A LOOK BACK AT THE NCAA CHAMPS
The first round was played Thursday and Arizona’s Robert Gamez, the eventual collegiate player of the year, was ready. Gamez set a course and NCAA record with an eight-under 62 to stake his Wildcats to the first-round lead. Clemson was in second, four shots back at 274, and the Sooners were third at 279, nine back of the ‘Cats. Lee carried the Sooners on day one with a brilliant four-under 66. But, in what became the theme of the week for the Sooners, it was a team effort. Bell posted an even-par 70, Tripp Davis added a 71 and Martin chipped in 72. Lee continued his strong charge Friday with a secondround 71 to put him at 137, one stroke behind secondround leader Phil Mickelson of Arizona State. Bell and Davis each shot 72 and Martin and Lane had 74s, which left OU and ASU tied for the lead at the halfway point. With a day lost to rain and a forecast for more, the tournament committee decided to make every effort to complete the championship by playing 36 holes on Saturday. Few believed that could happen given the weather system, which seemed to stall over Oak Tree. But, collegiate golf, like the weather, can be very unpredictable. The teams played back-to-back, 18-hole rounds without a break, so third-round results were sketchy and late for all interested parties. But one thing was
clear. Oklahoma was making its move and only the strongest teams in the field had a chance to move with them. The Sooners shot 283 for the best score in the third round. That 283 also equalled the second-best round of the entire tourney. They did so on the strength of a pair of 69s by Bell and Lane, a 72 from Martin and a 73 from Davis. Heading into the final round the stage was set just as Grost had dreamed it would be, but with one major exception. He had talked for a year about being in the final group with Oklahoma State on the final day at Oak Tree and how great it would be for collegiate golf in the state. The Sooners not only were in the final group, but they led second-place Texas by 10 strokes and third-place Clemson and OSU by 14. The young Cowboys had almost played themselves out of the championship. As the final round began, the Sooners, a perfect blend of two seniors, a junior and two sophomores, some experienced in this pressure coooker and some not, stood where several of Grost’s teams in the past stood, with a chance to win the national championship. All they needed was a good final round. Two third – and one second-place finishes in the last three years exemplified OU’s problems down the stretch. But not on this day. The Sooners blitzed the field, firing a 288 for the best score in the final round, and made the back nine – where OU had struggled in the past – a virtual walk in the park. Oklahoma won by 19 strokes, the highest victory margin in 14 years. Individually, Martin, who
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Play on Wednesday, June 7, was cancelled due to violent thunderstorms and lightning.
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2009-10 OU MEN’S GOLF RECRUITING GUIDE
would be named first team All-America the following day and the only player who was a part of each of the previous three Sooner close calls, led the way with a 67 to finish tied for second. Bell, who transferred and then fought through an injury before becoming a starter at mid-season, had a 74 to tie for second overall. And Davis, a senior who waited so long to get his chance, had played in the Sooners’ most historic event, closing with a 72 to tie for 12th. Sophomores Lane and Lee, who had been fixtures in the lineup since their arrival in Norman, shot 75 and 76, respectively. Lee tied for 24th and Lane for 27th. The ending could have been the Sooners hanging on, the Cowboys charging, a team coming from off the pace to win, or rain. But none of those things happened and when Lee tapped in on the 72nd hole, the years of frustration and pain, the close-but-nocigars were swept away. For Martin, Lane, Lee and Grost, it was a moment they had waited 12 months for, others had waited the 50 years since OU first played in the NCAA tournament in 1939. But on a day when the sun was not supposed to shine, it did so brightly on a joyous group of red-shirted heroes. Oklahoma was national champion! — Story first appeared in the 1990 Oklahoma men’s golf media guide and was written by Larry McAlister, the OU men’s golf contact for the Oklahoma sports information department that season.