Oklahoma State University Athletics
Third-Seeded Cowboys Prepare For NCAA Central Regional
May 14, 2003 | Cowboy Golf
OSU AT THE CENTRAL REGIONAL The Cowboys have captured four regional titles since the inception of the current NCAA qualifying format in 1989. Last year at Pleasant Valley Golf Club in Little Rock, Ark., OSU tied Purdue for first place with a one-over 865 total, finishing 11 strokes ahead of third-place Tulsa.
COMEBACK COWBOYS The Cowboys posted their first three victories this season in dramatic fashion, coming from behind during the final round of three consecutive outings to finish atop the leaderboard. At the Puerto Rico Classic in February, OSU entered its final round in third place and six shots out of the lead before carding a tournament-best round of 282 en route to a 10-shot victory. The Pokes made up a 10-shot deficit at the Toyota Men’s Collegiate Championship in Las Vegas over their final 18 holes to jump from eighth place to the top spot. OSU entered the final day at the Morris Williams Intercollegiate in second place and four shots off the lead before slipping past Texas for a one-shot victory.
THE NEED FOR SWEDE Over the past several years, Mike Holder has developed a pipeline to the talent pool in Sweden. Former Cowboy Leif Westerberg started the trend, coming to Stillwater in 1994 and left OSU a four-time All-American, the 1997 Big 12 Player of the Year and a member of the 1995 NCAA Championship squad. Former first-team All-American and 2001 Big 12 Player of the Year Anders Hultman captured the Big 12 individual title last season. Currently, a pair of Swedes; Pär Nilsson and Alex Norén, dot the Cowboy roster. Nilsson has been named an honorable mention All-American during his two seasons in Stillwater and was a first-team all-conference pick as a freshman and again this year. Norén has stepped into the Cowboy lineup last season as a true freshman and made nine starts with one top-10 finish. This season, he has made 10 starts, registering a third-place finish in the fall and posting a 3-0-1 record during the Hooters Collegiate Match Play.
MAHAN, NILSSON NAMED TO PALMER CUP SQUADS A pair of Cowboys, Hunter Mahan and Pär Nilsson, will square off when they represent their respective countries this summer at the Palmer Cup. For the second consecutive year, Mahan will compete for the United States squad, while Nilsson, a native of Sweden, will compete as a member of the European team. The event will take place on July 7-11 at The Kiawah Island Club’s Cassique Course in Kiawah Island, S.C.
COWBOYS CONTINUE WINNING WAYS AT THE MAXWELL OSU picked up its fourth win of the season last weekend when it defended its title at The Maxwell in Ardmore, Okla. The Cowboys’ 19-shot victory marked the fifth time in the 12-year history of the event that they walked away victorious. OSU won three consecutive titles from 1996-98 in addition to last year’s triumph and has won the event more than any other school. Hunter Mahan became the fifth Cowboy to win the individual race, joining Brian Guetz (1996), Edward Loar (1997), Charles Howell (2000) and Anders Hultman (2001). The Pokes’ sweep of the team and individual titles marked the third time they have done so, accomplishing the feat in 1996 and 1997.
NORÉN STRONG IN RETURN TO LINEUP After a two-tournament hiatus from the starting lineup, sophomore Alex Norén produced a strong outing in his return at The Maxwell. After an opening-round 74, the Stockholm, Sweden native fired back-to-back 68s to vault himself into a tie for sixth, giving him his second top 10 of the season. The two-under 68s marked the first time Norén has broken 70 in consecutive rounds.
REWRITING THE RECORD BOOK After etching his name into the OSU record book last season with his 18-hole score of 62, Mahan has moved his name to the top of several categories this season. In his victory at the Morris Williams Intercollegiate, Mahan broke Jeff Maggert’s 54-hole tournament scoring record of 203 set in 1986 with his 202 total. He also tied the event’s final-round record with a seven-under-par 65. Mahan’s 13-shot triumph at the Big 12 Championship set the new conference standard for margin of victory as well. The Cowboy junior set a new school mark earlier this season with 10 consecutive rounds below par and is currently in the midst of a new school mark, breaking par in eight straight tournaments.
NCAAS HEAD TO STILLWATER For the first time since 1973, the NCAA Championship will return to Stillwater, Okla., this spring. Karsten Creek, the home of Cowboy Golf, will serve as the host site for college golf’s premier event on May 27-30. OSU's par 72, 7,290-yard layout was opened in 1994 and received its first five-star rating from Golf Digest in 1998, making it one of 10 courses to receive the distinction, and was named the publication's Best New Public Course in 1994. The Tom Fazio design hosted the NCAA Central Regional in 2001 and was tabbed as the best college course in the country by Travel and Leisure Golf. Tickets for the event are available for the event by contacting the Oklahoma State ticket office at 877-ALL-4-OSU.
