Daily Bullets (May 28): OSU’s Best Week Ever?

As Cowboy Golf tees up for match play today, stories about their tough-as-nails, cancer-fighting assistant coach bring perspective.

Bullets Rundown

• Best sports week in OSU history?
• Golf home field advantage in Fayetteville
• Spencer Sanders is a top 50 QB

Scores

• MG: Pokes win stroke play (-16)
• MG: Wolff won the individual title (-10), Bachou and Eckroat finish T8

OSU Bullets

• Did we just live the best week in OSU sports history?

OSU also won the stroke play portion of the tournament. Its 16-under par score bested second-place Vanderbilt by a whopping 31 strokes, and the Cowboys, favored to repeat as champs, will take huge momentum into the match-play team competition, which begins Tuesday.

(Matthew) Wolff and the Cowboys continued to build on what is arguably the best week in OSU sports history.

You could contend any time the OSU football team has won a conference title or a Cowboy basketball team has gone to the Final Four is a pretty good week all on its own. But what has happened in recent days with softball, baseball and men’s golf is unprecedented. [NewsOK]

Quick recap: baseball won the tourney title, golf won the individual title and blew away the field in stroke play, and softball punched their ticket back to the world series.

From my point of view – no. Housing OU in 2011 for the Big 12 title and John Lucas’ three over St. Joe’s for a trip to the Final Four were larger than life moments. But corporately for OSU as an athletic department? Maybe.

I agree with Lunt’s take here – you’ve gotta give credit to where it’s due.

Props to Mike Holder. Given the $ limitations OSU has, some ADs would sacrifice spring sports for further investment into football. If anything he’s doubled down on spring sports. Well rounded athletic dept is important. #gopokes

— Adam Lunt (@AdamLunt817) May 26, 2019

• The Pokes were wildly successful through the first portion of play at Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville… Other than being (possibly) OSU’s best golf team ever, is there a reason for that success?

“It’s got some similarities to Karsten Creek, which I think is a good thing for us,” Oklahoma State junior Viktor Hovland said of Blessings Golf Club.

Like Karsten Creek, Blessings is a big ballpark, a par-72 layout playing at 7,550 yards. It also features the same grasses on the fairways (Zoysia) and greens (bentgrass), elevations changes, many spots to find trouble and lightning-fast greens.

“We know the importance of keeping the ball under the hole,” (Matthew) Wolff said. “Especially at nationals last year and throughout the year at Karsten when the greens get really fast, we know we can’t be above that hole because you won’t be able to stop it…” [Golf Channel]

This golf team is finding success like Chuba Hubbard playing Canadian junior football. It’s journalistically responsible to consider all of the angles as to why this team is finding success but when you’re good, you’re good.

I’d read an article about three courses a writer thinks OSU wouldn’t win stroke play by a country mile at.

• Yahoo Sports has Spencer Sanders as the 38th best QB in college football – which brings me to my question: how much would you have to give Vegas to win $100 when Sanders’ wins the job?

I’ll debate it over lunch breaks all summer but I don’t think Dru Brown wins the job five times out of 100.

• Looking forward to Friday at 6 p.m.! Loved the quote from Josh Holliday further below.

The regional is set! We'll see you back in OKC, Cowboy fans.

The Pokes take on Harvard Friday night at 6 p.m. CT. #GoPokes #okstate pic.twitter.com/FeWmkV2DTW

— Cowboy Baseball (@OSUBaseball) May 27, 2019

Josh Holliday with a quick joke after learning #OKState will open against Harvard in NCAA Tournament.

"We definitely won't be the smartest team on the field."

— Eric Bailey (@EricBaileyTW) May 27, 2019

• Because you need to know: OU was juking the stats to get into the U.S. News top 100 schools (for 20 years)

Non-OSU Bullets

• Liked this NYT piece on auditing your life

• Solid faith-based ideas on how to use your summer

• Finished this short business book over the long weekend – love the methods but would push back on some of the motivations, solid read nonetheless