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Conference call, April 29
51 conference titles. Just let that sink in a minute.
I know there are some who think I speak too kindly about the Oklahoma State men's golf program, but facts are facts.
And 51 conference titles (in 62 years no less) is an amazing accomplishment.
The Cowboys' 20-stroke victory over Texas at the Big 12 Championship last weekend was impressive not so much as a singular feat but in its inherent repetitiveness. From afar it appears that you actually have to work pretty hard to mess things up with the OSU program. Indeed, I respect coach Mike McGraw an awful lot, but I'm not so sure I couldn't actually win some hardware if given the helm in Stillwater for a while.
OK, it doesn't hurt to have Rickie Fowler playing for you, his impressive final-round 68 and nine-under 279 total giving him the individual title at Whispering Pines GC in Trinity, Texas by four strokes over teammate Kevin Tway. *
Meanwhile, the Oklahoma State women's squad didn't play too shabby either this past weekend when the Cowgirls won their Big 12 title by a conference-record 27 strokes over Texas A&M. The results from OSU's Karsten Creek GC were the reverse of the last two seasons and gave coach Laura Matthews her first conference title. Best of all was watching freshman Jaclyn Sweeney, added to the roster in January, shine as she claimed medalist honors with a nine-over 225.
Photo above of the two teams at the Stillwater airport courtesy of the OSU Sports Information Department.
Conference season is starting to wrap up, but not before Cleveland State claimed the Horizon League title this afternoon, earning their second NCAA postseason berth in school history. The Vikings beat Detroit-Mercy by a stroke, aided by a birdie from Patrick Elber on the 18th and an unfortunate bogey by UDM's David Byrne on the finishing hole.
Here's the updated conference chart. The Pac-10 and WAC men's titles will be handed out tomorrow with USC and New Mexico State looking to hold on to their leads.