BIG 12 PLAYER OF THE YEAR X 2 Hunter Mahan has seen his trophy case swell during his second season in Stillwater. The McKinney, Texas native was recently named the Big 12 Player of the Year for the second consecutive year and was chosen as the Big 12 Golfer of the Month for both March and April. In addition, Mahan was also the inaugural recipient of the Southern Golf Association’s National Amateur of the Month in March and was named to the U.S. Palmer Cup Team for the second consecutive season last month.
STRONG DOWN THE STRETCH The Cowboys have made a habit this spring of saving their best for last, registering three of their wins in come-from-behind fashion. In those three victories, OSU is a combined 19-under-par and has broken par in six of the squad’s eight events. The Cowboys’ first individual victory this season, Hunter Mahan’s win at the Morris Williams Intercollegiate, saw the All-American fire a season-best 65 during the final round to make up a three-shot deficit. Mahan has served as the catalyst behind OSU’s late-tournament heroics, breaking 70 in three of those six events and averaging 68.7 strokes per round.
FIVE COWBOYS NAMED TO ACADEMIC ALL-BIG 12 SQUAD Not only do head coach Mike Holder’s squads excel on the links, they perform well in the classroom as well. This year’s squad is no exception. Five Cowboys were named to the Academic All-Big 12 squad. J.C. DeLeon, Alex Norén and Zack Robinson were all recognized for their scholastic excellence. All three were first-team selections, achieving a 3.2 grade point average or better. Robinson was also one of only two student-athletes named to the 31-man squad with a 4.0 GPA. OSU had a pair of players; Pär Nilsson and Dayton Rose, named to the second team, carrying at lease a 3.0 GPA.
MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENT With his runner-up finish at the 2002 U.S. Amateur, Hunter Mahan earned a berth in The Masters field in April. The Cowboy junior, who played his first two rounds with Jack Nicklaus, came in at one-over through 36 holes to make his first cut in three professional events. Mahan closed out the tournament with rounds of 73 and 76 to finish tied for 28th place. The McKinney, Texas native has also been extended an invitation to compete at the U.S. Open this summer at Olympia Fields Country Club in June.
THE HOLDER ERA In his 30th season at the helm, Mike Holder is only the second coach in the history of the Cowboy program. Under the tutelage of former Cowboy coach Labron Harris, Holder achieved All-America status and was the 1970 Big Eight medalist. As a coach, Holder has captured eight national championships and 24 league championships. Under his direction, the Cowboys have placed first or second at the national tournament 17 times in 29 appearances. Entering the 2002-03 season, the Cowboys have entered 405 tournaments, winning 40.5 percent of the time (164 times).
MAHAN TABBED CO-WINNER OF BEN HOGAN AWARD Mahan was named co-recipient of the 2003 Ben Hogan Award presented annually to the top men’s NCAA Division I, II or III or NAIA golfer, taking into account all collegiate and amateur competition during the last 12 months. The two-time All-American and two-time Big 12 Player of the Year, Mahan was tabbed with the distinction along with Arizona’s Ricky Barnes. The Mckinney, Texas native is the third Cowboy to receive the honor, joining Kevin Wentworth (1990) and Trip Kuehne (1995).
CLARKE, ROBINSON PROVIDE SOLID FRESHMAN FOUNDATION With only one senior on their roster, the Cowboys have relied heavily on underclassmen to round out their lineup. Four freshman have seen time in the starting five this season as well as two sophomores and a pair of juniors. True freshman Chris Clarke is tops on the squad with 33 rounds played, while redshirt freshman Zack Robinson is second with 29. The duo has turned in impressive play throughout their first collegiate seasons. Clarke has posted a pair of top-20 finishes, including an eighth-place showing at the Puerto Rico Classic, and has been in the top 25 in each of the squad’s six events this spring. Robinson posted his first career top-five in Puerto Rico, tying for third place and notched his second career top 20 at the U.S. Intercollegiate where he tied for 15th.
CHIP SHOTS —With his win at the Maxwell, Hunter Mahan now has six career wins in his two seasons at OSU, tying him for seventh all-time on the school’s individual list with Michael Bradley, Tom Jones and Bob Tway. —With his three sub-70 rounds at the Maxwell, Mahan now has 29 career rounds in the 60s, tying him with Scott Verplank for the sixth-best total in school history. —OSU’s four wins is the most since they won five events during the 1997 spring campaign. —OSU’s 22-under-par team total of 842 tied the Morris Wiliams Intercollegiate’s all-time team scoring mark set by Houston in 1984.
