Men's Championship Series #17: 1972
The Texas Two-Step
This is part of a series on the Men’s Collegiate Championships
NCAA Championship Era: 1939-NOW
Intercollegiate Championship #75: June 22-24, 1972
Host: Cape Coral GC (University of Miami (FL))
The first and only time the University of Miami (FL) men would host the NCAA golf championships. Although the women’s program continues to this day (and have an incredible history which we will cover later), the men’s program was cut in the 1980s. Notable players from past teams include Frank Stranahan, Nathanial Crosby, and Woody Austin.
Format
Team and Individual stroke play
Day 1 = 18 holes
Day 2 = 18 holes
**Cut to top 15 teams
**Cut to top 40 individuals (and ties) as well as those on teams which made the cut
Day 3 = 36 holes
**72 holes determines Team and Individual championships (started in 1968)
Results
Team Champ: Texas (2 NCAA, 2 overall)
Through two rounds, Texas looked well on their way to a repeat title after opening up a 15 stroke lead over reigning runner-up Houston. Up until 1968 this would have been the point where Texas would be given their title, however now the championship lasted a full four rounds so there was still a chance for the rest of the field. Third place Florida, who interrupted Houston’s title run in 1968 and would do the same to Texas in 1973, was 21 strokes behind Texas at the halfway point and one stroke ahead of Oklahoma State. Sitting at the 15-team cutline, Ball State and Wake Forest were 41 strokes behind. The third round got interesting when Texas slipped, but only Houston took advantage, shrinking the lead to 8 strokes. Considering that at this point the 5-count-4 scoring was an aggregate calculation at the end of the tournament rather than on a daily basis, a sizable scoring swing was still possible. Instead, Texas removed all doubt and actually increased their final lead to 13 strokes (1146 total) thanks in large part to Tom Kite’s dramatic 10 stroke improvement from the previous day. Houston (1159) was once again the runner-up - the 3rd time in 5 years with wins the other two - with Florida (1167), Oklahoma State (1174), and Arizona State (1176) rounding out the top 5.
Individual Medalist/Champ: Ben Crenshaw & Tom Kite [Texas]
This tournament was the last hurrah for Tom Kite who had recently graduated and was set to join the pro tour soon after the collegiate championship. He got started with a bang, compiling a first round 65 (-7) - in one 3-hole stretch going eagle-birdie-eagle - which tied the single-round low score first set by Hale Irwin [Colorado] in 1967 and since matched by Grier Jones [Oklahoma State, 1968], John Mills [Houston, 1971], and Ben Crenshaw [1971]. In the second round, Crenshaw also nabbed a pair of eagles in a three hole stretch on his way to a 66 which, combined with his first round 71, put him in 2nd overall at 137 (-7). Even with the low round of the day, Crenshaw only gained two strokes on Kite whose 133 (-11) had him firmly in the driver’s seat. That car, however, ran right off the road in round 3 as Kite had six bogeys and a double bogey on his way to a 78 which dropped him to 4th (211). Kite, who was photographed laying down at one point during the round, was quoted as saying “I got burned up because of the slow play…The teeoff times were running 45 minutes late and then it took six hours to play 18 holes in twosomes. That’s ridiculous. I had been mentally ready but my mind suddenly went off somewhere.” Crenshaw was able to keep mentally engaged during the long round, his 70 giving him a 207 total and a three stroke lead going into the final round. Could the sophomore become the first repeat champion in over a decade? The senior wasn’t quite ready to give up the title, roaring back with a final round 68 which had him tied with Crenshaw who had one hole left to play:
Crenshaw, who was playing in the final twosome, hit a tremendous tee shot on No. 18 but pulled it slightly and wound up next to a palm tree where he couldn’t get a full swing. His second shot hit the slope of the green and rolled to its back. Trying for a birdie, which would have given him the undisputed championship, Crenshaw pitched past the hole but sank a 25-footer to tie for the title. “What have you done to me?” Kite asked Ben. “You’ve got to be the world’s greatest putter in the clutch.” Kite and Crenshaw are co-champions since the NCAA rule forbids a playoff. Coach George Hannon was more than elated with the outcome. “It’s hard for a coach to pull for one player or another. I said last night I hoped they would tie,” he pointed out, but then added: “Both are disappointed. They’re teammates and good friends but no one won. They wanted to play it off but an NCAA rule says you can’t. I wish they could have played off.” “Sure, we’d like to have a playoff,” Kite said right after he had learned that Ben had tied him. “Tying is like kissing your sister.” Sophomore Crenshaw quickly contradicted him, “No, it’s like kissing your brother.” As for Hannon, he’s headed back to Austin Sunday, where he will relive NCAA championship No. 2 until it’s time to start after a third. “It will be a pleasure in the future to look down on that cup [the Chick Evans Bowl] and see both Kite’s and Crenshaw’s name on it,” he said.
