Oklahoma State University Athletics
1976 Remembered
December 05, 2016 | Cowboy Golf
As 2016 comes to a close, so too does the 40th anniversary of Oklahoma State's 1976 NCAA-winning squad. Below are then-head coach and current OSU Athletics Director Mike Holder's memories of the event as well as a round-by-round synopsis of the first of his eight national titles.
You can't talk about 1976 without discussing 1975.
We entered the final round of the 1975 NCAA Championship at the Ohio State University's Scarlet Course trailing leader Wake Forest by six strokes. We thought we had a legitimate chance to win the tournament but Wake Forest had other ideas. They blitzed us and our team finished 33 shots behind in second place.
Wake Forest returned all of their great players the next season and I purposely avoided facing them in any competition before the NCAA tournament. Wake Forest entered the championship undefeated, unchallenged and touted as perhaps the greatest team ever in college golf.
Our team was young, two juniors (Jaime Gonzalez and Tom Jones), two sophomores (David Edwards and Lindy Miller), and a freshman (Britt Harrison) but we won seven of 11 tournaments heading into the championship and the sting of the final round in 1975 was a distant memory. We prided ourselves on being bad weather players and the weather couldn't have been more cooperative in Albuquerque.
The first two rounds the wind blew 30-50 miles per hour and Wake Forest couldn't handle the conditions. They got frustrated, complained about the course, struggled in the wind and found themselves trailing our team by 10 after two rounds. They tried to mount a challenge the last two rounds but couldn't and they ultimately finished fourth.
OSU had done the impossible.
Round 1
David Edwards posted a 69 to fuel the Cowboys' opening 283. The 5-under score gave OSU a four-shot cushion over New Mexico State. Lindy Miller and Britt Harrison both carded rounds of 71, while Gonzalez was a stroke back at 72. Edwards' total put him one shot off the pace of co-leaders Scott Simpson (USC) and Matt Sugarman of New Mexico State.
Round 2
Harrison took advantage of an early tee time, which allowed him to complete his round before an afternoon filled with high winds. At the halfway point, he led the field with a 2-under tally of 140, while the Cowboys extended their lead. Through 36 holes, OSU stood at 578 with BYU coming in with a 587 total. Wake Forest and host New Mexico shared third place at 588.
Round 3
OSU held off a hard-charging New Mexico squad that drew even with the Pokes at one point during the round. At day's end, however, the Cowboys' 872 total gave them a seven-shot advantage over the Lobos. BYU stood alone in third at 880 and Wake Forest was a stroke back at 881. Gonzalez led the Cowboy charge, firing a 69 to stand at 214.
Round 4
BYU took its turn at attempting to chase down the Cowboys, but steady rounds of 72 from Miller and 73s by Gonzalez and Harrison stemmed the Cougars' title bid. OSU finished at 14-over 1,166 and seven shots clear of BYU. Houston was a stroke back and alone in third place, while Wake Forest claimed fourth and New Mexico rounded out the top five.
Team Scores
1. Oklahoma State—1,166
2. BYU—1,173
3. Houston—1,174
4. Wake Forest—1,175
5. New Mexico—1,176
Individual Scores
1. Scott Simpson, USC—283
T10. Lindy Miller, OSU—290
T10. Jaime Gonzalez, OSU—290
T14. Britt Harrison, OSU—291
T33. Tom Jones, OSU—295
T81. David Edwards, OSU—302
You can't talk about 1976 without discussing 1975.
We entered the final round of the 1975 NCAA Championship at the Ohio State University's Scarlet Course trailing leader Wake Forest by six strokes. We thought we had a legitimate chance to win the tournament but Wake Forest had other ideas. They blitzed us and our team finished 33 shots behind in second place.
Wake Forest returned all of their great players the next season and I purposely avoided facing them in any competition before the NCAA tournament. Wake Forest entered the championship undefeated, unchallenged and touted as perhaps the greatest team ever in college golf.
Our team was young, two juniors (Jaime Gonzalez and Tom Jones), two sophomores (David Edwards and Lindy Miller), and a freshman (Britt Harrison) but we won seven of 11 tournaments heading into the championship and the sting of the final round in 1975 was a distant memory. We prided ourselves on being bad weather players and the weather couldn't have been more cooperative in Albuquerque.
The first two rounds the wind blew 30-50 miles per hour and Wake Forest couldn't handle the conditions. They got frustrated, complained about the course, struggled in the wind and found themselves trailing our team by 10 after two rounds. They tried to mount a challenge the last two rounds but couldn't and they ultimately finished fourth.
OSU had done the impossible.
Round 1
David Edwards posted a 69 to fuel the Cowboys' opening 283. The 5-under score gave OSU a four-shot cushion over New Mexico State. Lindy Miller and Britt Harrison both carded rounds of 71, while Gonzalez was a stroke back at 72. Edwards' total put him one shot off the pace of co-leaders Scott Simpson (USC) and Matt Sugarman of New Mexico State.
Round 2
Harrison took advantage of an early tee time, which allowed him to complete his round before an afternoon filled with high winds. At the halfway point, he led the field with a 2-under tally of 140, while the Cowboys extended their lead. Through 36 holes, OSU stood at 578 with BYU coming in with a 587 total. Wake Forest and host New Mexico shared third place at 588.
Round 3
OSU held off a hard-charging New Mexico squad that drew even with the Pokes at one point during the round. At day's end, however, the Cowboys' 872 total gave them a seven-shot advantage over the Lobos. BYU stood alone in third at 880 and Wake Forest was a stroke back at 881. Gonzalez led the Cowboy charge, firing a 69 to stand at 214.
Round 4
BYU took its turn at attempting to chase down the Cowboys, but steady rounds of 72 from Miller and 73s by Gonzalez and Harrison stemmed the Cougars' title bid. OSU finished at 14-over 1,166 and seven shots clear of BYU. Houston was a stroke back and alone in third place, while Wake Forest claimed fourth and New Mexico rounded out the top five.
Team Scores
1. Oklahoma State—1,166
2. BYU—1,173
3. Houston—1,174
4. Wake Forest—1,175
5. New Mexico—1,176
Individual Scores
1. Scott Simpson, USC—283
T10. Lindy Miller, OSU—290
T10. Jaime Gonzalez, OSU—290
T14. Britt Harrison, OSU—291
T33. Tom Jones, OSU—295
T81. David Edwards, OSU—302
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