoma Open at Oak Tree Country Club’s East Course.

Worrell fired a 3-under-67 in the final round to finish at 8-under 202, making him the first amateur to win the Open since Chris Noel in 2002. As he looked at the oversized $10,000 first-prize check he had to forego receiving, Worrell wouldn’t deny having a tinge of regret.

“I would have made a lot of money this weekend, but winning is more important to me,” Worrell said. “I’m not too worried about it. I will take a picture next to the check, though - that will be fun.” At TU, Worrell had a successful if not spectacular career, twice earning All-Conference USA second-team

honors and posting 15 top-20 finishes in four seasons. He never won a college tournament but did finish second in the season-opening GolfWeek Conference Challenge as a senior.

He was among a sizable group of golfers who entered Sunday’s final round at 5-under, four shots behind second-round leader Oscar Stark, a former Oklahoma Christian University standout who was the 2011 NAIA medalist.

Playing three groups ahead of the final threesome of Stark, Norman North High School junior Thomas Johnson and TU junior Matt Mabrey, Worrell recorded birdies on No. 1, No. 2 and No. 5 to move to 8-under.

After a bogey on the par-3 No. 6, he bounced back with a birdie on No. 7 to get back to 8-under.

He followed a bogey on No. 9 with another birdie on No. 10 and reached 9-under with a birdie on the par-5 No. 12.

Only four players posted under-par scores as they battled fast greens, difficult pin placements and just enough of a breeze to make it challenging.

“The first couple of days, they were play-

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able,” Worrell said of the greens.

“They were still playable today but they were incredibly fast. You really had to play the firmness in all of your shots into the green and whatnot, chips included. You had to be below the hole. That was really the key and make sure you were in the fairway so you could have a little bit of spin on it coming into the green.”

Although the $10,000 would have been nice, Worrell consoled himself by looking at names on the Oklahoma Open trophy, which include a trio of major championship winners in Bob Tway, Todd Hamilton and Lucas Glover, as well as well-known tour players like Gil Morgan, Doug Tewell, Willie Wood and Mark Hayes.

“I’ve never been the best with pressure and anxiety,” Worrell said. “I really did a good job of controlling myself coming down the stretch. I was four down coming in to today and I needed to start hot and I did. I made a lot of good putts today. I’m really happy with the number I put up.”

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WOGA NEWS AND NOTES

Exciting end to season hints to a fantastic 2014 54-hole total of 449.

Perhaps the exciting end to the season is just a precursor of good things to come in 2014, as the women of WOGA gear up for some exciting events and great courses.

The 2014 season will begin with the WOGA Club Representative Brunches on Feb. 5 in Oklahoma City and Feb. 6 in Tulsa. WOGA encourages all women’s associations around the state to send representatives to learn about upcoming events and network.

In April, the season will officially kick off with the Mixed Couples event at Cherokee Hills, and it only gets more exciting after that as WOGA will host tournaments at Dornick Hills Country Club in Ardmore, Oak Tree Country Club in Edmond, Cedar Ridge Country Club in Broken Arrow and Quail Creek Country Club in Oklahoma City.

WOGA will also continue its Junior Golf drive in 2014 by offering grants for high school golf teams and a pair of $1,000 scholarships. WOGA Junior Golf representative, Sheila Dills, encourages all high school girls golf coaches to visit the WOGA website to learn about the grant program and apply. The deadline for high school grants has been extended to Oct. 15.

WOGA will announce two more scholarship winners in 2014. This year’s winners, Allyson Wilcox of Duncan and Katelyn Bennett of Enid, are both attending the University of Central Oklahoma. Next year’s applications will be taken from Jan. 15 to March 15. Applications will be posted on the WOGA web site later this fall.

The 2014 WOGA season is set to be one of the best yet.

“We just keep improving every year,” WOGA president Cherie Rich said.

“Membership is consistently increasing, our competition gets better and better each year and we get to play some of the nicest courses in the state. We are definitely lookAlexis Sadeghy won the Junior Championship. You can ing forward to 2014.” buy our pictures at www.golfpics.org.

The 2013 Women’s Oklahoma Golf Association season ended in record-breaking fashion on Sept. 19 at the USGA State Team Championship at NCR Country Club in Kettering, Ohio.

Katy Treadwell Oklahoma’s best finWOGA ish prior to this year in that event was 15th, but Jade Staggs, Kelly Fuchik and Amber Hensley played their way to a tie for 10th.

Hensley led Oklahoma in the first round with a 74, including six birdies. Hensley and Staggs each shot a 79 in the second round.

Staggs ensured Oklahoma’s top-10 finish when she tied the low round of the final day, posting a 3-under par 70. Fuchik also posted her low round of the tournament with a 78.

Staggs and Hensley tied for 23rd individually. New Jersey won the tournament with a

Jade Staggs celebrated a victory over Nadia Majidi in the final round of the WOGA State Amateur Championship

To learn more about the 2014 WOGA season, events, scholarships and grants, visit www.woga.us.

For Information on Junior Grants Program: Sheila Dills - southernint@aol.com.

WOGA would like to congratulate seventime junior champion (including 12-and-under titles) Stacy Prammanasudh on her entire career and welcome her back to Oklahoma.

LeeAnn Fairlie won the 37th Annual WOGA Senior Championship with a score of 72-73 at The Trails Golf Club in Norman. This was her first year to participate in the Seniors.

www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 13

Chip shots

News from around the state Sponsored by

Oklahoma Tulsa Toll Fre

justicegolf.com

Chickasaw Pointe Golf Course on Lake Texoma.

Pointe Vista project grinding along by ken macleod

Chickasaw Pointe Golf Course, three years after converting to Champion Bermuda greens, has just concluded a strong summer in excellent condition.

The course along with a nearby marina still remain the only visible entities of the Pointe Vista Development, which promised a four-star hotel and much more when it purchased 750 acres of shoreline on Lake Texoma in 2006 from the Oklahoma Commissioners of the Land Office and from Oklahoma Tourism, which owned the former Lake Texoma Lodge and golf course.

The lodge, cabins and golf course are long gone but nothing has come along to take their place. Reasons include the downturn in the economy and a squabble over an additional 1,022 acres that Pointe Vista Development deemed crucial for the project, now known as Area C. Problem is that land was under the control of the U.S. Corps of Engineers and before it can be sold and transferred an Environmental Im14 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

pact Survey must be conducted, a process that could take several years and cost more than $2 million.

After years of wrangling between Pointe Vista and Tourism over who should pay for the study and how much, Pointe Vista Development has agreed to pay for the EIS and hopefully once it is completed and the land is acquired, the resort will be underway in earnest.

While that sounds optimistic, there is enough tension between local residents who are frustrated at the lack of progress, politicians who represent those residents, the CLO, Tourism and the Governor’s Office, that until construction is begun, the situation remains muddled.

No one has covered the saga more carefully than Mike Stearns of the Madill Record.

“Where this whole thing has bogged down is in the development of Area C, and that’s between Tourism and Pointe Vista,” Stearnes said. “Essentially, who was going

to pay for it was a sticking point . . . Pointe Vista did not think they should have to pay and neither did Tourism. Nobody wanted to pay for it, so it got put on hold.”

The driving force behind PVD is Chaparral Energy. PVD CEO Mark Fischer owns the energy company while son, Scott, runs the development business. Aubrey McClendon, former head of Chesapeake Energy Corp., was a major investor and his troubles may have put a damper on the willingness of the PVD to start developments.

There is a May 14 deadline in the contract with the state for Pointe Vista to break ground. Due to the delay in acquiring Area C, it is not known if that deadline will be enforced.

For golfers who enjoy Chickasaw Pointe, the good news is it is still one of the state’s most enjoyable courses. For those looking to stay on site and mix golf with other amenities offered at a top-notch resort, patience is definitely a virtue.

ONLINE: Get the latest news on Oklahoma golf at

golfoklahoma.org

Windmill changes name, grass The Club at Indian Springs has reopened 18 holes on what was formerly known as The Windmill Course with new Champion Bermuda greens.

Not only does the course have new greens and new collars (Meyers zoysia), it has a new name. The Lakes has new scorecards and new tee markers while shedding the name that implies miniature golf.

The course was closed July 22 to begin the renovation and reopened on Sept. 21.

It took eight weeks, about a week longer than planned, for the Bermuda to fully fill in. Heavy rains immediately after sprigging may have contributed to the extra time.

“I think the heavy rains moved the sprigs around a little, but it’s all coming together now,” said head professional Michael Boyd. “They look really good.”

Indian Springs joins Page Belcher and Mohawk Park as courses to go with Bermuda greens in the Tulsa area. The northernmost course in the state to make the switch is Grand Cherokee State Park on the southern part of Grand Lake. Other

courses to switch from bent grass to Bermuda in recent years include Chickasaw Pointe on Lake Texoma, WinStar Golf Course in Thackerville, Idabel CC, Firelake GC in Shawnee, Coffee Creek in Edmond, Western Hills State Park and Silverado GC in Durant.

Glover hired at Golf Club Several prominent Oklahoma courses have or will have new head professionals this fall.

Skiatook native J.R. Glover is the new head professional at The Golf Club of Oklahoma in Broken Arrow. Glover, a 2004 University of Oklahoma graduate, has worked as an assistant the past eight years at J.R. Glover Arnold Palmer Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Orlando, Fla. While at Bay Hill, Glover got to know “The King” well. Palmer would be at the club frequently from October through

May and very involved in operations and in the PGA Tour event that bears his name.

The first year Glover worked there, Palmer bumped into him on Sunday of The Masters and asked him to bring some limes over to his condo. He ended up watching the final round with Palmer, his wife Kit and Dow Finsterwald, winner of the 1958 PGA Championship, and listening to their stories of past Masters and other events.

“It is one of those once-in-a-lifetime memories,” Glover said. “Listening to them tell their stories was amazing.”

Glover, 34, takes over for Bobby Haddan, who returned to Meadowbrook Country Club, where he was formerly head professional. This time Haddan is the general manager, replacing longtime GM Libby Meyer.

Glover will be working with Golf Club general manager Jeff McCormick at the Tom Fazio-designed club, which is owned by a group led by Oklahoma City businessmen David Hardin and Elby Beal but operated on a long-term lease by American Golf.

Oklahoma City (405) 634-0571 Tulsa (918) 663-0571 Toll Free (800) 276-0571

justicegolf.com www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 15

Chip shots than 160 acres of the 260 acres owned by the Lamoreaux brothers was sold in portions with the brothers retaining approximately 100 acres.

Cotton Creek was built by the brothers and opened in 1991. It served a cost conscious segment of the golf market but was regarded as a fun course with many interesting holes. It averaged between 12,000 to 15,000 rounds annually.

PGA Tour card settled

Major Dan Rooney, Thomas Tansil (Executive Director, FHF), QuikTrip CEO Chet Cadieux, and Chuck O’Dell.

QuikTrip Donates $295,000 to tion, visit FoldsofHonor.org.

Folds of Honor Foundation TULSA, Okla. - QuikTrip CEO Chet Jarrett leaves The Patriot Cadieux presented the Folds of Honor Foundation with a $295,000 donation Thursday morning at its headquarters in Tulsa, Okla.

QuikTrip committed to donate a portion of sales of its commemorative Folds of Honor 32 oz. cups sold during Labor Day weekend, teamed with Coca-Cola for an additional contribution, and hosted a golf tournament, raising a cumulative total of $295,000. The cups were sold in more than 600 QuikTrip locations across the Midwest and Southeast, with locations in the Atlanta, Dallas/Fort Worth, Phoenix, Tucson, Wichita, Kansas City, St. Louis, Tulsa, Des Moines, Omaha, Greenville, Spartanburg and Charlotte markets.

The Folds of Honor Foundation is a 501(c) (3) charitable organization with a mission to empower military families by providing educational scholarships for the children and spouses of military service men and women killed or disabled while serving our great nation.

“QuikTrip’s contribution will allow us to award scholarships to the families of our fallen and wounded soldiers who deserve our utmost support,” said Major Dan Rooney, Folds of Honor founder. “We are incredibly grateful for QuikTrip’s support and look forward to continuing this great relationship.”

Since its inception in 2007, Owasso-based Folds of Honor has awarded more than 5,000 educational scholarships to meet an ongoing need in our country. As of January 2012, more than one million dependents have been affected by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Of these, 87 percent do not qualify for federal scholarship assistance.

For more information or to make a dona16 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

The Patriot in Owasso is looking for a new head professional for the second time in three years. Chris Jarrett stunned the club and membership by resigning beginning immediately in late September, a week before the member guest tournament.

Jarrett said he loved the Patriot and the membership but was ready for a new chapter in his life, one that didn’t include golf operations.

“They treated me very well. It’s a great group of owners and members,” Jarrett said. “They have some very good assistants there so they are in very good hands.”

Jarrett said he resigned to spend more time with his wife and family after working most weekends in the golf industry for the past 20 years. A conversation with his 90-year-old grandmother led to his abrupt resignation.

“She said Chris, people are going to remember the person you were and how you treated people, not how many hours you spent working,” Jarrett said. “That really got me to thinking about my life and what I wanted to do.”

Jarrett said he has been discussing various offers to go into private business.

“I’ve been really blessed,” he said. “The phone has been ringing and there are a lot of good opportunities out there.”

Cotton Creek owners sell and close course Cotton Creek Golf Course in Glenpool shut down Aug. 30 after owners Jeff and Steve Lamoreaux accepted various bids for portions of the golf course property.

John Pellow with AmeriBids, which conducted an auction of the course, said more

Tyrone Van Aswegen became the first former Oklahoma City University golfer to earn his PGA Tour card by virtue of his finish among the Web.com Tour’s priority rankings.

Van Aswegen finished 24th in the priority rankings, which include the Web.com Tour’s final four events of the season. The top 25 finishers in the Web.com Tour priority rankings earn PGA Tour exemptions.

Former OSU golfer Kevin Tway of Edmond had earned his card before the playoffs began by finishing in the top 25 on the Web.com Tour. He finished 47th in the playoffs.

Edmond North graduate Robert Streb, who finished a heartbreaking 126th on the Fed-Ex Cup Standings (the top 125 earn full playing rights for 2014), did not make the top 25 in the playoffs. Neither did Tulsa Memorial graduate Tag Ridings, who also finished between 126 and 175 on the PGA Tour in 2013. Those 50 players, if they did not earn a spot in the playoffs, still have conditional PGA Tour cards for 2014, but will be behind both the top 125 and the 50 from the playoffs when it comes to getting spots in fields. The player who finished 126th on the list in 2012 got in 15 tournaments in 2013, according to Jeff Adams with Web.com Tour communications.

Streb can expect about the same number of spots in 2014 and Ridings somewhat fewer. Both players will be eligible to compete in Web.com Tour events on weeks when they are excluded from PGA Tour fields.

Ryan Spears of Del City finished 56th in the playoffs and will have Web.com status again in 2014. Former OSU golfer Edward Loar, who lost his PGA Tour card in heartbreaking fashion with a collapse at the end of Qualifying School finals last winter, played his way back on to the big tour by finishing ninth in the playoffs.

In 2013, Van Aswegen took 38th on the Web.com Tour money list with $140,561 in earnings through 25 events. Van Aswegen piled up $44,383.33 in the season’s final four events towards the priority rankings.

www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 17

Goods the

Some things we like to do before and after the round

The Bookshelf

Klein shares views from the road by ken macleod

I

f you enjoy Brad Klein’s intelligent and thoughtful writings on golf courses and what makes them such special places to so many, we heartily recommend his new book, Wide Open Fairways, A Journey Across The Landscapes of Modern Golf.

Klein sees a wide variety of courses and places on his travels and in this book he takes us from Bandon Dunes to the Sandhills of Nebraska, through Los Alomos, N.M., North Dakota, the Bronx and behind the scenes at the construction of his home course in Bloomfield, Conn.

The book, however, is not a collection of course reviews or a travel guide. It’s a series of meditations or essays on golf, nature,

man, politics and other forces that combine to shape or influence the courses and game we all love.

In his hometown, Klein got a bird’s eye view of how they make the sausage. He talked Pete Dye into designing the course for $1, but also suffered through all the planning meetings, routing, environmental permitting, regulations, town politics, big wigs throwing their weight around and so on that it takes to see a course through to completion. By the end of the process, he was more relieved and tired than joyful.

In this book Klein also shares some personal family history and how the golf course was his escape and refuge growing up, lead-

ing to the deep appreciation he’s maintained for the game and particularly for those courses done well that make our imaginations soar.

"Always more about the where than the whom" Green Glory shows off the major venues by bob denney

F

or generations, we have celebrated the achievements of those players who triumphed in the gauntlet of major championship golf. But what about the venue itself? A golfer is as connected to nature, to the land beneath his or her feet, as to the game itself.

The sounds, the aromas and the images blend like an artist’s brushstrokes. If you have ever walked Augusta National, stepped on the first tee at St. Andrews in early morning, or spent sunset at Pebble Beach, you may understand the allure among those venues entrusted to host a major championship.

