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Beginning in 1947, the Oklahoma State Men's Golf program can
be consistently described with one word: success. The Cowboy
Golf program has accumulated ten NCAA national championships
and 16 runner-up finishes. OSU has made the NCAA
Championship field a record 64 times in a row, and has
finished lower than fifth on only 14 occasions. OSU players
have captured 8 individual national championships, 13 player of the year distinctions, and 160
All-America mentions. |
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Jonathan Moore, 2006 |
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Jonathan Moore entered the 2006 NCAA Championship as arguably the
hottest player in the country and did not slow down upon reaching
college golf's biggest stage. The Vancouver, Wash. native rode a
two-tournament winning streak into the event after blistering the
field at both The Maxwell and the NCAA Central Regional. Moore
opened play at the NCAAs with a 68 to stand in fifth place before
moving into a tie for second at the midway point with a 70 during
round two. An impressive 69 in tough conditions during the third
round positioned him atop the leaderboard heading into the final
round.
The redshirt freshman showed his mettle on the last day, firing a
69 that included a birdie on the 72nd hole to put an exclamation
point on both the individual and team crowns for the Cowboys. The
national title wrapped up a record-setting stretch for Moore that
saw him shoot a combined 34-under par during his final three events
and tie school records for most consecutive rounds in the 60s (7)
and the most consecutive rounds under par (10).
The victory also marked just the seventh time in NCAA history
that a freshman had been crowned national champion.
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Charles Howell, 2000 |
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Charles Howell had accomplished many things in his first three
seasons as a Cowboy, but his ultimate goal of winning the NCAA title
(both team and individual) had not yet been met. Entering the 2000
NCAA tournament at Grand National Golf Club in Opelika, Alabama,
Howell was riding a hot streak with wins in the Maxwell and Big 12
Championships. At Opelika, Howell opened with a 5-under-par 67, but
trailed Texas' David Gossett who shot a 63. Howell pulled even with
Gossett after a second-round 66.
Paired together in the third round, the duo battled back and
forth, but it was Howell who grabbed the 54-hole lead after a 63,
compared to Gossett's 66.
Howell posted a final-round 69 to finish 23-under-par, breaking
the all-time NCAA scoring mark by six strokes. His eight stroke
victory helped the Cowboys to their ninth team title.
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E.J. Pfister, 1988 |
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E.J. Pfister made his final collegiate tournament a memorable one.
The three-time All-American had never won a tournament heading into
the Big Eight Championship in his senior year in 1988. He won that
title and proceeded to become the third consecutive Cowboy to bring
home medalist honors at the NCAA Championship 11 days later in Los
Angeles.
Pfister, a native of Marilla, New York, sandwiched a 76 in
between two rounds of 70 before firing a 68 during his final round
to gain the individual title and help OSU to a runner-up finish in
the team race.
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Brian Watts, 1987 |
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As the 1987 NCAA Championship at the Scarlet Course in Columbus,
Ohio continued, the play of Brian Watts kept getting better. The
Carrollton, Texas native shot an opening-round 74 before coming back
with a 71 during his second round. Watts saved his best play for
last finishing the event with rounds of 69 and 66 to claim medalist
honors and lead the Cowboys to victory in the team race.
With his final-round 66, he etched his name into the school
record book for the best final-round score by a Cowboy in NCAA
Championship history.
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Scott Verplank, 1986 |
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Scott Verplank narrowly missed winning the NCAA individual title as
a freshman, losing in a playoff to Jim Carter of Arizona State to
finish as the event's runner-up. The Dallas, Texas native found
himself in contention once again during his senior season at the
1986 NCAA Championship in Winston-Salem, N.C., after opening the
tournament with back-to-back 68s.
Verplank finished with consecutive rounds of 73 to finish with a
72-hole total of 282 and wrap up the individual crown, while helping
the Cowboys to a runner-up finish in the team race.
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David Edwards, 1978 |
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At the 1978 NCAA Championship in Eugene, Ore., David Edwards became
the first Cowboy golfer to claim NCAA individual medalist honors
while leading his team to the team title. The individual title was
decided after 54 holes, with the Edmond, Okla., native turning in a
seven-under-par, 209 total. Edwards opened play with a 71 before
firing back-to-back 69s to secure the individual crown.
On the event's final day, he added an even-par 72, helping OSU
cruise to a 17-shot victory over Georgia on its way to the school's
third team title.
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Grier Jones, 1968 |
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Grier Jones capped his senior season by winning the most important
tournament of the season. The 1968 Big Eight Conference champion
posted an opening-round 65 at the University Golf Course in Las
Cruces, N.M. and followed with a 68 during the second round.
Jones, a native of Wichita, Kansas, fired a 71 during the third
round and a final-round 72 to finish with an eight-under-par total
of 276, giving him a three-stroke victory over Hal Underwood of
Houston.
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Earl Moeller, 1953 |
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Earl Moeller became the first Cowboy to win the NCAA individual
championship as he took medalist honors in 1953. The tournament
was played at the par-70, 6,622-yard Broadmoor in Colorado Springs,
Colo. The sophomore from St. Louis defeated the University of North
Carolina's William Williamson, 3 and 2, in 34 holes of match play.
The beneficiary of precise iron play, Moeller won the 24th and
25th holes with long putts to take control of the match. He built
his margin to five up before halving the 34th hole to secure the
win.
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