Oklahoma State University Athletics
Men's Golf Competes at Central Regional
June 21, 1999 | Cowboy Golf
May 13, 1998
Oklahoma State Cowboy Men's Golf
at the
1998 NCAA Men's Golf Central Regional
May 14-16, 1998 * Oak Hills Country Club * San Antonio, Texas
The Cowboy Lineup
Name Yr. Hometown Stroke Avg. Dist./Nat'l Rank
Charles Howell Fr. Augusta, Ga. 72.28 2/15
Top 10 in six of seven spring events
Edward Loar So. Rockwall, Texas 72.88 1/10
Ranked as high as No. 1 this season
Landry Mahan So. Richardson, Texas 74.85 ---/92
Two top-10 finishes in last three events
Boyd Summerhays Fr. Farmington, Utah 73.97 ---/---
Career-best finish at Big 12 Championship
Bo Van Pelt Sr. Richmond, Ind. 73.00 4/25
1997 first-team All-American
OSU looks to continue NCAA tourney success
The seventh-ranked Oklahoma State men's golf team, which has won its last two tournaments, will try to continue that string this weekend when the Cowboys compete in the NCAA Central Regional. OSU won the Big 12 Championship by seven strokes April 27-28 and won the Maxwell by one stroke last weekend. The Cowboys will be aiming to continue the string that has seen them reach the NCAA Championship in each of their 51 years of varsity golf.
50-plus years of history
Oklahoma State celebrated its 51st year of varsity golf last season by winning its 46th conference title and advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the 51st time. The Cowboys have won eight national titles and have finished fifth or higher 42 times. Thirty-eight OSU golfers have won conference titles, and the Cowboys have produced six NCAA medalists and 119 All-Americans. In the 25 years under head coach Mike Holder, OSU has entered 349 tournaments and won 156 titles for a 44.7 winning percentage. In addition, the Cowboys have posted 82 runner-up finishes, meaning that OSU has finished first or second 68.2 percent of the time.
OSU shooting for ... second?
If 1990s Central Regional history repeats itself, perhaps the Cowboys should hope to finish second at this year's regional. Twice in this decade, OSU has finished second in the regional tournament, and both times the Cowboys went on to win national titles. Here's a look at OSU's Central Regional history:
Team Team NCAA Year Site Finish Top OSU Individual Finish 1997 Norman, Okla. 1st T1. Bo Van Pelt 5th 1996 Ann Arbor, Mich. 6th T6. Brian Guetz, Bo Van Pelt 8th 1995 Montgomery, Texas 2nd 1. Alan Bratton 1st 1994 Oklahoma City, Okla. 3rd 5. Alan Bratton 5th 1993 Columbus, Ohio 3rd T18. Chris Tidland 12th 1992 Dallas, Texas 3rd T11. Chris Tidland 3rd 1991 Bartlesville, Okla. 2nd T2. Kevin Wentworth 1st 1990 Columbus, Ohio 1st 1. Kevin Wentworth 4th 1989 McKinney, Texas 1st T2. Kevin Wentworth 4th
The Cowboys in 1997-98
OSU entered the Big 12 tournament on its longest winless string in six years. However, the Cowboys bounced back to win their next two tournaments, and a closer look reveals that OSU's "slump" to start the year was not as bad as it seemed. The Cowboys have finished third or higher in all but two of their 12 events this season, and OSU has produced 20 top-10 individuals in its 11 conventional tournaments. Sophomore Edward Loar earned the team's only medalist honor of the season when he won the William H. Tucker Intercollegiate in September. The Cowboys are perhaps the youngest team in school history, with two true freshmen and two sophomores in their regular lineup. Last season, Loar became the first true freshman in school history to lead the team in stroke average; this year, Charles Howell is aiming to become the second ever as well as the second consecutive.
Head Coach Mike Holder
In the last 25 years, Mike Holder's name has become synonymous with success in college golf. He has coached 89 All-Americans, including 32 first-team choices, and his teams have won 23 league titles and seven national championships. Holder ranked second only to Kansas basketball coach Phog Allen in Big Eight titles regardless of sport, and he is one of 20 coaches all-time in all sports who have directed national-championship teams in three different decades.
A brief look at the Cowboys
Charles Howell Fr. Augusta, Ga. (Westminster Prep)
After Loar became the first true freshman to lead OSU in stroke average last season, Howell is trying to duplicate the feat this year (72.28 overall, 71.38 in the spring) ... has been red-hot this spring, finishing in the top 10 in six of the team's seven events since the start of the calendar year ... had two second-place finishes, at the Morris Williams and the U.S. Collegiate Championship ... also played well at the Rolex Match Play Championships, winning his matches 5 and 4, 3 and 2 and 6 and 4 ... first-team academic All-Big 12 and one of only two golfers so honored to compile a 4.00 GPA (teammate Peter Davidson was the other).