The courses that make up the modern rota of majors have their own identity, and collectively shape the legends of the game and legendary moments. “Green Glory – A Visual Tribute to the Courses of the Majors – Golf ’s Renowned Venues” is a unique coffee-table style collectible, a canvas of entertaining text and art to enhance your golf library, or those of your facility’s members or customers.

It is a culmination of a project begun three years ago by photographer Patrick Drickey of Omaha, Neb., combining paintings by award-winning artist Linda Hartough of Hilton Head Island, S.C. 18 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

“Green Glory” doesn’t claim to chart all 134 major venues since 1860, when the Open Championship was born. Rather, it focuses on where majors have been conducted since 1950, interjecting both facts and opinion about what makes major venues appealing.

Try “sipping” first, as if savoring a fine wine.

“Green Glory” is a door to discovery about what separates the majors, and it is a testimonial about why golf may continue to enjoy its Grand Slam.

“To me, the real excitement has always been more about the where than the whom.

I’ve always believed that it was the course, not the other player in the field – I needed to focus on and eventually defeat,” said Jack Nicklaus, golf ’s 18-major title-holder in a foreword. “That’s why I’m delighted to see a book dedicated to the special venues on which the modern major championships have been played.”

We learn about what separates the

four majors through the eyes of the artist: the challenges of Augusta National, the firm and fast template of U.S. Open layouts, the unpredictability of Open Championship venues and the progressive efforts of the PGA Championship to blend both traditional and new golf facilities among choices for the “Season’s Final Major.”

“Green Glory” reveals the striking physical beauty and, in many cases, the challenges of the renowned venues that have hosted

golf’s premier championships.

“PGA Championship venues are, I think, the most diverse of any of the majors in terms of course type,” says Drickey. “‘Green Glory’ presents 45 courses in the PGA section, more than the other three Championships combined. Historically in this country, parkland courses have seen the majority of play, but the PGA Championship is played virtually everywhere in the country – north, south, coast to coast. That means every kind of course: parkland, links-type, sand hill … They’re all there.”

Major venues don’t reach major praise without the care and love of a superintendent. Golf course architect Rees Jones understands that key relationship, and in the book offers his perspective on the prerequisites of course conditioning and preparation to earn major status.

In paying homage to what are labeled “the preeminent battlefields,” the book also addresses the game’s future by donating a portion of the proceeds to The First Tee. To purchase “Green Glory” for your golf shop, visit www.stonehousegolf.com or www.hartough.com.

GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB

Southwest Oklahoma’s Premier Golf Facility CLUB SELECTION IS EVERYTHING

For membership information Call Jeff Tyrrell at 580.475.0075 or visit WWW.TERRITORYGOLF.COM PO Box 1228 Duncan, Oklahoma 73534 www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 19

The goods

Russell Henry Gin a smooth organic mix by greg horton

B

eginning in August, Oklahoma received our first shipment of Russell Henry Gin. The creation of superstar distiller Crispin Cain, the Russell Henry gins have a unique style and flavor profile.

There are three Russell Henry gins: a London Dry, a Malaysian Lime, and a Hawaiian Ginger. London gins are often designated as dry because sugar may not be added for sweetness.

Of the three gins, the London Dry has the lowest alcohol content.

Russell Henry London Dry is made in the traditional style with juniper, but the finished product has far more complexity that some of its clunky counterparts. Juniper is present on the nose, but so is coriander, pine, pepper, and lemon zest.

This one is a gin for traditional gin drinkers.

Serve it over ice with a twist of lime for best

20 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

effect.

The Malayasian Lime is made with limes from Malaysia. What is most surprising is that there is very little lime on the nose or on the palate. The lime blends in well with the juniper and pepper to make a very pleasant, very smooth flavored gin that isn’t overwhelmingly citrusy.

For his Hawaiian Ginger, Cain sourced his ginger from an organic grower on the island of Kauai.

This is by far the best of the three in terms of cocktail creation because the ginger is prominent, but not in an off-putting way. It marries well with the citrus zest, coriander, and juniper, to create a gin that drinks well by itself, but which could easily be used to create gin cocktails with a delicious, ginger twist.

Chappellet wine, always a quality blend by greg horton

Molly and Don Chappellet moved to Napa Valley from Beverly Hills in 1967.

They had five children, and Molly was pregnant with their sixth. They intended to start a winery, but were initially unsure of where to begin. Don was a fan of the idea that “Bacchus loves the hills,” so he wanted hillside fruit for his wines. Fortunately, they had the advice of one of America’s premiere winemakers.

André Tchelistcheff was the mentor for such winemaking luminaries as Robert Mondavi and Louis Martini, and he recommended the Chappellets choose property in Pritchard Hill, on the east side of Napa Valley adjacent to Atlas Peak and Oakville.

Pritchard Hill’s volcanic ash soil and rocky soil makes for some of Napa’s premiere Cabernet Sauvignon.

Four of Chappellet’s amazing wines are available in Oklahoma, including what the winemakers call their most sought after wine: Chappellet Pritchard Hill Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2009 is 75 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, and like the great Bordeauxs it emulates, it is blended with other varietals.

The ’09 is blended with Merlot and Malbec.

The blend changes every year; the quality does not.

The accolades from the wine press are extensive every year, and scores tend to range from the low to high 90s. This really is one of California’s premiere wines. Layers of black fruit, dust, baking spices, and floral notes make for a rich, deep, layered complex wine that rewards revisiting over a period of several hours.

All the Chappellet wines are made with the same care as their flagship wine, so it’s no surprise that “Wine Spectator” said of the winery: ““Chappellet winery always seems to over-deliver on quality for the price, thanks in large part to the estate’s 100 acres of vines on Pritchard Hill, high above Napa Valley.”

In addition to the Pritchard Hill Cabernet, Oklahoma also has Cervantes Red, Chardonnay and Signature Cabernet. The Cervantes Mountain Cuvée is the most affordable in the line, and it’s a great introduction to the winery.

El Centurion Robusto

by My Father Cigars by laramie navrath

Cigars are like the game of golf, the more time and effort invested the better it gets and the El Centurion is a cigar that follows that adage.

Let’s start this review by saying, the El Centurion is not a cigar for the average golfer. This cigar was first released as a limited edition in 2007. Now six years later, El Centurion has been re-released as a major brand

by My Father Cigars keeping with tradition of previous blend. The wrapper, filler and binder leaves are all grown in Nicaragua making it a true puro and comes in four sizes -- Robust, Toro, Belicoso and Toro Gorda.

On first inspection of the cigar, notice the elegant dark, toothy wrapper with a nice earthy aroma. The pre-light draw is nice and smooth with nice natural sweetness.

After the light up, pepper spices and mild hints of coffee and chocolate fill the palate.

The smoke is thick, producing a gray-white

ash. The spice began to grow in intensity and it was followed by a nice meaty-savory note.

There were hints of wood and earth as well to round it all out. The final third brought the same consistency. Never becoming a fullbodied cigar, this hung right around the medium-full range. Overall a seasoned cigar smoker should be impressed by the El Centurion. It is a great smoke, flawless construction, great price point and has great flavors.

Proudly serving Oklahoma with a fine selection of cigars and related products.

Stop on by our current location and share a smoke with us!

www.ztcigars.com 2726 W Britton Rd (800) 340-3007 Oklahoma City, OK 73120 www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 21

EQUIPMENT Historical putters from the collection of Ponca City dentist and golf club collector Glen Hoecker.

Robert Forgan

Spalding Schenectady

Calamity Jane

Scotty Cameron

1885

1905

1920s

2013

Putters through history

by ed travis

Putting is often a struggle or put another way, putting well seems to come and go for no apparent reason. Each of us battles inner demons once we get over a putt and of course those rascals are the cause of all our problems. Never mind practicing or, God forbid, a lesson. No, it’s easier to blame the putter.

And that most assuredly is the reason almost every golfer has more than one flat stick and why some garages look like the discount club barrel at the local muni.

Fixing our brain, i.e., conquering the demons is the surest way to make more putts but there’s also no doubt the proper putter plays a big part.

According to Frank Thomas, former Technical Director of the United States Golf Association and acknowledged expert on putters, “The most important improvement in putter technology is not necessarily an efficient well designed instrument but a well balanced and forgiving putter which is properly fitted followed by application of the fundamental mechanics and mind set to drive it most effectively.”

“It is no good having a top of the line Ferrari and then driving it like a John Deere Tractor.”

Until about 200 years ago putters were simply less robust versions of the clubs used to hit the ball from the tee and fairway and as putters with iron heads were developed they at first followed the shape of the old wooden ones. Their lie or angle the shaft makes when the sole is on the ground, was quite flat plus the heads were much longer from heel to toe versus what we use today and they had a very narrow sole. However, with the invention of the Haskell ball or “rubbery,” which within three years of being introduced had almost totally replaced the gutta percha ball, putter development 22 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

“The putter does not twist about the leapt forward.

Also significantly, in 1894 the United State shaft at impact but rather about the center Golf Association was formed and among of percussion which is close to the center of the first regulations passed down concerned gravity of the putter head. The Schenectady putters; in 1895 the pool cue was outlawed. putter – because of the mallet style design – The USGA was and is the primary deter- had a higher MOI [Moment Of Inertia] and miner of what a putter may be and today thus more forgiving on off center impacts. here are regulations limiting putter size (no Other previous mallet designs were made of more than 7 inches from heel to toe), loft wood.”

Not everyone switched to a mallet type (no more than 10 degrees), shaft length plus adjustability and weighting. In spite of the putter in spite of the Schenectady’s success sometimes bewildering array of rules putter and in fact Bobby Jones while dominating designers have created the modern putter golf during the 1920s putted with an old that is made from space-age materials with style blade-type putter he named Calamity Jane. It was relatively short (33½ inches), computer aided design.

The first really ground breaking putter lightweight with several repairs and had 8 was the center shafted mallet-head metal degrees of loft or approximately twice that putter and it created quite a stir among golf of a modern putter. Jones actually had two purists contributing to a ban by the R&A different Calamity Janes, identical sisters, of centered shafted clubs. It was not, as the during his best years from 1923 to 1930 story is told, retribution against the Austra- when he seemed to beat everyone each time lian-born American Walter Travis having he teed it up. For those interested, the first the impertinence to beat the best Britain had Calamity Jane is in the clubhouse at Augusta to offer on home soil but simply because it National Golf Club and the second on dishad a mallet head and that was considered play at the USGA Museum in Far Hills, New the same as a croquet mallet which was in Jersey. fact what prompted a 1909 ban.

Concerning the significance of the mal- See PUTTERS page 25 let putter Thomas said, “The Schenectady putter used

by Walter Travis to win the British Amateur in 1904 was patented by Arthur Franklin Knight of Schenectady, NY in 1903 – he also had the first patent for a steel shaft in 1910.

The concept was to make a more efficient and forgiving putter. This putter was a center shafted metal mallet style putter but the center shaft design was not the reason for the performance benefits but rather the mallet design made Karsten Solheim and Ping revolutionized putters again of metal.” with the hugely successful Ping Anser.

It's all about the feel Crenshaw breaks down his putting keys, but wants you to develop your own by steve habel

There is little doubt that World Golf Hall of Fame member Ben Crenshaw is one of golf’s all-time greatest putters. And while it bodes well to try to putt like Crenshaw, he would rather see golfers develop and practice their own style and build confidence on the greens no matter the situation.

“Anything works in putting – you have to be yourself to putt well,” Crenshaw said.

“A lot of people want to imitate other good putters, but the ones that putt the best believe in themselves and stand over the ball naturally.”

By focusing too much on mechanics the golfer can develop stress and tension, which leads to poor putting results. Pace, feel and greens-reading are more important than trying to be too technical.

“Putting is an entirely personal sort of thing,” Crenshaw said. “My teacher, Harvey

Even Ben Crenshaw missed a putt.

Penick, wanted us all to cultivate our own style. There is really no right or wrong way to stand or set up. If you follow the sport, you know there have been many successful putters with radically different methods.”

Still, Crenshaw’s prowess on the greens can be studied to make golfers putt better. He popularized a putting style called the “arc” stroke, which has an inside, then square, then back inside putting motion.

The idea is a simple one: let the putter follow the natural arc of the golfer’s body on the backswing. Provided that the golfer does not manipulate the club with his hands, it will return square to the ball and then follow a similar arc in close to his body on the follow-through.

He keeps his right shoulder lower than his left to help promote this movement consistently. Crenshaw likes to be more on his front side (about a 60-40 percentage) and wants to feel like his shoulders are limp and without tension. His stance is slightly less than shoulder width and just a little bit more open on the front than square. His stroke is long both on the backstroke and the followthrough.

Crenshaw believes that the putter should be held as a delicate instrument, appropriate for doing the delicate work that’s needed on the greens. ‘“Putting is fingers and hands and eyes,” he said. “It’s knowing what your backstroke and follow-through will do. Nine times out of 10, people grab the putter too tightly. By holding the putter loosely, the putter head will feel heavier and it swings more.”

Crenshaw’s putting was so sensational it often overshadowed the rest of his game.

The 61-year-old, two-time Masters champion also offers these guidelines.

“Get comfortable and relaxed,” Crenshaw said. “Consistent putts stem from consistent, solid strikes on the middle of the clubface. A solid hit is something you can usually hear and feel. So don’t change your stroke too often, just try to meet the ball solidly.

“Make sure your tempo is even – back and through,” he added. “Whether that tempo is fast, slow or in between, it’s important to think of the backswing and swing through the ball. Don’t be so anxious to see the results; stay down through the putt. I try to make the putter as sensitive as I can. That’s

One of the smoothest strokes in history.

how I let the putter face and club head do the work.”

Good putters also understand that pace is more important than the line.

“If I see a player whose pace is off, I look to see if he or she is holding the putter too tightly or has some tension in his stroke,” Crenshaw said. “The only tension I want to feel is in my fingers. That’s how I determine how I want to roll the putt.”

It’s been said that “a man who can putt is a match for anyone.” That axiom fits Crenshaw to a T. “The ball which arrives at the hole with the proper speed has an infinitely greater chance of falling in the hole from any entrance,” Crenshaw wrote in `The Legend of Bobby Jones: The Greatest of Them All.’ “Harvey taught me the value of this method at an early age. This is what he meant by ‘giving luck a chance.’”

Follow his advice and develop your own style on the greens. Remember that great putting is a true equalizer on the golf course, and it’s the one aspect of the game that can be honed and practiced no matter your age or physical condition.

“By following these few simple guidelines, and remembering that the object is to see how close you can get to the hole, you should see marked improvement on the greens,” Crenshaw concluded. www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 23

EQUIPMENT

Flat stick choices abound by ed travis

It is said that putters are the most personal club in our bags and that’s perhaps why there are hundreds on the market each vying to become our new best friend.

Here a few of the current models we have tried and believe are worthy of consideration should you be thinking about buying a new flat stick Odyssey Simply put, the ProType Black putter is great looking…black powder coated shaft, black PVD finished head and black grip.

This means there’s no glare or reflections except perhaps an occasional glare of envy from your opponents. The 1025 carbon steel head has a softer feel than stainless steel and there’s deeper pattern of milling on the face plus slight modifications of the head weighting (heavier for shorter shafts) to produce the feel many are looking for in a putter.

Odyssey’s Versa is also distinctive looking with black and white sections running from toe to heel and they are not just cosmetic.

The company says they are alignment aids

24 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

and some players find they work really well.

All of the Versa models (there are blades and mallets) have the White Hot insert and you are able to choose the configuration of the white and black head colorizations.

PING Golf We like the new Scottsdale TR 12-model series especially because each of the standard length models allow for the shaft length to be adjusted to suit the user - a handy feature to say the least. TR stands for True Roll which is what PING says is produced by the variable-depth grooves of the in the face insert. Grooves are deepest in the center and getting progressively shallower towards the edge which, according to their testing, gives almost identical ball speeds across the putter face. All the TR models have inserts made from lightweight aluminum and a non-glare black PVD finish with white sight lines.

TaylorMade Golf Upon first seeing the Ghost Spider S a comment often heard is, “That’s an interesting piece of plumbing,” but the odd looking shape does has a definite purpose. TMaG’s goal was to make it easy to have the head un-

Odyssey ProType Black

der control during the stroke with no manipulation. In other words they wanted a putter that seemed to square itself at impact and in the process created a putter with the highest resistance to twisting (i.e., MOI) they’ve ever made. The Ghost Spider S head is an aluminum/steel combination and, taking a cue from their metalwoods, it’s white so that the black face makes an effective contrast plus being a nice topline perpendicular to the sight line.

Titleist The Scotty Cameron Select GoLo has created a stir with what some are calling a “modern mallet” design shape having a somewhat smaller head size than other mallets in the Select series. The Select GoLo 5 has a single bend shaft and the GoLo S5 a straight shaft with both having an asymmetric back profile by the heel being pulled in towards the face, what Titleist calls “contained cavity sight lines.” Both of the GoLo models’s have milled faces and “Black Mist” anti-glare finishes.

