Call of the West Brought Texan Mahan to USC

USC men’s golf Coach Kurt Schuette knows it was a recruiting coup.

How could Hunter Mahan, a resident of McKinney, Texas, and the nation’s top junior golfer, possibly turn down the powerhouse program at Oklahoma State that was only a few hours away from the Dallas suburb?

Oklahoma State has won nine NCAA championships, most recently last year’s title. One of its players, Charles Howell, also won the 2000 individual championship, breaking the NCAA tournament record of 17 under par shared by four players, among them PGA stars Phil Mickelson and Justin Leonard.

Not only did Mahan turn down Oklahoma State, he went west. Not to NCAA power Arizona State, which has produced Mickelson and Billy Mayfair, but USC.

To use a golf analogy, it was a hole in one for Schuette.

“It wasn’t easy,” he said. “We worked very hard in the recruiting process. I just felt like it was a good fit for him. We have great weather, we’ve had great golfers, and there’s a great support system. He basically has all the resources to succeed.”

The Trojans have their own notable alumni in Dave Stockton, Craig Stadler, Al Geiberger and Scott Simpson, but they haven’t been a power since qualifying for the NCAA tournament in 1997.

Mahan may change that. In his first five tournaments, the freshman has four top-five finishes and won consecutive tournaments--the Windon-Memorial Classic in Lake Forest, Ill., and the Red River Classic in Dallas.

It was the first time a USC golfer won successive tournaments since Chad Wright in 1997. But Mahan didn’t stop there.

On Oct. 17 at the Jerry Pate Intercollegiate tournament in Birmingham, Ala., Mahan tore up the Old Overton Golf Club course with a 63 in the second round. It is the lowest known score in USC history.

“I was kind of surprised,” Mahan said when informed of the record score. “Everything worked out well that day.”

It is an impressive achievement, but it’s only another notch on Mahan’s sterling record. In 1999, he was named the American Junior Golf Assn. player of the year and won the United States Golf Assn. junior championship.

Last May, he reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Amateur, losing to eventual champion Jeff Quinney. Schuette said Mahan is as impressive as they come.

“I like the way he manages his game,” Schuette said. “He’s very polished for a young kid. You could see the way he went about his business on the course, he just has a great feel for the game.

“He has always struck the ball well and he hits fairways. When he starts rolling his putter, he can play with anybody. He showed that in the U.S. Amateur. He had Quinney three down with 12 holes to play.”

What was Oklahoma State’s loss is USC’s gain. Mahan knows his decision caught some off guard.

“Oh, it surprised a lot of people,” he said. “I’m sure Oklahoma State figured I was the top player in juniors and I was from the Midwest and that I’d want to go there.

“Sometimes, it doesn’t work out like that. I just didn’t feel quite right.”

Maybe the real reason Mahan is at USC is, he’s a Southern Californian at heart. He was born in Orange and lived here until he was 13.

A return home also meant he could again play at the many golf courses in the Southland at any time of the year.

“I wanted to go to a place where I could play year-round and practice every day, plus the amount of courses that you can play,” Mahan, 18, said.

Schuette said that background was key to successfully recruiting Mahan.

“Oklahoma State was after him real hard,” he said. “It was a tough battle, but a battle we were fortunate to win. If he hadn’t grown up out here, I don’t think we would have had a chance.”

A few days of California sunshine soon made Dallas a memory.

“Once you’re away from here, you forget how nice it is,” Mahan said.

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USC had a strong fall season. Behind Mahan, the Trojans won the Red River Classic and finished second at the Windon-Memorial. They’ve also recorded fourth- and sixth-place finishes.

Mahan has made his impact, but so have others. Senior Nick Jones, the California State Amateur champion, tied for second in the Windon-Memorial and has shot four rounds in the 60s. Sophomore David Oh has averaged 73.6 with a low round of 68, and junior Kevin Stadler, Craig’s son, tied for seventh in helping the Trojans win in Dallas.

“I think this is the best mix we’ve had in my time here,” Schuette said. “With seniors in Alex Kumuyjian and Nick Jones and the talented young players we have, it’s a good mix.”

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Andrea Lord of Loyola Marymount defeated Tia Kaasalainen of Cal State Northridge, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2, in the Flight 3-4 finals of the Cal State L.A. tennis invitational to lead a strong showing by the Lions.

Milica Cukulic didn’t lose a set in the Flights 5-6 Division and rolled to a 6-0, 6-0 victory over Cal State Bakersfield’s Sarah Downes in the final. Loyola also won all three flights in doubles with the teams of Lord-Angelina Zdorovitska, Penka Fileva-Holli Freudenberg and Cukulic-Julie Hladik taking titles.

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After leading UCLA to the NCAA men’s water polo title in December, Guy Baker resigned as coach to become the full-time coach of the U.S. women’s national team.

Baker, who coached the Bruin men to four NCAA titles in 10 years, also served as co-coach of the women’s team for the last four. Adam Krikorian will take over the women’s team.

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USC freshman Nicci Fusaro won all three diving events at the Bruin Invitational last weekend, taking the three-meter Friday and winning the one-meter and platform events Saturday. For the men, USC freshman Ray Vincent won the three-meter and platform. . . . Al Scates, the UCLA men’s volleyball coach and the NCAA’s all-time winningest coach, can get his 1,000th victory if the Bruins defeat Long Beach State Friday night.

COLLEGE DIVISION

Early indications are that the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference women’s basketball race will go down to the final week of play.

Four teams--Redlands, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, Whittier and Cal Lutheran--are off to strong starts. Redlands is 13-2 overall and 3-0 in conference play, Claremont-Mudd is 12-4 and 3-0, Whittier is 14-3 and 3-1, and defending SCIAC champion Cal Lutheran is 13-4 and 2-2.

Claremont-Mudd made a strong statement Friday by thumping Cal Lutheran, 80-61.

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The Golden State Athletic Conference, typically among the best men’s basketball conferences in NAIA, is following form.

Azusa Pacific and Christian Heritage are atop the GSAC with 6-1 records, a game ahead of Biola and Cal Baptist. Cal Baptist played at Azusa in a key game Tuesday.

How good is the GSAC? The four teams are ranked in the top 25 with Biola (15-2 overall), Christian Heritage (16-2) and Azusa Pacific (19-2), ranked fifth, sixth and ninth, respectively, and Cal Baptist (17-4) at No. 21.

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Biola women’s soccer Coach Dave Christensen resigned after three seasons. Christensen, only the third coach in the 22-year history of the program, was 30-18-2 in three years and led the Eagles to the GSAC tournament the last two. . . . Azusa Pacific men’s soccer Coach Don Lawrence stepped down after 17 years. Lawrence’s teams won three GSAC titles in the last five years, and his 2000 team went 17-2-1 and was ranked second in NAIA.