Edward Loar So. Rockwall, Texas (Rockwall)
Loar began the year as the nation's top-ranked player after winning the William H. Tucker Intercollegiate to open the season and has remained in the top 10 ever since ... finished fourth or higher in the first three tournaments of the year ... already tied for 11th in school history with three career individual titles ... finished 11th at last year's regional ... tied with Howell for the team lead in top-10 finishes with six and is OSU's only medalist so far this year.
Landry Mahan So. Richardson, Texas (Berkner)
Though he stands at just 5-foot-4, Mahan is a long hitter ... had the best finish of his career with a third-place showing at the ASU Thunderbird/SAVANE Invitational, and after a rocky Big 12 tournament, bounced back with a ninth-place showing at the Maxwell ... also reached the top 10 when he finished 10th at the Ping-Golfweek Preview ... Rolex First-Team All-American in 1994.
Boyd Summerhays Fr. Farmington, Utah (Davis)
An academic All-Big 12 honorable mention student-athlete, Summerhays has competed in all but one OSU tournament this year ... recorded the best finish of his career at the Big 12 Championship, coming in eighth ... also finished in the top 20 at the Golf World/Palmetto Dunes, where he tied for 20th with an even-par 216, his best 54-hole performance of the year.
Bo Van Pelt Sr. Richmond, Ind. (Richmond)
A first-team All-American in 1997, Van Pelt has finished in the top five in three of OSU's last five tournaments ... tied Howell for second at the Cleveland Golf/Morris Williams Intercollegiate; tied Mahan for third at the ASU Thunderbird/SAVANE Invitational; and tied for fourth at the Big 12 Championship ... has always played well in the regional; tied for medalist honors at the 1997 Central Regional and finished sixth in 1996 ... has moved steadily up the national rankings and currently stands at No. 25.
Noting the Cowboys
OSU has produced at least one top-10 finisher in 10 of 11 conventional tournaments this year, and the team has tallied 20 individual top-10 finishes in all ... Although the Cowboys have just one medalist honor to their credit this season, the Cowboys have notched 11 top-five individual performances ... OSU owns a 128-29-5 head-to-head record against all opponents this year.
Cowboy Quick Facts
Location Stillwater, Okla. Enrollment 19,201 Colors Orange and Black President Dr. James Halligan Athletics Director Dr. Terry Don Phillips Head Coach Mike Holder (25th year) Alma Mater Oklahoma State, 1970 Assistant Mike McGraw (First year) Alma Mater Central Oklahoma, 1982 Home Course Karsten Creek 1997 Central Regional Finish First Top Individual T1. Bo Van Pelt 1997 NCAA Finish Fifth Top Individuals T15. Bo Van Pelt, Leif Westerberg NCAA Titles Eight (1963, 76, 78, 80, 83, 87, 91, 95) Conference Titles 47 (two Big 12, 36 Big 8, nine Mo. Valley) 1997-98 Team Titles Two (Big 12, Maxwell) 1997-98 Medalists One (Edward Loar, Tucker Intercollegiate)
OSU vs. the Field
Here's how the Cowboys fared head-to-head against Central Regional competition this year (head-to-head losses in italics):
Arkansas 0-1 (Tucker Intercoll.)
Baylor 2-0 (Big 12, Maxwell)
Drake did not play
Houston 2-3 (Ping-Golfweek, Golf World, Golf Digest,
Morris Williams, Maxwell)
Kansas 1-0 (Big 12)
Kent 1-0 (U.S. Collegiate)
Miami (Ohio) did not play
Minnesota did not play
Nebraska 1-0 (Big 12)
Northwestern 2-0 (Ping-Golfweek, Golf World)
Ohio State 3-0 (Ping-Golfweek, Golf World, U.S. Collegiate)
Oklahoma 6-0 (Tucker Intercoll., Burns Intercoll., Morris Williams,
ASU Invit., Big 12, Maxwell)
SMU 2-1 (Tucker Intercoll., Golf World, Golf Digest)
TCU 4-2-1 (Ping-Golfweek, Jerry Pate, Rolex Match Play,
Golf World, Golf Digest, Morris Williams, ASU Invit.)
Texas 7-0 (Tucker Intercoll., Jerry Pate, Golf Digest,
Morris Williams, ASU Invit., Big 12, Maxwell)
Texas A&M 4-0 (Tucker Intercoll., Golf World, U.S. Collegiate, Big 12)
Texas-Arlington did not play
Toledo did not play
Tulsa 2-0 (Tucker Intercoll., Maxwell)
Wichita State did not play