Dave Pelz stands in the midst of his back yard replica greens. Behind him is the island green, No. 17 at TPC Sawgrass.

How's this for home practice! by ken macleod

When Phil Mickelson played a flawless back nine to win the British Open this summer, one man was about jumping out of his chair in Austin, Texas.

“That was the most exciting tournament I’ve ever watched,” said noted putting guru Dave Pelz, who has worked on and off with Mickelson for 10 years. “Do you know how hard he’s been trying to learn the skills to win this event? The low running shots and how to putt and chip. It’s just very different over there. I’m thrilled to death. It was like a dream.”

from PUTTERS page 22 Every conceivable variation of design has been tried, huge faces and tiny faces, heads with holes that look like Swiss cheese, extreme length shafts-both long and short with bends or without and putters weighing well over a pound to those barely topping half that much. Materials for putter heads also challenge the imagination. There are of course wooden heads with and without metal faces or weights, heads made of ceramic oxides and the familiar aluminum or steel heads.

However what has become the most recognizable putter shape, the so-called modern blade, came from the imagination of an engineer working at General Electric named Karsten Solheim.

Having taken up golf as an adult Solheim

In the fall months, Pelz has staff members from some of his six permanent schools traveling the country to do putting and shortgame clinics. They did a three-day school at the Jimmie Austin University of Oklahoma Golf Dave Pelz Course in September.

Pelz may have gained his reputation for his straight-back, straight-through putting methods, but a big part of his focus these days is on the short game from 100 yards

and in. His clinics focus on pitching and chipping as well as putting. Pelz has turned his backyard in Austin into a golfer’s dreamland.

Pelz represents a company that makes artificial putting greens. In his backyard are replicas of the 12th green at Augusta National, No. 17 at TPC Sawgrass, the 17th at Pebble Beach, No. 6 at Whistling Straits, No. 13 at Augusta National, and the Road Hole (No. 17) at St. Andrews.

“I’m a golf nut and I get up dreaming about the game,” Pelz said. “I thought if I’m going to have greens in my backyard, they are going to be my favorite greens.”

became convinced coming up with a better putter design would mean he could hole more putts and in 1959 he got the idea for a putter radically different then anything on the market. He theorized that if a substantial amount of weight was moved from behind the center of the putter towards the heel and toe the moment of inertia would be dramatically improved. From his engineering background he knew that the head would twist much less and there would be a big improvement in accuracy and distance. Solheim was right; his heel and toe weighting is the basis of all modern putters.

And one other thing…Solheim had remarkable marketing insight too. He named the putter after the sound it made when striking the ball…PING. The basic design is over 50 years old but updated models are still available from

PING Golf, however the most revealing thing about Solheim’s putter is that virtually every putter maker has their own version…sometimes indistinguishable from PINGs. Regarding the changes and innovations Thomas said, “Putter design has progressed from wooden mallets to metal mallets and true metal “cleek type” blade designs – similar to Bobby Jones heel shafted Calamity Jane -- to the toe/heel weighted design – the Ping Anser now copied by most manufacturers – to true mallet design with weight distributed far from the c.g. [center of gravity] with high MOI [Moment Of Inertia] about two axes.”

So the modern putter has quite a history and one thing is sure, golfers will never stop searching for the perfect putter, the magic wand that holes every putt. www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 25

OKLAHOMA COURSE SPOTLIGHT

Oak Tree greens on mend

Course considered switch to Bermuda by ken macleod

E

ven when Mother Nature provides a relatively cool summer with ample rainfall and most courses in the region are reporting excellent agronomic conditions, superintendents sleep lightly, knowing everything can change overnight.

Oak Tree National, the site of the 2014 U.S. Senior Open in Edmond, unfortunately has experienced one of those situations. The greens suffered from a condition called bacterial wilt, which more commonly affects creeping bentgrass greens in the Northeast.

The causes and treatments are both under study by the USGA Green Section.

The condition was worse on the back nine greens, four of which have received substantial sodding. Oak Tree National has a relatively rare for Oklahoma version of bent grass called Dominant Plus and it was failing to respond to various treatments applied by superintendent Josh Cook and his staff.

26 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

By mid-summer, with the green on hole 11 mostly dead and others suffering, new general manager Tom Jones met with Cook, co-owner Everett Dobson and other top Oak Tree officials with several options on the table. Most prominent among those were to continue to fight the bacterial wilt with uncertain weapons, or scrape off the bent grass and sprig one of the new varieties of ultra dwarf Bermuda grasses.

Yes, Oak Tree National came within a discussion point or two of becoming the most prominent course in the state to switch to Bermuda greens.

“We had to make a decision and the decision was not to rebuild with bent grass, but to change to Bermuda,” Jones said. “Mainly because with Bermuda you could just resurface rather than rebuilding the greens and they would have provided a hard, fast surface for the Senior Open.”

Co-owner Ed Evans returned from a trip to find the discussions to convert underway and weighed in that he

was not in favor of the switch to Bermuda greens. That tilted the scales and the decision was made to do everything possible to get the current greens in great shape for the tournament (and for member play).

Fortunately, the bacterial wilt seems to be in decline and the greens are rebounding this fall.

“Our window to get these greens in good shape is right now,” Jones said. “I think the front nine is fine. The back nine I still have concern for about four greens.”

Jeff Hall, the USGA managing director of rules, competitions and amateur status, has been the USGA’s course setup man at the U.S. Senior Open since 2007. He visited Oak Tree National on Sept. 23-24 and came away satisfied that the recovery was proceeding and there would be no issues for the championship.

“I think they’ve taken the proper steps to fix the problem,” Hall said. “The green on 11 was the poster child for the difficulties they’ve had. I was rolling balls on it and if you didn’t know what had happened, you would never have thought anything about it, the greens are rolling true.

“It was certainly something to be concerned about. But the leadership here and Josh have

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golfoklahoma.org

For Hall, the challenge in course setup is and at an extremely high level. You don’t managed this situation as best they can.

They’ve done their due diligence in figuring going to be how to balance Oak Tree’s leg- have that knowledge base to tap into at out what happened and how to go about endary difficulty and the USGA’s desire for most courses.

“Mr. Dye (course architect Pete Dye) is a stern test for all of its championships with fixing it.”

Jones said he and Cook have heard vary- the danger that at Oak Tree, an unexpected just a master at making it difficult for you. ing explanations about the cause and the breeze, a rain and wet rough or rock hard What may seem like obvious places to miss treatment from turf grass experts, making greens can lead to a course that could em- are sometimes not. You really have to study and learn it and that’s why those three pracbarrass the golfers. it hard to be too aggres“You’ve got golfers in this tice days will be so important.” sive in terms of chemical field that have worked their applications or core aeriway in through qualifying fications. and have never played in a “We’ve just been taking USGA event or alongside baby steps. Now at some July 7-13, 2014 the elite players,” Hall said. point we’ve got to push “Even if it doesn’t blow at it and go back to normal To purchase tickets go to all, the degree of difficulty and see what we’ve got. www.2014ussenioropen.com here is very, very clear.

We can’t just sit here or email tickets@2014ussenioropen.com We’re going to have to have waiting for something to a thoughtful setup.” happen.”

Hole #7 at Oak Tree National.

Hall has been leaning on If the greens round into the accumulated wisdom of shape, Oak Tree National Tom Jones Oak Tree National professhould present a spectacular venue for the championship. The sionals such as Gil Morgan, Bob Tway, Bermuda fairways and tees are in excellent Willie Wood and Scott Verplank.

“When you can get their perspeccondition and a course-wide project is under way to limb and shape the Oak trees tive on greens speeds, height and and to limit and clean up some native grass rough other factors, it reareas that have become overgrown.

“It was just kind of shaggy but we’re get- ally helps. They ting there,” Jones said. “We’re going to be play here on the world stage. If we think things look all the a little fuzzy with our own eyes, what’s it t i m e going to look like in high definition? Every little detail matters.”

2014 U.S. Senior Open Championship

www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 27

Pete Dye and the mighty Oak Tree by tom bedell “I’m not sure why Ernie and Joe called me originally. I was pretty much just starting in the business,” said Pete Dye recently, when asked about the origins of the Oak Tree Golf Club in Edmond (now Oak Tree National), site of the 2014 U.S. Senior Open.

Ernie and Joe were, of course, Ernie Vossler and Joe Walser Jr., talented amateur golfers (Ernie was the Texas Amateur Champion in 1954, Joe the Oklahoma Amateur champ in 1952) before turning professional and becoming friends on the tour.

From his home in Indiana, Dye cast his mind back some—he turns 88 this December 29, so the cast is a little longer than it once was. (Both Vossler and Walser passed away in the last two years.) “Ernie had been very successful on the PGA Tour, and Joe played it a few years as well, but both eventually quit the tour to become club professionals.”

Both worked at Quail Creek in Oklahoma City before Walser eventually moved over to the Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club. But they had bigger things in mind, and Pete Dye became a big part of their entrepreneurial history. He had met both men previously—Vossler in his amateur days,

Oak Tree National hole #16

28 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

Along with many amateur competitions, Dye courses worldwide have hosted an impressive string of major championships...

Walser during a Tour event.

“They started up Unique Golf Concepts and had a project in Greensboro, North Carolina called The Cardinal.”

After examining a few Dye courses—he may have been “just starting in the business” but Crooked Stick, The Golf Club, and Harbour Town were already in the books—the two partners had their man, a deal sealed with a handshake.

“I started The Cardinal in 1973, but about halfway through Ernie and Joe had a difference of opinion with another partner and they left. I finished the course in 1975. Many years later John McConnell bought it, so in 2007 I went back and built it again.

“Meanwhile the two of them were thinking Southern Hills needed a little competi-

Pete Dye, on an original site visit.

tion, so they called me up again and said they wanted to build a men’s club--a hard golf course, for men only.”

According to Pete’s bio written with Mark Shaw, Bury Me in a Pot Bunker (now in a new revised special edition), what Walser actually said was, “Build us a championship golf course. One with no compromise.”

Dye was a bit taken aback because Edmond was, back then, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, and the designer wondered how anybody would find their way to the course. Of the land itself, he had no

misgivings.

“Anyhow,” Pete now says, “I went and built the goldang thing. And that was the start.”

And Away We Go

It was the start of some things big. As far as the relationship between the trio it led most immediately to the two Oak Tree Country Club courses across the street from the original Oak Tree. But Vossler and Walser had merged with Landmark Land Company in 1974, and the firm wound up developing more Pete Dye-designed golf courses than any other entity. “I did a lot of work for Ernie and Joe,” said Dye. “They were good to work with.”

That would include the Stadium Course at PGA West in California. Vossler and Walser wanted it to be harder than Oak Tree--the hardest course in the world, actually, and many would say it is. Other California classics at PGA West, La Quinta Resort, and Mission Hills, as well as the Ocean Course at Kiawah, all sprang from Oak Tree.

As did the company logo—arguably one of the most famous of golf logos—which came from Oak Tree’s fifth hole oak tree.

As far as Oak Tree, the course, it opened on May 1, 1976, and merely changed the face of golf in Oklahoma, being named to

the Golf Digest “America’s 100 Greatest Courses” list the following year, the “youngest” course ever so named to that point.

And the club spawned the Oak Tree Boys, a gaggle of Oklahoma pros who cut their teeth on the course and made it and the community a literal and figurative home.

“That’s true,” said Dye. “There’s Gil Morgan, Bob Tway, Willie Wood, Doug Tewell, Mark Hayes, Scott Verplank.”

Verplank has a special relationship with Oak Dye, left, returns to Oak Tree for advice in 2002.

Tree, having won the 1984 U.S. Amateur title there while a OSU stu- ous “War by the Shore” Ryder Cup of 1991 dent, his coach Mike Holder on the bag. at the Ocean Course on Kiawah Island. (The And Verplank will turn 50 just in time for 2020 Ryder Cup matches will be at Dye’s Whistling Straits course in Kohler, Wisconthe 2014 Senior Open at the club.

Along with many amateur competitions, sin.)

“But the PGA Championship at Oak Tree Dye courses worldwide have hosted an impressive string of major championships on in 1988 was my first professional major,” the PGA, LPGA and senior tours—“Twenty- said Dye. eight, but who’s counting?” said Dye—not Not So Easy to mention the Solheim Cup and the notoriMembers still wince a bit at the thought

www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 29

Oak Tree National hole #8

that the 1988 tournament wound up as the second easiest in the championship’s history. And that winner Jeff Sluman managed to get around in five-under on the final day, his 272 total, 12-under, besting runner-up Paul Azinger by three strokes.

It was Sluman’s only major, and his first Tour victory as well. His and the other low scores weren’t traceable to an easy course, which no one would ever accuse Oak Tree of being. Then as now a par-71, it was rated at 76.9, then the highest course rating in the U.S. The low scores came from soft conditions, generous pins and the almost complete absence of wind.

When Dye returned to renovate the course in 2002 the rating went up to 77.1.

Today, at 7,410 from the black tees the course comes in at 79.3 and a slope rating of 155, the highest possible.

Dye merely chuckles about all this, saying that his renovations at Oak Tree actually involved softening many of the greens.

“You can’t build greens like you did 30 years ago. You have to soften them. When Hogan won at Merion the greens were probably running about six on the Stimpmeter. I imagine we had the greens at Oak Tree up to about eight, and they were probably even higher by the time the club changed hands.”

The Club was set to host the 1994 PGA Championship, but by then Landmark was mired in financial difficulties and the venue

was changed to Southern Hills. Now renamed and under new ownership, Oak Tree National is ready to take its place on the larger stage once more.

And if still a bear of a course, Dye claims it’s playable by the average golfer—if hitting from the proper tees: “The fairways look entirely different, tougher, for better players. If he moves up, the average guy can handle it.”

It may depend on how you define “average guy,” but it seems clear that Dye doesn’t quite qualify. With ample projects and renovations he can attend to, Dye has a simple attitude toward them: “My health is good and I’m still going strong. So I might as well.”

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‘Stacy P’ Will bid farewell to LPGA Tour at season’s end

by lisa d. mickey

I

n 1993, Stacy Prammanasudh won the first of five consecutive Women’s Oklahoma Golf Association Junior Championships. In 2003, after becoming a four-time All-American at the University of Tulsa, she launched a successful career on the LPGA Tour.

Blink again, it’s 2013 and Stacy P, as she has been known forever in these parts, is now 34, has a child of her own and is winding up that professional career on what has become an international tour, taking a stand in favor of motherhood.

Her last event as a touring pro will be the season-ending CME Group Titleholders tournament Nov. 21-24 in Naples, Fla. A career that started with her father, Lou Prammanasudh, carrying her bag as an 11-year-old in junior events, will end with her father once again as caddie, watching her career travel full circle.

“I’ve traveled for golf since I was 14, so my immediate goal is not to plan a trip and to just be at home,” said Prammanasudh (pronounced PRAHmahna-sood), who recently moved back to Oklahoma from Arkansas and now lives in Broken Arrow.

Even after she tied for fifth in August at the CN Canadian Women’s Open and collected $93,539, she said her decision to leave the tour had not changed.

“It just makes my decision that much sweeter because I’m going out on my terms,” said Prammamasudh.

One of her biggest “terms” was being a mother in one place to son Ryp Walker Upton, who was born to Stacy and husband Pete Upton in Jan. 2012. Little Ryp (pronounced as Rip) traveled with his mother to several LPGA tournaments this year, staying in the tour’s traveling childcare program.

But when the 2013 season opened with stops in Australia, Thailand and Singapore, and mom packed her suitcase without him, a new reality took firm hold for the Enid native.

“I left him at home at the start of the year for Stacy P with husband and caddie Pete Upton.

32 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

those three tournaments out of the country,” she said. “It was absolutely miserable to be away from him and I’m not doing it again.”

Prammanasudh, who is Thai-American, said her career in golf was “a lot of blind luck.”

“I grew up in a family that didn’t have money for me to play AJGA tournaments or the big junior events,” she said. “I just played where we could afford it and I got to college

“She set an example for everybody else without saying a word...

She was mature with a concentration on the short game. Stacy was a coach’s dream.”

- Dale McNamara Former University of Tulsa Coach

Most

not really having expectations.”

That said, Prammanasudh won everything in Oklahoma as a junior and was no secret to legendary University of Tulsa coach Dale McNamara, who was not disappointed in the lack of competition when it came time to offer a scholarship. Prammanasudh showed her potential on the national scene in 1998 by advancing into the semifinals of the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship and winning the Optimist International.

At Tulsa, she won 10 collegiate tournaments – second in school history behind Nancy Lopez’s 11 tournament wins – and was a First-Team All-American from 19992002. She also was a three-time Academic All-American.

“She set an example for everybody else without saying a word,” McNamara said.

“She was mature with a concentration on the short game. Stacy was a coach’s dream.”

Melissa McNamara Luellen followed in her mother’s footsteps as Tulsa’s head women’s golf coach, coaching Prammanasudh for two years. Luellen had played on the LPGA Tour, so when her star collegiate player began asking about the next level, Luellen could see a future pro who already had the necessary discipline to play with the world’s best.

