BYU gamers stroll up a fairway throughout picture day previous to the 2022-23 season. Christi Norris, BYU Photograph
BYU golfers seek the advice of the yardage e book throughout picture day previous to the 2022-23 season. Christi Norris, BYU Photograph
Editor’s notice: Tenth in a sequence of articles analyzing how every BYU program will stack up in opposition to its new convention foes. Immediately’s program: males’s golf.
In 1965, a younger man born and raised in San Francisco arrived in Provo, Utah. By the point he had completed competing at BYU, he’d develop into the Cougars’ first first-team All-American and led this system to its first two convention titles and two top-15 finishes on the NCAA Championships.
That younger man’s identify was Johnny Miller. He would go on to win 25 PGA Tour occasions, together with the 1973 U.S. Open and the 1976 Open Championship, and was inducted into the World Golf Corridor of Fame. After golf, he loved second careers as a tv analyst and golf course architect.
Miller might not have began BYU males’s golf, however he positive did get the ball rolling.
The 12 months after Miller graduated, the Cougars took off over the subsequent twenty years, ending within the prime 20 yearly on the NCAA championships. BYU positioned within the prime 5 on the NCAA championships for eight straight years, together with runner-up finishes in 1976 and 1980, earlier than lastly profitable the nationwide title in 1981. Future PGA Tour members Richard Zokol, Keith Clearwater and Richard Fehr have been amongst those that contributed that 12 months.
The highlights go on and on: Bobby Clampett profitable back-to-back nationwide participant of the 12 months honors. Eighty-three All-People, 26 convention workforce championships and 19 particular person convention champions. Alum Mike Weir profitable the 2003 Masters Event. Dozens of PGA Tour alumni.
All this historical past was spearheaded by Corridor of Fame coach Karl Tucker and continued on by present Corridor of Fame head coach Bruce Brockbank. Brockbank has led the Cougars since 1992, guiding them to 26 NCAA postseason appearances. Final 12 months, BYU received the WCC workforce title whereas Zac Jones received the person title; the Cougars took second on the NCAA Regional earlier than ending 23rd on the NCAA championships.
BYU returns three contributors from that NCAA championship weekend together with Jones, a Highland native getting into his junior 12 months; junior Tyson Shelley, a Salt Lake Metropolis native; and senior Max Brenchley from Alpine. Senior Cole Ponich, who redshirted final season, can also be on the roster.
Junior Simon Kwon, a switch from Cal, additionally joins BYU this 12 months. A Utah native and grandson of Johnny Miller, Kwon simply received the Utah State Newbie Championship.
Large 12 males’s golf
Each college within the Large 12 sponsors males’s golf and the competitors is fierce. Baylor, Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech performed within the 2023 NCAA postseason and all 4 superior out of regional play earlier than being eradicated.
Nevertheless, the Large 12 usually competes with the perfect of the perfect. Simply since 2017, three totally different Large 12 groups have received the nationwide championship: Texas in 2022, Oklahoma State in 2018 and Oklahoma in 2017. Actually, these three faculties have mixed for 17 nationwide titles all-time.
Texas Tech additionally took third on the NCAA championships in 2018. Each Large 12 workforce has competed on the NCAA championships no less than as soon as since 2018.
In convention play, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas and Texas Tech have completed within the higher half on the Large 12 event the previous few seasons. Final 12 months, Oklahoma dominated the sphere in profitable its second-straight Large 12 championship, ending 18 strokes forward of second-place TCU. Texas Tech’s Ludvig Aberg received his second particular person title earlier than being named Nationwide Participant of the Yr and becoming a member of the PGA Tour, the place he’s totaled 4 top-25 finishes already.
Different present PGA Tour golfers from Large 12 faculties embrace Oklahoma State’s Rickie Fowler and Viktor Hovland, Texas’ Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth, TCU’s Tom Hoge and Oklahoma’s Abraham Ancer, amongst others.
Among the many incoming members of the Large 12, Houston has a storied golf custom and truly owns extra NCAA males’s golf titles than another college within the nation with 16. The Cougars dominated the sphere within the Fifties and ’60s, profitable 11 titles in these twenty years, earlier than tacking on extra titles in 1970, ’77, ’82, ’84 and ’85. Houston nonetheless participates within the NCAA postseason frequently, together with final season.
UCF can also be no stranger to the postseason and has certified for the NCAA championships a number of instances within the final decade. Cincinnati performed in its first-ever NCAA postseason this final spring.
How will BYU fare?
Along with the standard lineup of fall and spring tournaments, the Large 12 hosts not solely its championship in April but additionally an annual match play competitors at Houston Oaks in Hockley, Texas, in October.
The convention championship can be more durable than ever with the additions of BYU, Houston, Cincinnati and UCF. Closing Golfweek/Sagarin rankings of Large 12 groups final 12 months have been:
- Oklahoma: eleventh.
- Texas Tech: twelfth.
- Texas: fifteenth.
- Oklahoma State: nineteenth.
- Kansas State: twenty seventh.
- Baylor: thirty fifth.
- BYU: thirty eighth.
- Cincinnati: forty fourth.
- TCU: forty fifth.
- Kansas: 54th.
- Houston: fifty fifth.
- UCF: 67th.
- Iowa State: 96th.
- West Virginia: 119th.
The Sooners return all however one member of final 12 months’s workforce. Shedding Aberg is clearly huge for Texas Tech, however they do return All-Large 12 honoree Calum Scott. All-American Christiaan Maas is again for Texas, amongst others, and prime participant Jonas Baumgartner will once more lead Oklahoma State.
A convention title of their first 12 months might be a stretch for this Cougars squad; Oklahoma and Texas would be the favorites to win. A top-five end on the Large 12 event could be a terrific accomplishment, however I see BYU taking ninth, give or take a spot. Nevertheless, the Cougars could have the firepower to return but once more to the NCAA postseason.
BYU golfers seek the advice of the yardage e book throughout picture day previous to the 2022-23 season.
Christi Norris, BYU Photograph