Watts Shrugs Off Slump and Wind to Win Golf Title

Oklahoma State’s Brian Watts hardly has been at the top of his game. In fact, the 19-year-old had been in such a slump that Coach Mike Holder might have thought about leaving him in Stillwater.

Certainly, Holder is glad he didn’t.

Not only did Watts win the Southwestern Intercollegiate Invitational golf tournament’s individual title Tuesday, he also led the Cowboys to the team championship. It was the third time the Cowboys had won the title in the tournament’s eight-year history.

What turned Watts’ game around?

“I changed my attitude,” he said, sounding more like a weekend hacker than a second-team All-American. “I got more positive. Golf is weird. Humility is always around the corner. When you think you’ve got it going good--watch out.”

It was the opposite in Watts’ case. He came in humble and walked off with the bragging rights.

Watts, who is a sophomore at Oklahoma State, battled the swirling winds at the 6,807-yard North Ranch Country Club course in Westlake Village to win the third collegiate tournament of his young career.

It wasn’t easy, however.

He ended the regulation 54 holes with a 222 at nine over par, tied with teammate Kevin Whipple and defending champion Sam Randolph of USC.

The threesome went to a sudden-death playoff, starting at No. 1, a 477-yard par 4. The hole had been changed from a par 5 before the tournament.

Randolph, who drove into the rough, then hit over the green into a bunker, scrambled to make par. Watts, meanwhile, reached the green in two, 15 feet beyond the flag. After Randolph tapped in his putt for par, Watts birdied the 15-footer for the championship.

“I was pretty nervous over that putt,” Watts said. “I pushed it, but somehow it broke in.”

And, somehow, it dropped in the cup.

“You don’t let him have that 15-foot putt to win a tournament,” Holder said. “I’ve seen him hit it too many times. I wasn’t surprised when he hit that one in. He’s a good pressure player.”

After the playoff, Watts told a visitor that his two favorite golfers were Jack Nicklaus--”Because he’s the greatest”--and Ben Crenshaw--”Because he’s got the best putting stroke.”

Watts, as it turned out, mirrored Crenshaw.

Said Watts, who is a native of Dallas: “I putted well. That was a key for me, because the wind was so tough. Everybody was having trouble hitting the greens.

“It’s windy in Texas, but it’s not like this.”

Watts was introduced to golf 10 years ago by his father. He grew up playing golf with a well-known teammate, Scott Verplank. “We used to go out and play at Brookhaven (in Dallas) all the time. We’ve always liked playing together,” Watts said.

This year, Verplank became the first amateur to win a PGA event (the Western Open) in more than 30 years.

During this tournament, though, Verplank had more trouble with the wind than Watts. He finished six strokes back at 228.

USC’s Randolph said he was pleased with his showing, despite losing the playoff. “I’m not disappointed at all. He deserved to win. I feel good. I played well.”

Behind Randolph, the Trojans played well but couldn’t overtake Oklahoma State, which finished with an 898. Houston was second at 910 and USC third at 912.

Notably, after the awards ceremony, when the Oklahoma State Cowboys gathered for a team picture, somebody realized they had mistakenly been given the second-place trophy. Shortly, one of the Cowboys ran down the trophy before Houston headed for the airport.

Stanford took fourth (918), then came Oklahoma (920), Arizona State (922), Fresno State (925), Texas-El Paso (926), UCLA (929), San Jose State (938), Oregon (943), Lamar (947), New Mexico State (952), Texas (953), Brigham Young (959), Arizona (961), Pepperdine (973) and Pacific (976).

Individual Scores

Brian Watts-OSU, 222, Sam Randolph-USC, 222, Kevin Whipple-OSU, 222, Steve Jackson-Houston, 223, Scott Georgia-UTEP, 225, John Kennaday-San Jose State, 225, Mike Blewett-USC, 226, Alberto Valenzuela-UCLA, 226.

Other Southland players: Brian Mahon-UCLA, 229, Brian Hemminger-USC, 230, David Rhorer-UCLA, 235, Ed Harper-USC, 238, Regan Bayless-Pepperdine, 239, Bobby Lasken-UCLA, 240, Terrence Miskell-USC, 243, Kevin McLaughlin-Pepperdine, 246, Darren Taylor-Pepperdine, 250, Roberto Lebrija-UCLA, 250, Pat Jackson-Pepperdine, 251, Phil Hurlbut-Pepperdine, 252.