“I sent my freshmen to follow her,” said Luellen, the head women’s golf coach at Arizona State University.

“Stacy understood from an early age how important the short game is. She practiced 70 percent short game and 30 percent long game and always had her head on straight.”

After graduating from Tulsa in 2002 with a degree in exercise and sports science, Prammanasudh turned professional and played on the LPGA’s Futures Tour (now called the Symetra Tour), where she was the tour’s 2003 Player of the Year with two wins and nine top-10 finishes. By finishing first on the Father Lou has read many a putt over Stacy P’s career.

2003 Futures Tour’s money “To win when my family was there was list, she earned full 2004 LPGA membership.

“I had some success in college and great, then to get my second win was even thought, ‘well maybe I should try to play on sweeter because you don’t want to be contour,’ so I got to the Futures Tour, had some sidered a one-hit wonder,” she said.

Making the U.S. Solheim Cup team was success there and figured I’d give the LPGA Tour a shot for three, four or five years and especially meaningful to the daughter of a Thai immigrant. When she suited up in her see how it goes,” she said.

Prammanasudh won twice, earned more Team U.S.A. apparel alongside her caddie/ than $3.5 million, recorded 30 top-10 fin- husband, she was able to share with her ishes and played on the winning 2007 U.S. entire family the honor of representing her country.

Solheim Cup team.

Betty Jameson, Norman, 13 Betsy Cullen, Tulsa, 3 Stacy Prammanasudh, Enid, 2 Melissa McNamara, Tulsa, 1

VICTORIES

by players born in Oklahoma

A grand quarter of Oklahoma golf royalty. From left, Sheila Dils, Stacy Prammanasudh, Dale McNamara and Melissa McNamara have won a combined 19 WOGA Junior and Amatuer Championships.

www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 33

find it increasingly more difficult to play a full LPGA schedule because of where tournaments are now held.

“We’ve kind of been forced into this global tour and it’s not as appealing to me because you have to go overseas,” she said. “It’s not fair to ask a mother to leave her kids for a month at a time and it’s too expensive to take a nanny and that child out of the country to go play tournaments.”

The LPGA has 29 tournaments this year with 13 held outside the United States.

As sponsorships draw the tour abroad, Prammanasudh doesn’t see the LPGA’s schedule becoming and Kerri at Missouri State (formerly Southmore domestic in the future, which makes west Missouri State).

“I came from a humble upbringing, but her decision easier.

“I don’t want to have a child for some- my parents didn’t have dreams of grandeur,” body else to raise or to have to leave them said the LPGA pro. “I was never forced into for 13 weeks out of each year,” said Pram- something that probably wasn’t in my best manasudh, who hopes to expand her family interest or that set me up for failure.”

Hard work was an understood element in the near future. “I’ve had a good career for improvement. Living in western Oklahoand I have no regrets.”

A young pro takes flight.

Strong family ties in the Prammanasudh ma and recognizing that young Stacy would “To be considered as one of the 12 best family included evenings and weekends need to learn how to hit shots from more American players is a huge honor,” she said. when her working parents – Lou and Brenda than just a flat surface, her father would “That’s something Pete and I will always -- would take Stacy and her sister Kerri out show her drills from the most severe slopes have together. Not many husband-wife on Meadowlake Golf Course as children. at Meadowlake. She learned to hit flop shots The family focus was always to make golf by hitting over a fence that protected the teams get to do that.”

Another career highlight came at a 2007 fun for the girls, who both earned college 10th tee from the driving range.

“He created shots knowing that I wasn’t LPGA tournament in Thailand. Both of her scholarships to play golf – Stacy at Tulsa, parents traveled to the event and were there to witness the two holes-in-one she scored that week – one during the pro-am and one during Friday’s round. She also tied her career-low round of 63 during the tournament.

“I had fans because I was of Thai descent, but to play well, they just went crazy,” she said. “Everybody was talking to my dad in the gallery, so it was fun for him, too.”

As she heads into her final tournament, she has one top-10 finish this season and has earned $176,504. She was No. 129 in the Rolex Women’s World Rankings as of Sept. 23.

Prammanasudh will skip the LPGA’s five tournaments in Asia and one in Mexico this fall. She is satisfied that her suitcase will only open one more time this year. She is happy to play recreational golf with her family.

“My career was better than I thought it would be,” she said. “But I’m in a different place in my life now and the tour has changed.”

Prammanasudh served on the LPGA Executive Committee, representing players for tour policy interests. She voiced her concern that players who are mothers are going to A fan favorite anytime she played in Oklahoma.

34 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

Stacy with her coach Dale McNamara at Hall of Fame induction.

going to be playing in Oklahoma for the rest of my life,” she said.

During high school and the winter months of her first two years in college, Prammanasudh also worked at local grocery stores to earn extra money. Even after her second year on the LPGA Tour, she was bored in the off-season and took a job as a cashier at Reasor’s Foods.

“She didn’t do it because she needed the money,” said Luellen.

Members of the Prammanasudh fam-

ily just aren’t used to sitting around. If there is something that needs to be done, they do it. It’s that simple.

“Once, Stacy and her dad came and stayed at my house in Arizona,” said Luellen. “Lou was bored and went out and pulled weeds in my yard.”

While she was on pregnancy leave in 2011, Prammanasudh received two telephone calls inquiring if she would like to coach at OklaMcNamara’s homa State University and at the University of Central Arkansas. She had never thoug ht about coaching until those two calls.

“I don’t see myself wanting to do that in the immediate future, and if it comes later on, I’m not sure right now,” she said. “I’m leaving the tour because I don’t want to be traveling and leaving my family at home, and I’d have to do the same thing as a college coach. If I’m going to travel, I might as well keep playing.”

Prammanasudh wants to have the same presence in the life of her child that her parents had in her life growing up in Enid.

When asked what she would like her son to know about her career, her answer came without hesitation.

“That success comes from hard work,” she said.

And when her dad takes her bag for the last time in November for her final LPGA tournament, Prammanasudh knows the culmination of her golf career beside her father will make the circle complete.

“My dad retired from his job so he could travel with me when I started my career as a pro,” she said. “Now that I have my own child, I can only imagine how special it was for him to be there with me.

He was there in the beginning, so I figured he could also help me end my career.”

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www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 35

In Enid, the legend of Stacy P lives on by ken macleod

No one had a better bird’s eye view of Stacy Prammanasudh’s dedication and determination to become a professional golfer than Tim Mendenhall, head professional at Oakwood Country Tim Club in Enid and her lifelong Mendenhall friend and advisor.

Young talented golfers still approach Mendenhall asking if they’ll ever have a chance to be “as good as Stacy P?” He has a stock answer.

“I tell them that at 3:30 in the afternoon her car would pull up. She would chip for an hour, hit bunker shots for an hour, putt for an hour, hit driver and full iron shots for 30 minutes, then maybe go play a few holes. And guess what, the next day the car would pull

up in the parking lot at 3:30. And this wasn’t two or three days a week, this was seven days a week.”

Mendenhall has been a great ally through the years. He was the head pro at Meadowlake, and knew her parents Lou and Brenda well before he took the job at Oakwood.

He kept in touch with the family and when it became apparent Stacy was a special talent, having won the WOGA 12-under state

“Everybody knew her and wanted her to succeed.”

- Tim Mendenhall Head Professional at Oakwood Country Club championship twice and overall championship twice while still in junior high, he was able to secure playing and practicing privileges for her at Oakwood.

“Our course was longer, harder and less crowded and it really gave her an opportunity to work on her game,” Mendenhall said.

As Prammanasudh continued to tear up the junior ranks – winning three Class 5A state championships, five consecutive WOGA junior titles and dominating PGA Section junior events – Mendenhall began thinking about helping her get a start in the professional ranks. When her dominance accelerated in college – winning 10 events at the University of Tulsa and basically being considered the second best collegian in the country behind Lorena Ochoa – he put a group of backers together to sponsor her first few years as a professional.

“Everybody knew her and wanted her to succeed,” Mendenhall recalled. “I started asking around 9 a.m. for folks to put up $5,000 and by noon we had $50,000 to sponsor her first year.”

Although Mendenhall has long served as a friend and counselor, he has never been Prammanasudh’s instructor, leaving those duties to Lou, who taught her to play and caddied for her during her junior and early professional careers. He has, however, watched her professional career closely. He believes that after she made it successfully on the LPGA Tour, winning twice, playing on the

36 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

Father Lou will return for final event.

Solheim Cup team and being a top 30 fixture, her goals were met.

“When Stacy was coming up, she didn’t want to beat you by one, she wanted to beat you by 20,” Mendenhall said. “But she also said that she wanted to be a professional in her 20s and then do something else.

So though I hate to see her retire because it was so much fun to follow her, I understand, particularly now that she has a family of her own and how much time the tour spends overseas.

“Stacy is the best I’ve ever seen. She and I will always be great friends. I’m waiting for her to come back to Oakwood so we can play. I tell her it’s on my bucket list to beat her one more time. Of course now she has to play the tips and I get to play the senior tees.”

NUMBER 18

When it comes to championship public golf, there’s no better destination than Alabama, where we’re proud to claim three of America’s 50 Toughest Courses as selected by Golf Digest. For starters, there are the 468 holes along the world-renowned Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. Stretching from the mountains in the north to the Gulf Coast in the south, these 26 courses will test your golfing skills as well as your intestinal fortitude. Then there are the many other impressive courses scattered across the state, designed by the likes of Arnold Palmer and Jerry Pate. Each with its own set of challenges, each with its own set of rewards. And each along an epic road trip to the state of Alabama.

Note: Please park responsibly. And not on our golf courses.

To start your Alabama Road Trip, scan this code with your smartphone.

www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 37

DESTINATIONS

The spectacular Limestone Springs

Great tidings

Alabama offers much more than the wonders of the RTJ Trail round even if you’ve bitten off more than you can chew on the tee boxes.

The courses are named The Fighting Joe n Alabama, the Robert Trent Jones Trail is known far and wide for a series of and Schoolmaster. Fighting Joe honors Gen. big, bold and beautiful layouts created Joseph “Fighting Joe” Wheeler, the only Conby the master of aerial golf challenge. A few federate general to retain that rank later in the of the later additions in which Jones had a lighter hand, such as Ross Bridge, offer a respite from unending elevated greens guarded by deep bunkers, but not from proportion.

It’s more than 8,000 yards long.

Three of the northern outposts on the RTJ Trail show just how beautiful and challenging Trail golf can be. Silver Lakes, Hampton Cove and the lengthy courses at The Shoals are all worthy stops.

You can wear yourself out at either course at The Shoals as they both measure close to 8,000 yards. Length is not its only attribute.

Views along Wilson Lake on the Tennessee River are wonderful. Along with excellent shaping and conditioning, you will enjoy the

by bill harper

I

38 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

new U.S. Army. The other name comes from President Woodrow Wilson, aka The Schoolmaster. It was Wilson who helped create the lake.

One of the treats of a trip to The Shoals is relaxing afterward at the spacious Marriott Shoals Hotel and Spa near Florence. Not to be missed is a fabulous dinner in the rotating 360 Grille high atop the Renaissance Tower.

It can make the worst shot of the day fade away.

Speaking of course names, Silver Lakes, which has bounced back from severe tornado damage, has three of its own: Backbreaker, Heartbreak and Mindbreaker are the three

The beautiful Cherokee Ridge

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•••••• 39 Lakeview

Silverlakes Heartbreaker #8

nine-hole circuits. Sound fun?

Mindbreaker may be the easiest but one must think carefuly about every shot, as every hole offers risk-and-reward options.

Backbreaker provides beautiful views of the Appalachian foothills from elevated tees.

Enjoy those, because you may not enjoy where your ball winds up if you stray a bit.

And Heartbreaker is just that. One minute life is good and suddenly this course can break your heart. A sidehill lie in the fairway, a putt going sideways on the rolling greens, suddenly a par becomes a bogey or worse.

But you will enjoy the challenge and every par or birdie you do make is well earned.

Heartbreaker is the longest at 3,814 yards from the “stones,” while Backbreaker is 3,808 and Mindbreaker stretches 3,642. You’ll tally up a course measuring somewhere between 7,450 yards to 7,626 if you play it all the way back.

The courses absorbed a beating in 2011 when a tornado uprooted or damaged more than 30,000 trees on the property. There was debate on whether to even reopen, but a lot of hard work later the courses are back and a bit roomier.

Hampton Cove, at the northern most point on The Trail near Huntsville, offers three courses as well, the River Course, Highland Course and the Short Course.

Our group sampled the River Course, aptly named as water comes into play on 16 of the 18 holes. There is nary a bunker to be found, a rarity indeed for an RTJ course, but the water provides all the natural defense it needs.

The Trail courses are world renowned, but for the savvy golf traveler, there’s another set of courses waiting to be discovered, courses open to the public which offer neither beach nor bluster, but some incredibly good golf in stunning settings. Some of these are operated by Honours Golf, a management firm that has become a huge player in the Alabama golf tourism industry.

Honours Golf is a relative newcomer to the stage, born in 1998 as partnership between CEO Bob Barrett and Honours’ President, Rob Shults. The company mantra as expressed by Barrett is “to create golf courses which provide something more than just an ordinary round of golf – an experience that would be talked about for years.”

As Barrett often says, “Golf is more than a

game. It needs to be more fun.”

In Alabama, what you will typically find at a property managed by Honours Golf is a golf course that is not only well maintained and managed, but has some unique characteristics that ramp up the fun factor.

Rock Creek (in Fairhope), Kiva Dunes, Peninsula and Craft Farms, all near the gulf and all now managed by Honours Golf, give the company a strong presence near the water. The company’s portfolio, however, also consists of destinations such as Cherokee Ridge, another scenic, tree-lined course with a 17-acre lake and the rolling terrain of the Appalachian foothills in the northeast part of the state.

Cherokee Ridge started as a private course in a gated community in 1992 but turned to Honours Golf when it transitioned to semiprivate. Developer Sid McDonald called it a helping hand, “helping re-invigorate Cherokee Ridge. Their track record made it an easy choice for me.”

Designed by Sammy Dean, Cherokee Ridge hosted a then-Nike-later-Nationwidenow Web.com tour event until 1996. The course is not overly long at 6,728 yards but The clubhouse on Fighting Joe at The Shoals.

40 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

Hampton Coves on The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail.

offers its share of challenges. The lake is constantly in play on the front nine while the back nine winds through a forest of pines and hardwoods and features an 80-foot waterfall into Lynn’s Creek.

“It is so picturesque,” said Ian Thompson, executive director of the Birmingham Golf Association. “It has a lot of beautiful views.”

Cherokee Ridge also offers amenities, which include a villa/lake house featuring seven large guest rooms plus plenty of room on two levels for numerous guests.

Limestone Springs, a Jerry Pate design just

north of Birmingham, is one of the state’s most scenic courses, framed by tall hardwoods with hills looming behind. If you’re traveling the state and not just beach bound, you must make your way there.

At Limestone Springs, Jerry Pate was so awed by the site prior to construction that he felt his calling was not to squander the wonder of what nature had bestowed, but rather to capitalize on the lay of the land.

“God built this golf course,” said the U.S. Open champ’s brother Scott Pate who assisted with the design. “We just tried not to

mess it up.’’

Pate’s layout, rated as the No. 1 or No. 2 course in Alabama, tests a golfer no matter which tee box is played. Offering water hazards, dramatic elevations, sparkling white sand traps, unending views and gigantic pine trees, the layout is still welcoming rather than intimidating.

For more information about Honours Golf and any of its courses in the Alabama, go to www.honoursgolf.com. Or to visit the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, go to www.rtjgolf. com

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www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 41

DESTINATIONS

Old American GC

strikes it rich with ‘Golden Age’ routing by steve habel

42 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

I

f there is a timeless feel to the routing of Old American Golf Club it’s because the four-year old track in the Dallas-Fort Worth suburb of The Colony focuses on emulating design features and routings from significant American courses of the 20th century’s first four decades.

Co-designers Tripp Davis and PGA Tour professional Justin Leonard emulated the courses built by classic Golden Age architects such as A.W. Tillinghast, Donald Ross, C.B. MacDonald and Alister MacKenzie in the design of the Old American GC. Layouts such as Shinnecock Hills, National Golf Links, Prairie Dunes and Crystal Downs served as inspiration.

Davis and Leonard were so resolute in their challenge that at times they manipulated view lines at Old American GC to look out of scale. The result is a course that rewards shotmaking and game management and brings strategy into play on every hole.

“Stylistically, we took cues from how these early American designs created strategic interest via features,” Davis said. “When you stand on the tee, there are three or four different lines you can take. Shot placement is important – it’s not just about hitting the ball in the fairway.

You’ve got to think about it.”

Old American GC and NYLO Hotels recently announced a one-of-a-kind Dallas-area golf getaway featuring one round and one night at NYLO Plano Legacy starting at only $213 per player. The stay-and-play package arrives just in time for the football season and is perfect for the business traveler looking to squeeze in golf at a nationallyranked course.

