Owasso Rams Finish Great Year on the Links
By MIKE MOGUIN
GTR Sports Writer
ON PAR: All smiles after the state tournament is the Owasso Rams’ golf team, consisting of, from left, Coach Corey Burd, Tyler Rhodes, Jared Strathe, Braden Pollock, Matt Ritchie, Brett Wilcoxen and Austin Enzbrenner.
Courtesy photo
Owasso made a valiant effort but could not get past Edmond North in the Class 6A boys state golf championship in May at Forest Ridge Golf Course in Broken Arrow.
The Rams, honored as the state runner-up, finished 15 shots behind the Huskies in the team standings, carding 896 (298-295-303) at the Par-72 course. Edmond North finished with 881 (292-295-294) strokes.
Austin Enzbrenner took second place in the individual standings, shooting par in the last round to record 1-under-215 (73-70-72).
Owasso was within five shots heading into the final round of day two, but the performance of Brock Polhill in the last 18 holes impacted the outcome on both sides. The Edmond North golfer shot 5-under-67 in the third round, finishing with 4-under-211 (71-73-67).
“It’s always nice if I could win a tournament, but I was more focused on the team, because of the brotherhood,” says Enzbrenner, a Missouri State signee who birdied on four holes. “I would have loved to have won for everyone. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get it done.
“I’m really proud of the guys,” Enzbrenner says. “They stepped up and played well. I thought we played a solid tournament, but, someone could have hit better.”
It marks the third straight year Edmond North won state in boys’ golf and 13th in the past 14 years. The only year it did not was in 2015, which was won by Owasso.
“It was pretty tough today,” Enzbrenner says. “It was windy out there and we battled, but Edmond North played steady all day. It’s tough to catch up to beat a team when they’re playing steady golf,” Enzbrenner says.
“They are (a dynasty),” Owasso coach Corey Burd said of Edmond North. “We’re the only ones that knocked them off in the last 13 or 14 years. We won it in 2015 and it was the first time somebody else had won it in 10 years, and we’ve battled with them ever since. We lost by four strokes a couple of years ago, lost by a few last year, so we’re knocking on the door. We got to get over the hump and break that dynasty.”
Other golfers representing the Rams were Kansas State signee Jared Strathe (74-76-76—226), who tied for eighth, Tyler Rhodes (74-76-77—227), Matt Ritchie (77-73-78—228) and Brett Wilcoxen (78-79-78—235).
“I was really pleased with our performance,” Burd says. “I really was. I thought it was a solid performance. We were definitely capable of doing better, but that’s the way golf goes. You got to get four guys to play well at the same time every round, and we didn’t quite have that. We had four really good scores, we just didn’t have any great scores, which is what these guys are capable of doing.
“Overall, I’m really pleased,” Burd says. “Edmond North really played well. They came to play. They definitely earned it.”
With Enzbrenner and Strathe graduated and headed to play college golf, Burd is confident his players will have success at the next level.
“Both are highly competitive,” Burd says “They work hard. I’ve always been a firm believer that if people really work hard, they will have success, and I think both of those guys will have success at the next level for sure.”
Owasso Coach Corey Burd is also a golfer and director of golf at Bailey Ranch Golf Club in Owasso.
Missouri State Signee Places Fifth at Girls’ State
Another Owasso golfer and Missouri State signee finished high at the Class 6A girls tournament. Faith Belmear, finished in fifth place in the individual standings after scoring 160 (81-79) early last month at Hillcrest Country Club in Bartlesville.
Updated 06-26-2018
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