Big 12 men’s golf: For BYU, life on the links just got tougher

Editor’s note: Tenth in a series of articles examining how each BYU program will stack up against its new conference foes. Today’s program: men’s golf.

In 1965, a young man born and raised in San Francisco arrived in Provo, Utah. By the time he had finished competing at BYU, he’d become the Cougars’ first first-team All-American and led the program to its first two conference titles and two top-15 finishes at the NCAA Championships.

That young man’s name was Johnny Miller. He would go on to win 25 PGA Tour events, including the 1973 U.S. Open and the 1976 Open Championship, and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. After golf, he enjoyed second careers as a television analyst and golf course architect.

Miller may not have started BYU men’s golf, but he sure did get the ball rolling.

The year after Miller graduated, the Cougars took off over the next two decades, finishing in the top 20 every year at the NCAA championships. BYU placed in the top five at the NCAA championships for eight straight years, including runner-up finishes in 1976 and 1980, before finally winning the national title in 1981. Future PGA Tour members Richard Zokol, Keith Clearwater and Richard Fehr were among those who contributed that year.

The highlights go on and on: Bobby Clampett winning back-to-back national player of the year honors. Eighty-three All-Americans, 26 conference team championships and 19 individual conference champions. Alum Mike Weir winning the 2003 Masters Tournament. Dozens of PGA Tour alumni.

All this history was spearheaded by Hall of Fame coach Karl Tucker and continued on by current Hall of Fame head coach Bruce Brockbank. Brockbank has led the Cougars since 1992, guiding them to 26 NCAA postseason appearances. Last year, BYU won the WCC team title while Zac Jones won the individual title; the Cougars took second at the NCAA Regional before finishing 23^rd at the NCAA championships.

BYU returns three participants from that NCAA championship weekend including Jones, a Highland native entering his junior year; junior Tyson Shelley, a Salt Lake City native; and senior Max Brenchley from Alpine. Senior Cole Ponich, who redshirted last season, is also on the roster.

Junior Simon Kwon, a transfer from Cal, also joins BYU this year. A Utah native and grandson of Johnny Miller, Kwon just won the Utah State Amateur Championship.

Big 12 men’s golf

Every university in the Big 12 sponsors men’s golf and the competition is fierce. Baylor, Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech played in the 2023 NCAA postseason and all four advanced out of regional play before being eliminated.

However, the Big 12 typically competes with the best of the best. Just since 2017, three different Big 12 teams have won the national championship: Texas in 2022, Oklahoma State in 2018 and Oklahoma in 2017. In fact, those three schools have combined for 17 national titles all-time.

Texas Tech also took third at the NCAA championships in 2018. Every Big 12 team has competed at the NCAA championships at least once since 2018.

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In conference play, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas and Texas Tech have finished in the upper half at the Big 12 tournament the past few seasons. Last year, Oklahoma dominated the field in winning its second-straight Big 12 championship, finishing 18 strokes ahead of second-place TCU. Texas Tech’s Ludvig Aberg won his second individual title before being named National Player of the Year and joining the PGA Tour, where he’s totaled four top-25 finishes already.

Other current PGA Tour golfers from Big 12 schools include Oklahoma State’s Rickie Fowler and Viktor Hovland, Texas’ Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth, TCU’s Tom Hoge and Oklahoma’s Abraham Ancer, among others.

Among the incoming members of the Big 12, Houston has a storied golf tradition and actually owns more NCAA men’s golf titles than any other school in the nation with 16. The Cougars dominated the field in the 1950s and ’60s, winning 11 titles in those two decades, before tacking on more titles in 1970, ’77, ’82, ’84 and ’85. Houston still participates in the NCAA postseason regularly, including last season.

UCF is also no stranger to the postseason and has qualified for the NCAA championships multiple times in the last decade. Cincinnati played in its first-ever NCAA postseason this last spring.

How will BYU fare?

In addition to the usual lineup of fall and spring tournaments, the Big 12 hosts not only its championship in April but also an annual match play competition at Houston Oaks in Hockley, Texas, in October.

The conference championship will be tougher than ever with the additions of BYU, Houston, Cincinnati and UCF. Final Golfweek/Sagarin rankings of Big 12 teams last year were:

• Oklahoma: 11th.

• Texas Tech: 12th.

• Texas: 15th.

• Oklahoma State: 19th.

• Kansas State: 27th.

• Baylor: 35th.

• BYU: 38th.

• Cincinnati: 44th.

• TCU: 45th.

• Kansas: 54th.

• Houston: 55th.

• UCF: 67th.

• Iowa State: 96th.

• West Virginia: 119th.

The Sooners return all but one member of last year’s team. Losing Aberg is obviously big for Texas Tech, but they do return All-Big 12 honoree Calum Scott. All-American Christiaan Maas is back for Texas, among others, and top player Jonas Baumgartner will again lead Oklahoma State.

A conference title in their first year is probably a stretch for this Cougars squad; Oklahoma and Texas will be the favorites to win. A top-five finish at the Big 12 tournament would be a great accomplishment, but I see BYU taking ninth, give or take a spot. However, the Cougars will have the firepower to return yet again to the NCAA postseason.