Old American GC plays at a par of 71 and at 6,920 yards from its back set of five tee boxes.

Playing from the tips – no easy proposition because the course in routed alongside Lake Lewisville and is usually buffeted by

winds – carries a rating of 74.5 and a slope of 141, making it one of the toughest courses in North Texas.

On first glance, the holes at Old American GC seem to have been in place for decades, thanks to native grasses that grab stray shots and via different mowing heights around the bunkers that give the track a mature, lived-in look. As the course has matured, it’s become a tougher test, with bounces and run-up play more in line with the classic courses this track is patterned after.

Following the natural topography, the course meanders across scenic rolling hills dotted with native grasses and natural contours. Large, flowing bunkers combine with a somewhat unkempt look and subtle elevation changes to test even the best players. Eight holes front the huge lake, which provides a links-style feel to the round.

The closing stretch is one of the better finishes in the area, thanks to the opportunity for dramatic scoring swings. The 16th is a drivable par-4, the 17th a short par-3 and closing hole is a reachable-in-two par-5. “It is a stretch where a player could enter three down and still have a very good chance to halve the match – a great and dramatic finish,” Davis said.

And if the classic inspirations were not enough, Old American GC also sports a unique landmark between the second and third holes – a century-plus-old rusted, metal railroad bridge that once spanned the Red River about 100 miles to the north.

Old American GC has garnered high praise as Links Magazine’s “Best of Golf 2010” introduced the track as “one of the most significant courses to open in 2010.” The course, along with an adjacent Davis design called The Tribute honoring famous Scottish holes, are the centerpieces of a 1,150-acre masterplanned community located 23 miles from DFW International Airport.

Mention Golf Oklahoma and receive our VIP pricing

www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 43

MAHOGANY’S PRO PROFILE

Kevin Tway by john rohde

Former Oklahoma State AllAmerican Kevin Tway finished No. 8 on the Web.com Tour this season, which earned him exempt status onto the PGA Tour in 2014.

Born and raised in Edmond, the 25-year-old Tway has won at every level. He was the 2005 U.S. Junior Amateur champ, was backto-back Class 6A state medalist at Edmond North High School, won the 2010 Players Amateur by seven shots, and was a five-time winner and three-time regional champion at OSU (2007-11).

Tway posted his first pro victory with a birdie on the first playoff hole at the Albertsons Boise Open in late July. He is the son of longtime touring pro Bob Tway, who in 1986 won the PGA Championship and was voted PGA Tour Player of the Year.

golfers out there?

“The courses aren’t what they’re like on the regular (PGA) Tour. They’re a little bit shorter and there’s less rough, the greens are little bit softer. But the guys out there do make a lot of birdies.”

Did you have a feeling a victory might happen that week?

“I knew I was getting better each week and I was just trying to stay patient, but I wasn’t playing any differently than I was the whole year. I guess the chips kind of fell in the right direction, I made some putts and got some confidence each day throughout the week.”

What aspect of your game led to having such a big season?

“I wouldn’t say it was a certain part of my game. It was more about getting comfortable, playing in more tournaments. I kind of got a little bit better each week, got used to traveling. Mostly, my putting improved. I’ve always hit the ball pretty well, but with my Has the pressure of being Bob short game and wedges, I gained Tway’s son intensified as you’ve more confidence.” gotten older, or has it leveled off?

How was winning at Boise?

“Hmmm, that’s a good ques“It was good [laughing].” tion. Maybe it’s stayed about the Safe to say your family was same. I’ve had success at each level, so maybe it put on a little excited?

“My dad was overseas (com- bit more pressure as I turned pro. peting in the Senior Open Cham- I don’t look at it as a bad thing. pionship) and couldn’t watch It’s nice to have a dad like that. it on TV, so he had an iPad and He can teach me a lot of stuff, his phone, he was refreshing so I look at it as a positive, defiand calling my mom (Tammie). nitely.”

It was a special time and very I bet people talk about you cool.” being his son more than you reYou were 23-under and won alize.

“Yeah. Absolutely.” in a playoff against Levin Spencer. You really have to go low to Do you seek a lot of advice win on the Web.com tour. Are the courses set up to go low, or are there just that many good See TWAY page 46 44 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

CHARLESTON’S AMATEUR PROFILE

Tom Hoch Tom Hoch of Oklahoma City is one of the best known and busiest interior clubhouse designers in the business.

What was your role at Tulsa and Hillcrest Country Clubs, and how did clubhouse design help shape change in these storied venues?

These storied venues were known for their golf courses, not their clubhouses. Tulsa Country Club has a classic A.W. Tilllinghast layout (updated by Rees Jones) and Hillcrest Country Club is a vintage Perry Maxwell design (updated by Tripp Davis).

The members desired more than great golf courses; they wanted a place to call home and to present with pride to family and friends.

At Tulsa Country Club, we created a masterplan and overall vision for the clubhouse. The membership had all but given up hope on the dated 1960s era edifice, despite the fact it was structurally sound. Many felt the only option was to tear it down and rebuild. Initial studies determined this was not a financially feasible option.

The unveiling of the masterplan for renovating the existing clubhouse was met with surprise and excitement. It called for rearranging and resizing interior clubhouse spaces and expanding member social and dining spaces (without expanding the building). This created great views of the golf course and downtown Tulsa skyline.

The club was able to finance and implement the masterplan for the northern section of the 60,000-square foot building.

At the grand opening, I was approached by a longtime member who summed it up with: “Thank you, I can finally bring my friends to the club.”

Hillcrest’s 35,000-square foot clubhouse was also built in the 1960s and was dated and tired.

The masterplan focused on the second level of the club. It repurposed a seldom used second floor, formal dining room/ banquet space into a fantastic member dining room with commanding views over the golf course. The contemporary interior theme embraced the exterior architectural design.

Future phases of the masterplan provided for a new fitness area, renovated locker rooms, renovated golf shop and a grab and go bistro.

Can you tell us more about the work planned for Lincoln Park and Earlywine Golf Clubs, two of Oklahoma City’s flagship facilities?

Three years ago we prepared studies, conducted in-depth branding assessments (teaming with Signature Golf Group), and created masterplans for the clubhouses at Lincoln Park and Earlywine for the City of Oklahoma City.

Lincoln Park’s clubhouse is the first priority and a new clubhouse design has been developed (and is now under construction). Lincoln Park is such a beautiful site and the new clubhouse will take advantage of this great setting.

Hopefully, Earlywine and ultimately Lake Hefner clubhouses will follow. The City is fortunate to have such great golf venues and they are a positive

See HOCH page 47 www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 45

Tway, continued from 44

ton, so it’s just a tough deal.” from your dad, or does he just offer?

You hit the ball a ton (eighth in driving “We pretty much talk after every round – the good ones and the bad ones. He helps distance at 310.3 yards). Are you pleased with every part of my game. He helps with with your driving?

“I work out a lot at home (in Edmond) and my swing, chipping, putting, pretty much I try to work out a lot on the road, trying to every part.” get bigger and stronger. I just try to hit the Your dad has admitted that he’s a ner- ball solid, and it usually goes pretty far when vous wreck watching you play, especially I do. That could be a big advantage coming to the PGA Tour because hitting it long and in-person. Did you know that? “[Laughing] I remember during U.S. Junior (Amateur), he was always walking in the trees and he was way ahead of me. I saw during a replay on TV that he was peeking out from the trees. I was wondering what he was doing. He told me he was that nervous, so that’s pretty cool.”

Was he doing all that to try to not make you nervous?

“I remember when I was little, I would look over at him to see if I did good or not. I think he was trying to get away from me doing that. He was real nervous also and didn’t want to make me more nervous.”

Have you already mapped out your 2014 schedule?

“It depends on your rank (among the exempt players), but I’m assuming I’m getting into all the tournaments. I’ll play in every tournament I get in, pretty much. They reshuffle throughout the year, but if you play well it pretty much takes care of itself.”

Do you think you’re on schedule as a pro golfer?

“I’ve always felt I could play out here when I got out of college. My physical game is definitely pretty good, so it’s just getting more comfortable mentally and doing what I need to do to get better rather than looking around and thinking, ‘Oh, cool. There’s Vijay Singh.

There’s Tiger Woods.’ I think I’m kind of on schedule. It’s going to be nice to get out with some of my friends and see how I can do.”

Some of those OSU players are doing well – Hunter Mahan, Rickie Fowler, Morgan Hoffmann …

“And Peter Uihlein is doing well on the European Tour (30th on the season money list), so it’s a good time for the Cowboys. Everyone’s doing well. Everything’s good in Cowboy World. Football is doing great, so that’s always better, too.”

What did you think of Mike McGraw being dismissed as coach and replaced by Alan Bratton?

“I don’t really know what to think about it.

I love coach McGraw and I love coach Brat46 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

straight is a big advantage.”

What do you think of when you reflect back on your days at OSU? “It was a lot of fun. Those are probably the best years of my life so far – being with the team and traveling with the team. I had a good relationship with everyone and we still stay in touch – having great coaches and having a great time. That helped me grow as a player.”

Hoch, continued from 45

a clubs bottom line.

reflection of our community.

In your estimation, how many, or what percentage of Oklahoma’s golf courses and clubs are in need of revitalization from a clubhouse overhaul?

It would be difficult for me to come up with an accurate number or percentage, but course and club owners can look for triggers and opportunities that signal “ideal” times to start a renovation project.

The most obvious triggers are age and/or wear-and-tear. A club should also consider renovating when it is having a difficult time attracting new members, or is losing existing members/customers or when revenues are suffering. Owners, managers and operators who want to enhance revenue, affect the bottom-line over the long-term and rebrand their clubs should consider clubhouse renovation as an effective and efficient way to accomplish these objectives.

A less obvious trigger at private clubs: a major golf course renovation. It sounds counter-intuitive to have both the course and clubhouse under construction. However, a fast-track, design-build clubhouse renovation can be completed in just six to 12 weeks. The golf shop, restaurant and other revenue centers can remain open during the project, and member frustration is offset via the delivery of a new clubhouse experience, which acts as a midpoint, providing results that the membership can feel is tangible proof of forward movement in the overall process.

Talk about “revenue-based design,” how you came up with it, and how it can help golf courses.

Revenue based design is a term that was coined by my associate Gary Hamby. It was a succinct way of describing what we do for clubs every day. It is a proprietary model that blends philosophy, creativity, practicality and technical applications. It’s rooted in our passion to see our clients succeed.

With new and renovated clubhouses we help our clients vet their vision with brand based programming. We help each club, course or resort answer the proverbial question: “how do we make our product more relevant to members and guests?” We design new amenities that improve brand and prepare financial models that forecast the ROI of new programming considerations.

Efficient space planning “right sizes” clubhouse spaces and properly adjoins them to promote member/patron enjoyment and efficient service. Illustrated with flow diagrams and financial analysis, we are able to project how a clubhouse design will impact

What are some of the trends in clubhouse design that you see having staying power in the years to come?

I’ll give you five that we’ve designed and implemented for numerous clients over the past few years, leading us to the conclusion these “trends” aren’t going away anytime soon.

• Swimming Upgrades: New interiors at Tulsa Country Club.

Many clubs are installYou are from, and based in Oklahoma ing everything from competition size to resort-style pools to increase the social en- but a national firm. What projects you are ergy among members and extend the club’s working on here and abroad?

Locally we are working on a phased club“utilization” season. The more amenity offerings available outside of golf, the more house renovation of Quail Creek Country members will take advantage of those con- Club. In the States, we are working with Erin Hills in Wisconsin, which will host the veniences.

• The Re-Emergence of Tennis – Tennis U.S. Open in 2017. Also, with the World is making a comeback at clubs through- Golf Village outside St. Augustine (Florida) out the U.S. but especially in the Sun Belt. to renovate the golf shop for the Slammer Clubhouses need to accommodate space and The Squire. We have a long running for tennis apparel and equipment as well as partnership with Marriott Golf, and recentservicing (like stringing and racquet repair). ly completed renovations to the company’s • Kid-Centric Amenities: Members, par- iconic Camelback Golf Club in Scottsdale. ticularly those ages 35-45, relish having a sanctuary for the entire family – from toddlers to teenagers. Clubs are adding daycare centers, teen rooms and other “funfirst” based areas are trending. Clubhouses are featuring activities that attract children and create an alternative safe-haven.

• Health and Fitness Additions: Multi-use areas are becoming increasingly popular as people continue to strive for all-around health and wellness. The addition of yoga One of only 19 studios, aerobic rooms and grab-and-go PGA accredited stations featuring healthy offerings are apprograms in pearing in many clubs across the country. the country • Culinary Improvements: An upgrade in the food and beverage department through and the new culinary offerings can increase F&B only one in revenue by 40 percent. New and innovative Oklahoma. menus and offerings draw additional business for private dining, banquets and meetings and events. The addition of a brick oven pizza or wine bar can really strengthen the culinary experience at private clubs.

• Adult Game Rooms: A return to 20th century clubhouse design recreates the space as a social venue for adults to enjoy.

For more information: Two-lane bowling alleys, billiards rooms busn.uco.edu/pga RPhelps@uco.edu and indoor golf simulator room and hit(405) 974-5908 ting cages are popping up more and more.

The notion that practice can also be a social experience in a virtual golf setting is wellUNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA Edmond, OK • (405) 974-2000 • www.uco.edu received among members.

If Golf is Your Passion, Make it Your Career.

TM

www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 47

QUAIL CREEK BANK’S CELEBRITY PROFILE

Talking Tulsa and catching up with

Nancy Lopez the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics school paid the other half, so I got a full for Women (AIAW) national champion- ride. I loved the people I met at the school ship. She was named All-American and and really liked coach (Dale) McNamara.

Female Athlete of the Year for her play at What’s your favorite memory of Tulsa Tulsa and earned inclusion into the U.S. Curtis Cup and World Amateur teams. and when was the last time you were back She left college after her sophomore year in the area?

We had an LPGA event there [the Wiland turned pro in 1977, when she again finished as runner-up in the U.S. Wom- liams Championship at Tulsa Country Club and then the John Q. Hammons Hotel Clasen’s Open.

During her LPGA career which ended sic and SemGroup Championship at Cedar in 2002, Lopez received the Player of the Ridge Country Club, ending in 2008 ] but I Year Award four times and racked up 48 haven’t been back since. I really loved Tulsa victories – three of them in major tourna- and loved living there. Just going to school ments – and became the first woman to and being on the golf team was fun. I really receive the Frances Ouimet Award for liked everything about my time in Tulsa. lifelong contributions to golf. In 2003, What’s your favorite course in Tulsa? she won the Billie Jean King Contribution I loved Southern Hills but we didn’t get Award from the Women’s Sports Foundato play it much – I can only remember one tion.

Golf Oklahoma magazine correspon- or two times. We played at Cedar Ridge dent Steve Habel caught up with Lopez in CC, Buddy Phillips was the pro there then, Laredo, Texas, where the World Golf Hall and I loved it. That was my favorite place of Famer was feted and participated in and the doors were open there for us to the opening of the expansive clubhouse at play anytime. Buddy is a nice guy, and he the new Max A. Mandel Municipal Golf really supported Tulsa golf. by steve habel Course. She gave us a few minutes before How has college golf changed since pending a few hours with Nancy heading to Japan to play in a tournament your two years at Tulsa?

Lopez is a combination of hob- with blind golfers.

There are more scholarships, thanks to nobbing with golf royalty and Coming out of New Mexico, why did Title IX. Back then, playing golf in college sharing a moment or two with one of the nicest and classiest people on the planet. you decide to play golf of the University was the way to develop your golf game and there were some great players in the colThis is a golfer who – along with the likes of Tulsa?

I really wanted to go to Arizoof Babe Zaharias, Kathy Whitworth and Mickey Wright – put women’s profes- na State, but at that time (before sional golf on the map and burned into Title IX) there were no scholarthe world’s consciousness that the game ships and no school would give played by the fairer sex can be as fun me a scholarship, not one. I told (and compelling) to follow as when it’s my father that I wouldn’t go to college if I didn’t have a scholshowcased by men.

Lopez, who was raised in Roswell, arship because he had already N.M., began playing golf as a child under funded my whole golf career as the tutelage of her father and was a bona an amateur. I felt like I deserved fide prodigy, winning the New Mexico to get a scholarship somewhere. I Women’s Amateur at age 12 in 1969. She wanted to study engineering.

I won the Colgate Palmolive captured the U.S. Girls’ Junior in 1972 and 1974, at ages 15 and 17, respective- Golf Scholarship, which was ly, and captivated the golf world when she awarded based on need, grades played as an amateur and finished sec- and golfing ability. I was lookond in the 1975 U.S. Women’s Open as ing around for a school and I was contacted by the University of an 18-year-old.

The following year Lopez was a fresh- Tulsa. That scholarship paid half man at the University of Tulsa and won of the tuition at Tulsa and the Lopez won 11 tournaments at Tulsa.

S

48 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

ing on now.

Lopez: I am playing on the LPGA Legends Tour [for women pro golfers 45 and older] on a limited basis and it’s a lot of fun because I am playing with my peers that I competed against in the bulk of my career.