per the Austin American newspaper, June 15, 1972
**Quick note: the NCAA rule on ties was apparently changed by 1980 when Jay Don Blake [Utah State] won his title after a 4-hole playoff against Hal Sutton [Centenary]
Texas would fall short of a team three-peat in 1973, finishing a very respectable third, 7 strokes behind host Oklahoma State but 17 strokes behind Florida who earned legendary coach Buster Bishop his second title. Ben Crenshaw, however, would complete the individual championship three-peat with a three-stroke victory over Florida’s Gary Koch. With his win, Crenshaw became the only man to ever win the title three times, a feat which has only been matched once (but not consecutively) by a man we’ll read about soon. Ben Crenshaw is firmly affixed on college golf’s Mt Rushmore.
Championship Award Count
*Note: these lists are not alphabetical or numerically-ordered, but rather time-based such that a team is added to the list when they earned their first award
COACHES CORNER: Harvey Penick [Texas]
Both Harvey Penick and his older brother Tom would be major contributors to Texas golf. The younger Penick would eventually graduate from his caddie position at Austin Country Club starting at age 8 in 1912, all the way up to head pro in 1923. During his 55-year stint in this post, he would lead the University of Texas men’s golf team for a time (1931-1963) and count among his students: Ben Crenshaw, Tom Kite, Don Massengale, Kathy Whitworth, Mickey Wright, Betsy Rawls, and Sandra Palmer. The University of Texas started their golf team in 1926 to coincide with the Southwest Conference’s (SWC) official adoption of the sport, and Tom Penick became their first (unofficial) coach from 1927-1930. After Tom gave up his role in order to focus more on his head pro job, his 26-year-old brother, Harvey, accepted the position. Under his guidance the UT team would earn 20 SWC titles and appear regularly at the National (IGA then NCAA) Championships. Although his team never won a national title - finishing T2 behind North Texas (State) in 1949 at the start of their title run - Penick did coach the 1935 individual champion Ed White, who beat out Fred Haas (1937 champ) in the match play finals. By the early 1960s, an aging Coach Penick decided to give up the coaching mantle while still continuing his golf instruction.
The legendary Harvey Penick died in Austin on April 2, 1995 at the age of 90. His death was a blow to all who had benefited from his instruction in both golf and life, and even being the week of the Masters couldn’t keep his former students such as Tom Kite and Ben Crenshaw from attending his funeral. Like the end of a sports movie, Crenshaw would race back from Austin to Augusta in time to make the start of the Masters and ride the emotional charge all the way to a victory and the accompanying green jacket.
COACHES CORNER: George Hannon [Texas]
Picking up the coaching mantle after someone as renowned as Harvey Penick would be a daunting task for anyone, but George Hannon was up for the challenge. Coach Hannon derived most of his income from running the new Morris Williams Golf Course, Texas golf’s new home, but that didn’t stop him from giving the golf team all he had. Coach Hannon took on the duties as golf coach in 1964 and led the team to a Southwest Conference team title his first year, earning him the first of three SWC Coach of the Year awards. The next several years would be a series of high SWC finishes and improved performance at the NCAA championship. In 1971, bolstered by a surging Tom Kite and freshman phenom Ben Crenshaw, Texas overcame a 15 stroke deficit on the final day to set a new NCAA single-round team total record of 275 which was good enough for a 7-stroke victory. The consecutive team championships in 1971 and 1972 earned Hannon both SWC and National Coach of the Year honors. Although he had a couple more good years, Coach Hannon’s teams would never again reach college golf’s summit. He retired from coaching in 1981 and turned the program over to Jim Clayton who became UT’s first full-time coach.
Thanks for reading!
Up Next:
In the next post we will cover the 1975 championship, Wake Forest domination so historic it (likely) contributed to a fundamental format change.