I do a lot of corporate outings and I have my golf company [Nancy Lopez Golf] and a clothing company [Nancy Lopez Golf Apparel]. I do a lot of charity work and I want to stay involved in golf.

I am focused on trying to get women involved in golf, which is so important to me. Women have always felt so intimidated by some golf clubs and by some golf courses and probably by some men when they are out on the course.

I am also excited about building the game through junior golf and I love to have a place developing young U.S. players – on the tour players from around the world have taken over. We can’t have that happen; it’s not a bad thing but American players need to step up and they need to win.

So many foreign players are very talented and work so hard, and the U.S. players need to adopt some of that work ethic and play this game right and learn how to win.

lege ranks. I always encourage young golfers to play in college because once they get out on tour the game is not as fun – it’s all about business and you get old real quick.

Frankly, playing golf in college was a hoot.

Coach McNamara taught me a lot and we had some great players, great people, on our team. It was tough because of all the traveling, but playing golf in college is a time to have fun, to learn about the game and the demands for future success. You can get used to winning at that level.

Did you have any second thoughts about leaving the University of Tulsa after two years: After two years of playing collegiate golf I had won a lot and I have to say I was a little bit bored. I wasn’t doing well in school because I was never in school [laughs] and with my degree plan in engineering being as tough as it was I had to make a choice about emphasizing my schoolwork or my golf. I wanted to make a living doing something and I thought I might have a chance to succeed on the LPGA Tour. I felt my game would hold up at that level.

Tell us a little about what you have go-

Alan Webb Money Work 2

www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 49

HUDIBURG AUTO GROUP JUNIOR SPOTLIGHT

Stunner Johnson's 62 in Oklahoma Open lights up future Sooner’s cell phone by ken macleod

When Thomas Johnson, not yet a junior at Norman North, fired a 62 at difficult Oak Tree East in the first round of the Oklahoma Open, eyebrows shot up across the state.

That 8-under round dusted a field of touring professionals, club professionals and top amateurs and had Johnson’s phone in overdrive with texts of awe and wonder. Teachers promised to come watch him play. Friends were amazed.

Probably not amazed was University of Oklahoma coach Ryan Hybl, who had already been recruiting Johnson and obtained

50 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

a verbal commitment on Sept. 27. Johnson will be the first hometown Norman player at OU under Hybl.

Johnson, however, was trying to stay calm and win the tournament, putting his name on a trophy with the likes of Gil Morgan, Bob Tway, Doug Tewell, Willie Wood, David Edwards, Danny Edwards, Mark Hayes, Tom Jones, Rocky Walcher, Lucas Glover, Robert Streb and others who have played on the PGA Tour.

Johnson was still at 9-under and in strong contention through five holes of Sunday’s final round. A bit of nerves and a few bad swings crept in and he finished tied for 12th

Thomas Johnson shot 62 in state open.

at 3-under 207, five shots behind winner Chris Worrell of Enid.

That was not the first time Johnson has unexpectedly jumped into the fray. At the conclusion of the Class 6A state championship at Karsten Creek, there was Johnson tied for first with more decorated upperclassmen Max McGreevy and Nick Heinen.

He was the first one ousted in the threeman playoff, but again he had served notice that another potentially great junior golfer had arrived on the scene in Oklahoma.

Thomas is the son of Johnny Johnson, head professional at the Jimmie Austin University of Oklahoma Golf Course. He’s been playing basically since he could walk, but has made huge strides with both his physical and mental game in the past year.

“He got a lot bigger from his freshman year to his sophomore year and started hitting it farther off the tee,” Johnny said.

“Plus he’s really worked hard on his game.

I told him early this summer that he had to work on getting those wedges closer to the flag from 100 yards and in. In the first round of the Open, he never made a long putt. His longest birdie was maybe 16 feet.

Belmar Full Page Ad.pdf 1 1/14/13 12:57 PM He hit everything close.”

Homegrown future Sooner.

“It was kind of surreal,” Thomas said.

“Seeing my name at 8-under ahead of all those other golfers.”

Johnson had only played Oak Tree East one time, that in the practice round. Fortunately he went around with Austin Fuller, son of former Oak Tree head professional Mark Fuller, and got a lot of pointers on how to handle the tricky Pete Dye layout.

This summer Johnson entered and fared well in several national events, including a 10th place finish at the PGA Junior Championship at Trump National in Washington, D.C. Future teammate Brad Dalke finished third and OSU commit Sam Stevens of Wichita took seventh.

“That tournament really helped me get ready for the Open,” Johnson said. “It gave me a lot of confidence.”

The father has an obvious bias but he’s also a keen observer of golf and potential and believes the future is as bright as his son chooses to make it.

“He has the talent and the mental capacity to go as far as he wants,” Johnny said.

“It all comes down to how much he wants to pursue it. There’s a lot of really good golfers out there. You’ve got to work hard.”

PERFECT CLUB SELECTION THE

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MEMBERSHIPS GOLF TOURNAMENTS BANQUETS PARTIES CONTACT CHARLES CANDLER FOR MORE INFORMATION OR A CLUB TOUR

405.364.0111 www.belmargolfclub.net

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www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 51

GOLF FITNESS

Turn on your thoracic spine In our practice, many golfers come to see us because they have low back pain, the number one physical complaint in recreational golfers. So naturally they expect us to work directly on their low back. However, a region of the body called the thoracic spine is often the cause of their pain and the area where we focus during treatment.

The thoracic spine is comprised of twelve vertebrae and connects the neck to the low back. It is designed to both bend forward and backward, but more importantly to turn or rotate. If a player doesn’t have enough rotation motion in their thoracic spine, they will overcompensate and rotate through their low back instead. If a player does this frequently with enough force, it won’t be long before low back pain follows.

The truth is that good motion in golf comes from turning the hips and the shoulders not from rotating the lumbar spine.

The way to get good hip motion and good shoulder turn is to focus on the hips and thoracic spine, not the low back. Bottom line, inconsistent golfers often turn at the low back.

Good golfers nearly always turn at the hips and shoulders.

A simple way to tell if you have enough thoracic rotation is to complete The Seated Trunk Rota-

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1

tion Test. Sit in a chair with your back upright and knees together . Place a golf club across your shoulders behind your neck with your hands supporting the club (see Figure 1). Keeping your knees together, rotate your body as far as you can to the right and then as far as you can to the left (See Figure 2). Make sure not to side bend your trunk. The goal is 45 degrees of rotation to each side.

If you don’t have 45 degrees of rotation, we recommend the two following drills to improve your rotation and likely reduce your low back pain. Just remember, it’s not always where it hurts that needs the attention. Often times it is the joint above or below that needs help.

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Lie on your side with your knees bent and your hands extended out in front of you (See Figure 3). Keeping your knees in contact with the ground, try to rotate your top arm all the way across your body. Try to touch your forearm to the ground, keeping your arm at chest level (See Figure 4).

Return and repeat on both sides 10 times.

Reachbacks

Starting on all fours, place your left hand behind your head and even your weight out between your two knees and your right hand. Keeping a stable spine and without rocking back and forth, try to

3

Sean Riley SwingFit

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rotate your left elbow up and point to the sky (See Figure 5). Then rotate your elbow back and try to touch your right knee (See Figure 6). Once again, stay stable throughout the exercise. Repeat with both arms 10 times.

SwingFit specializes in golf specific fitness, performance, and training services for golfers of all ages. Founded by Titleist Performance Institute Certified Medical Professionals, Ryan Smith, PT and Sean Riley, DC, SwingFit gives players access to the same proprietary testing and training systems used the by the best players in the world. The SwingFit system identifies the least amount of physical changes required in your body to produce the greatest results in your golf swing. The result is better practice with your swing coach and more enjoyment on the course.

To schedule your SwingFit Golf Assessment and get fit for golf, contact SwingFit at (918) 743-3737 or visit us on the web at www.swingfittulsa.com.

5

4 6

INSTRUCTION

Reaffirm the basics for simpler golf

Check grip, posture, and balance for quick swing tuneup clubface square to the target. You will grip it correctly every time. Now, put the club in Harvey Penick was one of the greatest front of your body with your left hand still on the club and just place the right hand on PGA professionals.

Some great advice that he always said the club as if you were shaking hands with was, “If you play bad the first day – forget it. someone. Keep it that natural.

Alignment: To keep it simple and someIf you play bad the second day – go back and check your basics (grip, posture, balance). thing you can always relate to – stand beIf you play bad the third day – go see your hind the ball and look down the line as if you would look down a railroad track (the right PGA Professional.”

Let’s talk about the basics of a good setup rail is your clubface line to the target – the and how it relates to other sports and how left rail is your body alignment). If you look down the track long enough, your eyes will natural it is. put the brain in gear and the brain will tell the muscles to hit the ball to the target. Just like throwing a football or baseball. I call this eyes/ brain/muscles. In most other sports, that is how you play.

In golf, a lot of amateurs and some pros spend so much time looking at the ball (in fear of mishitting it) that the brain tells the muscles – “Just hit it, I don’t care where.”

Posture: Every athlete starts in the same position. If you bend from your hips – the by jerry cozby

butt will tilt out – knees flex slightly and arms will swing forward. In golf, the club is just an extension of your arms. However, this the same position as a quarterback, halfback, second baseman, tennis player. We could go on and on. Keep it this simple – if you listen to enough people, you will have your body so twisted and tense that you cannot swing.

Balance: Any other sport we play our weight is balanced in the middle of your feet with a little tension on the balls of your feet.

Golf is the same way. Just pretend someone is pushing or pulling you from the front or from the back. Do not let them push or pull you over. To prove a point, I used to push the Cozby boys over if I saw too much weight on their heels or toes.

Please remember the basics (grip, posture, balance) are 90 percent and the swing is 10 percent. Work on the basics first.

Jerry Cozby, PGA Professional Pro Emeritus- Hillcrest Country Club Bartlesville, Oklahoma

The Grip: For a right-handed player, the left-hand grip is as natural as hanging your left arm to your side in a relaxed position.

Place the club in your left hand with the www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 53

CLUB FITTING

More than you ever wanted to know by ken macleod

New school and old school squared off big time when your editor went to search for some new irons.

A big believer that you had to see ball flight to get comfortable with a set of irons, yours truly also recognized that technology measuring every aspect of a golf swing had has improved dramatically and that indoor club fitting is now a legitimate option at studios such as the those at GolfTEC stores in Tulsa and Oklahoma City.

Pat McTigue, an old friend of Golf Oklahoma, owns both stores and has recently acquired the Foresight Swing Analyzer.

This thing can tell you what you had for breakfast and what’s still between your teeth.

“It’s substantially more accurate and provides more data points than previous analyzers,” McTigue said. “It reads the spin more accurately and for the first time we can see off line shots. It can pick up

54 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

a shank, not that anyone reading this will ever hit one.”

The analyzer measures ball speed, clubhhead speed, launch angle, back spin, side spin, and carry distance. It allows the user to test clubs seeking high launch angles and low backspin rates, maximizing carry distance.

The Foresight Swing Analyzer, combined with Mizuno Shaft Optimizer, quickly told McTigue all he needed to know about my swing to make a recommendation for lie, loft angle, shaft flex and which clubs of the various offerings I was trying from a particular company would work the best.

So, armed with all that GolfTEC’s Pat McTigue studies a client’s ball flight.

Above, a readout of relevant data provided by the Foresight Swing Analyzer.

information, did I immediately order said set? Of course not. Old school had to go hit 1,000 balls in the hot sun before he was satisfied that Foresight was pretty much dead on.

How accurate will your indoor fitting be?

“The quality of the fitting,” McTigue said, “is someone related to the quality of the golfer. If you can repeat your swing, it makes fitting much easier.”

Note. Repeating bad swings still makes fitting easier.

The Foresight Swing Analyzer not only measures all relevant swing keys, it shows your ball flight on a monitor. McTigue can load golf courses into the computer and use it as a simulator. It is also handy for mapping out the distances his clients hit every club, allowing them to find a gap or lob wedge that is the missing piece in their golf bag.”

For more information about the Foresight Swing Analyzer or to test it yourself, call GolfTec at 918-622-3968 in Tulsa or 405-749-0000 in Oklahoma City

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SUPERINTENDENT’S PERSPECTIVE

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Preparing for a national championship at Tulsa CC by brady finton tulsa country club, tulsa

Tulsa Country Club has a long history of hosting numerous championships involving the USGA, LPGA and NCAA women. We are very fortunate to host the 2014 NCAA Division I Women’s National Tournament on May 18-23.

Along with the University of Tulsa, we hosted a preview tournament on Sept.

8-11 to allow 15 of the top women’s teams in the nation an opportunity to play Tulsa Country Club. Defending national champion Southern Cal won with an 8-over par 848, revealing the true test that our golf course offers.

What kind of test will TCC offer the nation’s top collegians next spring?

Course setup will be determined by the NCAA rules officials along with our leadership team at Tulsa Country Club. The tournament rules official along with USGA representatives will be meeting with our team in late October to discuss the setup.

The course played at 6,180 yards for the

Fall Preview. Our team adjusted the tees, pin positions, green speeds, rough height and more to what we considered a fair test for the women. The preview event fell just one day following our annual Invitational tournament so our greens were already rolling at 12 feet, 6 inches on the Stimpmeter.

We backed off and only single cut and rolled the greens every morning and they were stimping at 11-9 for the tournament. The thick Bermuda rough was being mowed at 2 inches and was playing very difficult for the teams. Next spring, the rough will not be as penal due to the tournament falling earlier in the growing season. The Bermuda grass will be much softer and the players will be able to advance the ball more easily.

Tulsa Country Club is a difficult golf course on which to shoot low scores on consecutive days. We will be taking all variables of weather conditions into consideration when setting up the course every morning for The NCAA Champion- OSU freshman Casie Cathrea at TCC.

WWW.LUBER.COM 56 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

ship. Late May, there may be high winds or it could be dead calm, hot and humid.

Every morning we will meet and discuss tee placement depending on wind direction and velocity as well as where we will set pin locations.

Green speeds will be easily achieved at that time of year and I expect they will want them stimping close to 11-5. I could see us stretching out the course some due to the rough not playing as penal, but again that will depend on the weather. I would like the greens to be rolling about 12 on the Stimp and the course be set up about 6,300 yards.

We can easily make our course play more difficult by firming up our putting surfaces, adding length to the course, and having the greens near 13 on the Stimp.

But we want all the teams to enjoy themselves and remember us as hosting a very successful golf tournament with excellent and fair playing conditions.

Tulsa Country Club supeintendent Brady Finton is a member of the Golf Course Superintendent’s Associaiton of America,

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Fall is perfect time to enjoy Tulsa golf Fall golf is beautiful in Oklahoma and nowhere more so than at Page Belcher and Mohawk Park, offering scenic holes lined by mature hardwoods and pine. At Page Belcher, zoysia fairways will stay green and lush longer than most courses in the area, and golfers at both Page Belcher and Mohawk Park are enjoying the wonderful firm, fast Bermuda greens.

Green speeds on Stone Creek and Olde Page have been consistently running at 10.5 to 11 on the Stimpmeter. Speeds on Woodbine and Pecan Valley at Mohawk Park are very similar.

For Page Belcher patrons, even better news is the City of Tulsa will be making great improvements to the entry drive and the parking lots this winter. Beginning Dec. 1, the entry drive will receive new concrete, followed by a resurfacing and repainting of the north parking lot. The east lot will be the last to be repaired.

Be on the lookout for news about our Customer Appreciation Day scheduled November 16. We’ll have special green fee rates and more as a thank you to all the patrons who help make Page Belcher and Mohawk Park .

For more information, call 918-446-1529

for Page Belcher or 918-425-6871 for Mohawk Park. And remember you can get information on both courses at www.tulsagolf.org.

The Page Belcher and Mohawk Park’s All New Advantage Card makes playing more golf more affordable than ever!

Visit TulsaGolf.org for details.

www.golfoklahoma.org •••••• 57

COLLEGE ROUNDUP

Sooners, Cowgirls primed for national title chase by ken macleod

The first month of the college golf season proved Oklahoma teams will certainly be a factor when the national championships at all levels are decided late next spring, including the NCAA Championship May 20-23 at Tulsa Country Club.

Host Tulsa will be an unlikely participant, but Oklahoma State and Oklahoma have proven early in the season that they may be the top two challengers for overwhelming favorite Southern Cal. The Sooners finished second and OSU third to the Trojans at the Dale McNamara Preview held at TCC in early September.

OSU later finished just two strokes behind USC in placing second at the Windy City Collegiate Championship held just outside Chicago at the Northmoor Country Club.

OSU sophomore Julie Yang was the individual runnerup in both events and was named the Big 12 Golfer of the Month for September. Yang has recorded top-10 finishes in five or her last six starts She is backed

by Lauren Falley, Casie Cathrea, Amy Ru-

L FINA S OT 20 L BLE ILA AVA UNE IN J

engmateekhun and Jayde Panos.

The fifth-ranked Sooners also have a legitimate chance to claim the national championship in Tulsa next spring. Led by 2012 NCAA individual champion Chirapat Jao-Javanil, who finished 12th at the Preview, the Sooners have a deep and experienced team that also features seniors Kaitlyn Rohrback, Anne Catherine Tanguay and Emily Collins along with freshman Alexandra Kaui.

Can Tulsa improve enough over the fall and spring to have a chance to compete in the tournament it is hosting? Head coach Randy Keck says yes, and his Hurricane did register a third place finish in the Sunflower Classic after finishing last at The Preview.

On the men’s side, the situation is similar.

Tulsa and Oral Roberts are off to slow starts, leaving the state stage to Oklahoma State and Oklahoma on the Division I level.

The big question everyone had was how quickly Alan Bratton would get OSU back to playing like the Cowboys of yesteryear. The second tournament of the season seemed to suggest that things are getting better quickly but there is a ways to go.

At the Jack Nicklaus Invitational, OSU finished in third place, just as it had in the Olympia Fields Invitat to start Bratton’s career. The Oklahoma Sooners were in second, two shots ahead of OSU. Top-ranked and NCAA favorite California, however was 19 shots ahead of OU and 21 clear of OSU. Jordan Niebrugge competed in the Jack Nicklaus Invite for OSU, finishing tied for 16th in his first college event since his busy summer concluded with victories in the Wisconsin State Amateur, the U.S. Public Links Championship and the Western Amateur as well as helping the U.S side win the Walker Cup, competing in the U.S. Amateur and other high profile events.

Native Oklahomans Ian Davis and Talor Gooch, both seniors, will be expected to lead the Cowboys, with Wyndham Clark and Zachary Olsen as key starters.

The Sooners are off to a tremendous start thanks in part to freshman Max McGreevy.

The two-time Class 6A state champion placed fifth in leading the Sooners to victory in the Golfweek Conference Challenge,

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then eighth in helping OU finish second behind Cal in Columbus.

“Overall for the week we did very well,” OU head coach Ryan Hybl said. “This is a tough course, and Cal just made it look easy. We have a lot to learn and to take away from this week, so it is time to go back to the drawing board. We had all five guys finish in the top 20, and that is something great to take away from this event.”

The other four to record top-20 finishes were sophomore Beau Titsworth and senior Michael Schoolcraft, tied for 11th, junior Charlie Saxon and junior Michael Gellerman.

Among the state’s other collegiate teams this fall, Oklahoma City University, led by brothers Anthony and James Marchesani, of Australia, is the defending national champions and ranked second in preseason. OCU has already won the NAIA Preview.

Oklahoma Christian must wait another year to compete in the Division II national championship.

The University of Central Oklahoma and Northesatern State University in Tahlequah have high hopes in Division II. UCO’s men are ranked 17th and NSU’s women 22nd.

Q

University of Oklahoma senior Chirapat Joa-Javanil at the Fall Preview at TCC.

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SCHEDULES & RESULTS COLLEGE MEN GOLFWEEK CONFERENCE CHALLENGE At Spirit Hollow GC, Burlington, Iowa (par-72) Sept. 15-17 Team leaders (15 teams): 1, Oklahoma 290-278289 – 857; 2, Virginia Tech 292-291-278 – 861; 3, Houston 289-292-278 – 861; 4, New Mexico 290-2982-285 – 867; 5, Louisiana State 300-288284 – 872; 6 (tie), Iowa 298-291-286 – 875 and Winthrop 295-293-287 – 875; 8, Central Arkansas 296-292-288 – 876; 9, Jacksonville State 293295-293 – 881; 10, Arizona 297-298-289 – 892.

Individual leaders: 1 (tie), Scott Vincent (Va. Tech) and Stewart Jolly (LSU) 72-9-69 – 210; 3 (tie), James Newton (C. Ark.) 71-70-70 – 211 and Alex McMahon (Arizona) 71-71-69 – 211; 5 (tie), Max McGreevy (OU) 73-69-71 – 213 and Tyler Merkel (Ball St.) 69-72-72 – 213; 7 (tie), Charlie Saxon (OU) 72-72-70 – 214, James Ross (Houston) 76-69-69 – 214 and Gavin Green (NM) 71-7271 – 214; 10 (tie), Beau Titsworth (OU) 73-68-74 – 215, Pep Angles (C. Ark.) 78-68-69 – 215 and Tomas Anderson (JSU) 73-72-70 – 215.

Other OU scores: Michael Schoolcraft 72-70-74 – 216, Michael Gellerman 73-71-74 – 218.

NSU CLASSIC At Emerald Falls GC, Broken Arrow (par-72) Sept. 23-24 Team leaders (16): 1, Central Missouri 302-300295 – 897; 2, Northeastern State 296-306-302 – 904; 3, Central Oklahoma 312-296-305 – 913; 4, Southeastern State 303-308-305 – 916; 5, Arkansas Tech 304-299-315 – 918; 6, Lindenwood 309-302-308 – 919; 7, Henderson State 309306-310 – 925; 8, Harding 303-311-314 – 928; 9, Southwestern State 304-306-320 – 930; 10, Fort Hays State 315-314-308 – 937; 11, Washburn 313316-310 – 939; 12 (tie), Southern Nazarene 323317-302 – 942 and East Central 318-313-311 – 942.

Individual leaders: 1, Michael Hearne (SN) 72-75-

71 – 218; 2 (tie), Greg MacAulay (Lindenwood) 7673-73 – 222, Alex Williamson (Harding) 72-77-73 -- 222 and Trey Herman (FHS) 74-72-76 – 222; 5 (tie), Tate Williamson (NSU) 72-76-75 – 223, Sam Migdal (CM) 76-74-73 – 223 and Cy Moritz (CM) 72-76-75 – 223; 8, Marc Johnson (NSU) 71-77-76 – 224 and Matt Jennings (HS) 75-74-75 – 224; 10 (tie), Jonas Granel (NSU) 74-76-75 – 225, Jake Duvall (SWOSU) 75-74-76 – 225, Matt McIntosh (SEOSU) 71-78-76 – 225, Marcus Seville (SEOSU) 77-74-74 – 225 and Travis Mays (CM) 79-74-72 – 225.

NAIA PREVIEW At LPGA, Daytona Beach, Fla. (par-72) Sept. 16-17 Team leaders (12): 1, Okla. City 291-289-285 – 865; 2, Okla. Baptist 296-288-284 – 868; 3, Texas Wesleyan 294-292-287 – 873; 4, Northwood 290-295-292 – 877; 5, Webber International 291293-294 – 878; 6, Southeastern 290-291-304 – 885; 7, Tenn. Wesleyan 299-297-291 – 887.

Individual leaders: 1, James Marchesani (OCU) 74-70-67 – 211 (won playoff); 2, Vince Drahmin (Marian) 67-72-72 – 211; 3, Todd Balkin (OBU) 6976-67 – 212; 4, Dennis Meyerrose (Webber) 7271-70 – 213; 5 (tie), Calvin Clyde (TW) 71-70-74 – 218, J.D. Cobb (Southeastern) 70-67-78 – 215 and Kyle Martin (Southeastern) 70-69-76 – 215; 8, Anthony Martchesani (OCU) 71-73-72 – 216.

COLUMBIA REGIONAL PREVIEW At The Club at Old Hawthorne, Columbia, Mo. (par-72) Sept. 16-17 Team scores: 1, Missouri 290-272-290 – 852; 2, Iowa State 292-285-280 – 857; 3, Austin Peay State 290-280-300 – 870; 4, San Francisco 293286-297 – 876; 5, Tulsa 298-287-294 – 879; 6, South Alabama 297-293-290 – 880; 7, Memphis 293-294-296 – 883; 8, Kansas State 297-284-307 – 888; 9, Mississippi 295-291-303 – 889; 10, Ne-

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braska 292-304-295 – 891; 11, La.-Lafayette 297308-290 – 895.

Individual leaders: 1, Emilio Cuartero (Mo.) 6867-70 – 205; 2 (tie), Michael Garretson (S. Ala.) 72-69-69 – 210 and Euan Walker (Mo.) 73-66-71 – 210; 4, Scott Fernandez (ISU) 73-70-68 – 211; 5, Logan McCracken (TU) 74-68-70 – 212.

Other TU scores: Colton Staggs 74-74-71 – 219, Matt Mabrey 72-75-77 --- 224, Mark Mumford 7870-76 – 224, Cody Kent 79-77-84 – 240.

RYAN PALMER FOUNDATION INVITATIONAL At Tascosa GC, Amarillo, Texas (par-72) Sept. 16-17 Team leaders (16): 1, Colo. School of Mines 281272-278 – 831; 2, Wayland Baptist 277-282-283 – 842; 3, Okla. Christian 277-281-288 – 846; 5, CSU-Pueblo 283-291-284 – 857; 6 (tie), Cameron 292-286-282 – 860 and West Texas A&M 2832890-287 – 860-; 8, Colo. Mesa 288-289-284 – 861; 9, Rogers State 294-283-287 – 864; 10, Lubbock Christian 294-295-278 – 867.

Individual leaders: 1, Michael Lee (CSM) 73-65-68 – 06 (won playoff); 2 (tie), Jordan Arndt (CSM) 70-68-68 – 206 and Ryan Connolly (WB) 68-7167 – 206; 4, Matt Porter (CSU-Pueblo) 65-7-68 – 207; 5 (tie), Logan Leggett (WTAM) 69-70-69 – 208, James Bolton (Newman) 71-67-70 – 208 and Anders Ellingsberg (WB) 65-70-73 – 208; 8, Johnny Ellis (Okla. Chr.) 67-69-73 – 209.

Other scores: Sam Johnston (Okla. Chr.) 72-7269 – 213, Tanner Alder (RSU) 740-68-72 – 214, Taylor Williams (Okla. Chr.) 68-72-74 – 214, Dylan McClure (Cameron) 73-70-72 – 215, Corey Bounds (Cameron) 74-73-69 – 216, Felipe Anzarut (Cameron) 70-73-73 – 216, Ryan Roberts (RSU) 71-72-73 – 216.

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2, Texas 292-287-288 – 867; 3, Oklahoma State 291-291-287 – 869; 4, Arkansas 294-287-290 – 871; 5, Stanford 295-287-2900 – 872; 6 (tie), Illinois 295-296-282 – 873 and GRU Augusta 296288-289 – 873; 8, Texas Tech 292-293-294 – 879; 9, Baylor 295-288-297 – 880; 10, Florida State 295-295-291 – 881.

Individual leaders: 1 (tie), Robby Shelton (Ala.) 71-66-73 – 210 and Cameron Wilson (Stanford) 75-65-70 – 872; 3, Bryson Dechambeau (SMU) 71-73-67 – 211; 4 (tie), Taylor Moore (Ark.) 72-7169 – 212 and Trey Mullinax (Ala.) 67-73-72 – 212; 6 (tie), Bobby Wyatt (Ark.) 69-71-74 – 214, Thomas Detry (I) 72-71-71 – 214 and Jack Maguire (Fla. St.) 69-73-72 – 214; 9 (tie), Matias Dominguez (TT) 73-70-73 – 216 and Toni Hakula (Texas) 6879-69 – 216; 11 Beau Hossler (Texas) 74-71-72 – 217; 12 (tie), Ia Davis (OSU) 71-78-69 – 218, Talor Gooch (OSU) 73-71-74 – 218, Kevin Dougherty (OSU) 72-73-73 – 218, Sebastien Cappelen (Ark.) 75-69-74 – 218, David Mills (Ind.) 75-70-73 – 218, Alex Wennstam (GRU) 73-69-76 – 218, Maverick Antcliff (GRU) 75-72-71 – 218, Cory Whitsett (Ala.) 74-67-77 – 218 and Jackson Stroup (GRU) 75-72-71 -- 218 NEWMAN FALL INVITATIONAL At Reflection Ridge GC, Wichita (par-72) Sept. 9-10 Team scores: 1, Okla. Christian 293-289 – 582; 2, Indian Hills 290-294 – 584; 3, Cameron 302-287 – 589; 4, Texas A&M-Commerce 309-293 – 602; 5, Newman 299-304 --- 603; 6, Arkansas-Fort Smith 306-314 – 620; 7, Panhandle State 330330 – 660.

Individual leaders: 1, Colin Pearson (IH) 68-70 – 138; 2 (tie), Dylan McClure (Cameron) 70-69 – 139 and James Bolton (Newman) 70-69 – 139; 4, C.J. Clem (TAMC) 74-66 – 140; 5, Jakob Garstecki (IH) 75-69 – 144; 6 (tie), Alasdair Dalgleish (OC) 76-69 – 145, Taylor Williams (OC) 73-72 – 145 and Sam Johnson (OC) 71-74 – 145; 9 (tie), Johnny Ellis (OC) 73-74 – 147 and James Hornsby (Newman) 72-75 – 147.

Other scores: Zeb Littlefield 77-72 – 149, Michael Kelly (Cameron) 77-72 – 149, Ryan Evans (OCind.) 75-74 – 149, Bradley Ferrell (Cameron-ind.)

74-75 – 149, Trey Payne (OC) 76-75 – 151, Corey Bounds (Cameron) 78-74 – 152, Cole Cramer (PS) 77-76 – 153, Jackson Stuteville (OC-ind.) 76-77 – 153, Felipe Anzarut (Cameron) 78-77 – 155.

Other OSU scores: Wyndham Clark 75-73-71 – 219, Tanner Kesterson 78-74-75 – 227.

WOMEN DALE MCNAMARA FALL PREVIEW At Tulsa CC (par-70) Sept. 9-11 Team scores: 1, Southern Cal 288-284-276 – 848; 2, Oklahoma 282-288-282 – 852; 3, Oklahoma State 278-293-284 – 855; 4 (tie), Alabama 290282-284 – 856 and Duke 283-286-287 – 856; 6, Arkansas 291-289-277 – 857; 7, Arizona State 284-293-282; 8, Arizona 283-292-286 – 861; 9, Stanford 286-292-289 – 867; 10, Tulane 291-292285 – 868; 11, North Carolina 289-293-287 – 869; 12, Georgia 288-295-288 – 871; 13, Vanderbilt 287-295-296 – 878; 14, Texas 292-304-297 – 893; 15, Tulsa 316-308-292 – 916.

Individual leaders: 1, Kim Kyung (USC) 69-6966 – 204; 2 (tie), Julie Yang (OSU) 67-72-67 – 206, Noemi Jimenez (ASU) 69-69-68 – 206 and Stephanie Meadow (Ala.) 71-69-66 – 206; 5, Regina Plasencia (Ark.) 70-69-69 – 208; 6 (tie), Emily Penttila (Tulane) 71-67-71 – 209 and Daniela Lendl (Ala.) 7—70-769 – 209; 8 (tie), Laetitia Beck (Duke) 71-67-72 – 210 and Mariah Stackhouse (Stanford) 69-74-67 – 210.

Other scores: Cascie Cathrea (OSU) 70-72-70 – 212, Chirapat Jao-Javanil (OU) 69-73-70- -- 212, Alexandra Kaui (OU) 72-72-70 – 214, Kaitlyn Rorhback (OU) 69-72-73—214, Anne Tanguay (OU) 76-72-69 – 217, Isabella Deilert (OSU) 70-74-74 – 218, Emily Collins (OU) 72-72-76 – 220, Jayde Panos (OSU) 71-76-73 – 220, Antonia VanWnuck (Tulsa) 79-72-71 – 222, Lauren Falley (OSU) 7575-75 – 225, Kayla Riede (Tulsa) 78-84-70 – 232, Franziska Voellinger (TU) 80-75-77 – 232, Alex Haun (Tulsa) 84-77-74 – 235, Valeria Otoya 79-

85-78 – 242.

MARILYNN SMITH SUNFLOWER INVITATIONAL At Colbert Hills GC, Manhattan, Kan. (par-72) Sept. 23-24 Team leaders (15): 1, Kansas 303-99-308 – 910; 2, Kansas State 313-302-311 – 926; 3, Tulsa 319306-316 – 941; 4, Arkansas State 324-306-314 – 944; 5, Oral Roberts 320-313-321 – 954; 6 (tie), Colorado State 326-320-314 – 960 and Nebraska 313-329-318 – 960; 8, New Mexico State 314-324337 – 975; 9, North Texas 322-322-332 – 976; 10, Northern Iowa 337-324-339 – 991.

Individual leaders: 1, Meghan Potee (KU) 75-7574 – 224; 2, Thanrut Boonraksasat (KU) 78-74-75 – 227; 3 (tie), Antonia VonWnuck (TU) 80-73-77 – 230, Olivia Eliasson (KSU) 78-75-77 – 230 and Lina Aguillon (Redlands) 75-8-77 – 230; 6 (tie), Courtney Manning (ASU) 77-76-78 – 231 and Carly Ragains (KSU) 76-80-75 – 231; 8, Minami Levonowich (KU) 78-76-78 – 232; 9 (tie), Alejandara Acosta (ORU) 79-75-79 – 233 and Gianna Misenhelter (KSU) 75-71-87 – 233.

Other scores: Kayla Riede (TU) 79-79-79 – 237, Shinwoo Lee (ORU) 78-80-81 – 239, Karson Bizzell (TU) 86-74-79 – 239, Franziska Voellinger (TU) 80-80-81 – 241, Paola Aviles (ORU) 81-83-80 – 244, Paty Torres (ORU) 82-79-85 – 246, Alheli Moreno (ORU) 87-79-81 – 247, Alex Haun (ORU) 80-83-84 – 247.

WESETRN NEW MEXICO FALL INTERCOLLEGIATE At Coldwater GC, Goodyear, Ariz. (par-72) Sept. 23-24 Team leaders (18): 1, Chico State 321-292 – 613; 2, Okla. Christian 308-306 – 614; 3, Northeastern State 308-306 – 614; 4, Western Washington 302-315 – 617; 5, CSU-Monterey Bay 318-303 – 621; 6, Colo. St.-Pueblo 321-309 – 630; 7, Academy of Art 314-318 – 632; 8, Mesa CC 318-316 – 634; 9, Dixie State 326-311 – 637; 10, Adams State 320-319 – 639.

Individual leaders: 1 (tie), Audra Kepler (CSU-M) 77-70 – 147 and Arinda Bhanaraksa (CSU-M) 7473 – 147; 3, Kristen Hansen (WW) 70-78 – 148; 4 (tie), Audrey Meisch (Okla. Chr.) 74-76 – 150, Gabbi Shelton (NSU) 76-74 – 150 and Anna Arrese (Okla. Chr.) 77-7 – 150.

Other scores: Baylee Price (NSU) 75-76 – 151, Sofia Castiello (NSU) 75-76 – 151, Allison Sell (Okla.

Chr.) 76-78 – 154, India Matthews (Okla. Chr.) 8179 – 160.

SUSIE MAXWELL BERNING CLASSIC At Lincoln Park GC, Okla. City (par-72) Sept. 16-17 Team scores: 1, Redlands 299-299-297 – 895; 2, Okla. City 301-294-301 – 896; 3, Okla. Christian 304-299-300 –903; 4, Rogers State 303-299-319 – 921; 5, Bellevue 304-310-312 – 926; 6, Dakota Wesleyan 320-304-316 – 940; 7, Texas Wesleyan 318-308-318 – 944; 8, Northwood 321-319314 – 954; 9, Okla. Baptist 338-314-332 – 984; 10, Wayland Baptist 326-335-325 – 986; 11, Lubbock Christian 321-329-339 – 989; 12, Seminole State 331-3270-337 – 995; 13, SW Christian 342-335353 – 1,030; 14, NW Okla. State 392-352-392 – 1,136.

Individual leaders: 1, Lina Aguillon (Redlands) 70-72-72 – 214; 2, Anna Arrese (Okla. Chr.) 7371-72 – 216; 3, India Matthews (Okla. Chr.) 74-71-7 – 217; 4, lia Folch (Okla, City) 74-74-70 – 218; 5 9tie), Ivon Reijers (Redlands) 76-72-74 – 222 and Fariza Zain (Northwood) 73-77-72 – 222; 7, Caroline Goodin (Okla, City) 75-71-79 – 225; 8 (tie), Kailey Campbell (Okla, City) 77-73-76 – 226, Renee Santoyo (Bellevue) 78-76-72 – 226 and Daniela Martinez (Northwood) 78-71-77 – 226; 11 (tie), Anna Mikish (Okla. City) 75-76-76 – 227, Alexis Belton (TW) 73-76-78 – 227 and Lauren Fitts (DW) 76-73-78 – 227; 14 (tie), Kelsey Steuver (Rogers St.) 78-72-80 – 230, Maria Saavedra (Bellevue) 76-76-78 – 230 and Natalie Ugalde (WB) 76-72-82 – 230.

NSU GOLF CLASSIC At Cherokee Hills GC, Catoosa (par-70) Sept. 16-17 Team scores: 1, Arkansas Tech 309-300 – 609; 2,

Southwestern State 316-303 – 619; 3, Northeastern State 322-305 – 627; 4, Arkansas-Fort Smith 319-323 – 642; 5, Henderson State 333-322 – 655; 6, Harding 341-324 – 645; 7, East Central 340334 – 674; 8, Southern Nazarene 339-348 – 687; 9, Central Missouri 355-343 – 698; 10, Fort Hays State 359-371 – 730; 11, SW Baptist 390-390 – 780.

Individual leaders: 1, Megan Jeffery (AT) 74-72 – 146 (won playoff); 2 (tie), Ana-Laura Gomez (SWOSU) 72-74 – 146 and Baylee Price (NSU) 77-69 – 146; 4 (tie), Emily Plyler (Harding) 7675 – 151 and Rebecka Surtevall (AT) 80-71 – 151; 6, Kendall Earp (HSU) 78-74 – 152; 7 (tie), Jessica Heard (SWOSU) 81-73 – 154, Margaret Musser (SWOSU) 77-77 – 154 and Sofia Castiello (NSU) 80-74 – 154.

HAWKS CREEK INVITATIONAL At Hawks Creek GC, Fort Worth (par-72) Sept. 9-10 Team scores: 1, Cameron 300-298 – 598 (won playoff); 2 (tie), Okla. Christian 297-301 – 598 and Incarnate Word 299-299 – 598; 4, Texas A&MCommerce 308-312 – 620; 5, Northwood 306-321 – 627; 6, Western Texas 320-320 – 640; 7, Texas Wesleyan 326-316 – 642; 8, Centenary 337-333 – 670; 9, McMurry 329-342 – 671.

Individual leaders: 1, Audrey Meisch (OC) 72-72 – 144; 2, Jacqueline Strickland (Cameron) 7373 – 146; 3 (tie), Jamie Bibby (IW) 76-72 – 148, Flower Castillo (IW) 72-76 – 148, Daniela Martinez (Northwood) 70-78 – 148 and Kaitlyn Johnston (Cameron) 74-74 --- 148.

Other scores: Anna Arrese (OC) 73-77 – 150, Alexis Thompson (Cameron) 75-76 – 151, Kylee Wickham (Cameron) 80-75 – 155, Lindsey Alexander 78=78 – 156, Allison Sell (OC) 84-77 – 161, Dana Todd (OC) 79-83 – 162.

USGA WOMEN’S STATE CHAMPIONSHIP At NCR CC (South), Kettering, Ohio (par-73) Sept. 17-19 Team leaders: 1, New Jersey 151-146-149 – 446; 2, Florida 146-151-152 -- 449; 3, Virginia 152-1452146 -- 450; 4, Arizona 144-158-149 -- 451; 5, Maryland 150-155-149 -- 454; 6, Colorado 155-152-150 -- 457; 7, Georgia 154-153-153 -- 460; 8 (tie), Minnesota 154-156-151 – 461 and New Mexico 147162-152 – 461; 10 (tie), Oklahoma 158-158-148 – 464 and Hawaii 158-155-151 – 464; 12, Tennessee 152-158-156 – 466.

Oklahoma scores: Amber Hensley 74-79-80 – 233, Jade Staggs 84-79-70 – 233, Kelly Fuhcik 91-83-78 – 252.

OKLAHOMA GOLF ASSOCIATION OKLAHOMA OPEN At Oak Tree CC (East), Edmond (par-70) Aug. 23-25 1, Chris Worrell 71-64-67 – 202; 2 (tie), Oscar Stark 67-64-74 – 205, Coy Breen 68-68-69 – 205, Jason Meece 70-68-67 – 205, Zechariah Potter 67-71-67 – 205, Justin Bardgett 64-70-71 – 205 and Kevin Kring 67-68-70 – 205; 8 (tie), Matt Mabrey 68-64-74 – 206, Rob Hudson 69-67-70 – 206, Tyson Reeder 68-68-70 – 206 and Dillon Rust 69-67-70 – 206; 12 (tie), Cole Howard 66-69-72 – 207 and Thomas Johnson 6-70-75 – 207; 14 (tie), Clark Dennis 67-67-75 – 209, Chris Brown 69-70-70 – 209, Jordan Russell 67-71-71 – 209, Blake Trimble 68-69-72 – 209, Alex Moon 72-67-70 – 209 and Britt Pavelonis 69-68-74 – 209.

STATE CLUB At Oak Tree CC (East), Edmond (par-70) Sept. 8-9 1, Gaillardia (Mark Fuller, Nick Hughes, Bill Bishop Jr., Jay Smith) 225; 2, Indian Springs (Austin Hackett, Michael Boyd, Jake Chominsky, Jim Fuente) 229; 3, River Oaks (Eric Fox, Doug Dixon, Douglas Rex, Andy McCormick) 229; 4, Oak Tree (Mark Trudeau, Chris Bourdeon, Jim Davis, Clark Sutton) 231; 5, The Greens (Gerod Black, Neil Metz, Blake Gibson, Brent Cryer) 232; 6, Oak Hills (Bradley Durr, Ryssell Lowry, Kyle Kates, J. Todd Brown) 235; 7 (tie), OKC G&CC (Brad Ful-

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ton, Cooper Johnson, Dan Pitcher, Blake Arnold) and The Territory (Jeff Tyrell, Albert Johnson Jr., Mitch Boles, Jimmy Grantham) 236; 9, (tie), Dornick Hills (John Watkins, Aaron Sheaks, John Krogh, Mike Dial), South Lakes (Brent Wilcoxen, Lee Inman, Tim Tiger, Brian Lunger) and Jimmie Austin OU (Mark Austin, Johnnie Johnson, Greg England, Noah Allen) 241; 12, Southern Hills (Nick Sidorakis, Derrick Vest, Jeff Cope, Matt McKee) 243; 13, Oak Tree National (John Stansbury, Nathan Chambers, Ronnie Rose, Justin Ramer) 246.

TULSA GOLF ASSOCIATION TWO-MAN CHALLENGE At Stone Creek GC Aug 24-25 A flight: 1, Larry Reed/Steve Secora 59-69 – 128; 2, Danny Barnett 64-65 – 129; 3, Steve Hughes/ Shawn Kitchen 64-66 – 130; 4, Gene Jackson/ Marshall Wesson 66-67 – 133; 5, Mark Mogelnicki/Daniel Stith 66-67 – 133; 6, Chris Deininger/ Mark Lewandowski 66-69 – 135.

B flight: 1, Connor Cummings/Jack Kasting 6863 – 131; 2, Lloyd Gilliam/Davie Wing 67-65 – 132; 3, Ross Novak/Jeremiah Swezey 67-68 – 135.

STROKE PLAY At The Trails GC, Norman (par-70) Aug. 5-7 1, Hayden Wood 68-73-66 – 207; 2 (tie), James Marchesani 71-67-70 – 208 and Brendon Jelley 68-69-71 – 208; 4, Max McGreevy 71-71-67 – 209; 5 (tie), Anthony Marchesani 73-67-70 – 210, Sam Lee 69-70-71 – 210, Scott Verplank 68-70-72 – 210 and Austen Fuller 73-69-68 – 210; 9 (tie), Jeff Tyrrell 73-67-71 – 211, Logan McCracken 7170-70 – 211 and Michael Gotcher 73-70-68 – 211; 12, Colton Staggs 70-75-67 – 212.

WOMEN’S OKLA. GOLF ASSOCIATION PARTNERSHIP At Shangri-La, Monkey Island (par-72) Aug. 20-21 1, LeeAnn Fairlie/Teresa DeLarzelere 65-70— 135; 2, Nan Dyer/Rose Cassidy 69-73 – 142; 3, Janet Miller/Jennifer Hays 76-71 – 147; 4, Robin Purdie/Ann Watkins 72-76 – 148; 5, Linda Ballard/Ann Turner 77-75 – 152; 6, Sherri Buster/ Valinda West 76-77 – 153; 7, Lisa Barrowman/ Liz Sterkel 82-74 – 156; 8, Rebecca Davis/Mary Harvey 77-80 – 157.

Net: 1 (tie), Dyer/Cassidy 63-66 – 129 and Purdie/Watkins 63-66 – 129; 3, Ballard/Turner 6765 – 132; 4, Fairlie/DeLarzelere 64-70 – 134; 5, Buster/West 68-68 – 136.

FORE STATE At Twin Hills CC, Joplin, Mo. July 31-Aug. 2 Team scores: 1, Kansas 12.5; 2 (tie), Oklahoma and Missouri 10; 4, Arkansas 7.5.

Oklahoma matches Fourball: Jade Staggs/Amanda Johnson (O) def.

Mindy Coyle/Kelly Osbourne (M) 5 and 3; Alison Kruse/Anne Willman (K) def. Kendra Mann/Maddy Haley (O) 3 and 2; Summar Roachell/Tanna Richard (A) def. Lauren Michael/Jaime Branch (O) 4 and 3; Natalie Bird/Alexa Osbourne (M) def. Amber Hensley/Leigh Ann Fore (O) 1-up; Charter Lawson /Laurie Makes Cry (O) def. Alex Beury/Nicole Beury 2 and 1.

Foursomes: Summar Roachell/Grier Bennett (A) def. Kendra Mann/Amanda Johnson (O) 4 and 3; Mindy Coyle/Catherine Dolan (M) def. Leigh Ann Fore/Lauren Michael (O) 3 and 1; Natalie Bird/Alexa Osbourne (M) def. Charter Lawson/ Maddy Haley (O) 2 and 1; Jade Staggs/Jaime Branch (O) def. Alex Beury/Nicole Beury (K) 8 and 7; Amber Hensley/Laurie Makes Cry (O) def.

Brenda Alexander/Katie Speir (A) 2 and 1.

Singles: Alison Kruse (K) def. Kendra Mann (O) 4 and 3; Amanda Johnson (O) def. Katie Speir (A) 4 and 3; Jade Staggs (O) def. Alexa Osbourne (M) 4 and 3; Maddy Haley (O) def. Alex Beury (K) 1-up; Lauren Michael (O) def. Tracy Duncan (A) 4 and 3; Amber Hensley (O) def. Alisha Matthews (M) 5 and 4; Abbey Campbell (K) def. Laurie Makes Cry (O); Brenda Carr (A) def.

Jaime Branch (O) 2-up; Charter Lawson (O) def.

Carmen Titus (M) 1-up; Anne Willman (K) def.

Leigh Ann Fore (O) 5 and 4.

GOLF CHANNEL TOUR OKLAHOMA TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

62 •••••• www.golfoklahoma.org

At River Oaks GC, Edmond (par-71) Aug. 26 1, Douglas Duke 72; 2, Al Swanson 85.

COFFEE CREEK CHAMPIONSHIP At Coffee Creek GC, Edmond (par-70) Aug. 10 1, James Fowler 74; 2 (tie), Hank Darcey and Dave Kirby 77; 4, Brook Lister 85.

2013 WOGA Senior Championship The Trails Golf Club Norman Sept. 30 – Oct. 1 Freshman: LeeAnn Fairlie, Oklahoma City, Okla.

- 73-72--145, Janet Miller, Catoosa, Okla. - 78-74-152, Jann Fouke, Broken Arrow, Okla. - 89-84-173, Carol Bowles, Broken Arrow, Okla. - 94-87-181 Sophomore: Janet McMillin, Shawnee, Okla. 84-83--167, Cherie Rich, Oklahoma City, Okla.

- 93-91--184, Susie Ellegard, Edmond, Okla. - 9691--187, Cheryl Saxon, Oklahoma City, Okla. - 9397--190 Junior: Ann Cowan, Elk City, Okla. - 76-79--155, Darlene Crawford, Chickasha, Okla. - 86-90--176, Linda Ballard, Afton, Okla.

- 88-88--176, Melanie • Kickingbird Golf Club Robson, Edmond, Okla. - • Meadowbrook 88-88--176 Country Senior: Jan Scott, Enid, Okla.

Club- 86-86--172, Joyce Washam, Broken Arrow, Okla.

- 83-89--172, Vicki • O’Brien Park Johnson, Kingston, Okla. - 97-90--187, Pat Mon• Page Belcher Golf Course roe, Tulsa, Okla. - 96-93--189, Carolyn Martin, • PaloAnn Alto Community Stillwater, Okla. - 98-94--192, Watkins, Stillwater, Okla. - 93-100--193 College • Pinnacle Country Club Super-Senior: Ann Turner, Monkey Island, Okla. 82-86--168, Kathy Parrott,• Royal Oklahoma City,Club Okla.

Oaks Country - 98-91--189, Bonnie Sparks, Lawton, Okla.

• Scissortail Golf Club - 97103--200 • Silverhorn Golf Club Masters: Thelma Horrall, Enid, Okla. - 95-97--192, • South Lakes Golf Course Norma Chaney, Tishomingo, Okla. - 100-100-• The Territory 200, Nora Birdshead, Anadarko, Okla. - 114-111• Tulsa Country Club -225, Kay Graves, Morrison, Okla.

- 119-114--233, Club Patricia Bender, Sharon,• Whitehawk Okla. - Country 122-111--233, Shirley Cooper, Walters, Okla.

- 106-127--233 • Winstar Golf Course

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