EVENT NAMED IN HONOR OF THE LATE JACKSON T. STEPHENS HAS HOSTED ONE OF THE STONGEST FIELDS IN NCAA DIVISION I GOLF ANNUALLY SINCE ITS INCEPTION IN 2021
NICHOLS HILLS, OKLAHOMA (October 23, 2024) – Oklahoma State won the men’s team title, and top-ranked Arkansas secured the women’s team championship Wednesday in the Jackson T. Stephens Cup at Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club.
Named in honor of the late Jackson (Jack) T. Stephens, the former Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, The Jackson T. Stephens Cup has hosted one the strongest fields in NCAA Division I golf annually since 2021.
The tournament was held Monday-Wednesday. Individual champions were crowned following 54 holes of stroke play Monday and Tuesday, with four men’s and four women’s teams advancing based on their team scores to an 18-hole match play tournament Wednesday to determine the team champions. All three days featured live television coverage on GOLF Channel.
The Cowboys men beat SMU, 4-1, in Wednesday’s match play team championships. Eric Lee earned a 5&3 victory, Preston Stout won his match 3&1, Ethan Fang recorded a 2&1 win, and Gaven Lane won 3-up.
“It’s special to win it here,” Oklahoma State coach Allan Bratton said of coming out on top in such a prestigious tournament just an hour from Stillwater. “We had high expectations coming into the week, and had the goal to win the stroke play and the match play, and we got it done. What a cool event that Mr. Stephens came up with.
“We established some momentum early today. I was walking with Eric, and was 4-up after six, and as I was checking scores, our guys got on top of their opponents right away. When you can close out a match early and go out to watch your teammates, that means a lot.”
Fang, a sophomore from Plano, Texas, secured the closing point for the Cowboys, making clutch birdies on 13, 16 and 17.
“It felt good. I knew that the other guys were pressing and that Eric won his match early, so I knew if I won my match, we’d win the tournament. Coming down the stretch, I just tried to play my game.”
The Razorbacks women had a little less wiggle room, winning their match, 3-2, over Oregon. Clarisa Temelo won 3&2, Maria Jose Marin – the top-ranked female player in the country – secured a 4&3 victory, and Natalie Blonien birded the 18th hole for a 1-up victory.
“Going into 18, there was definitely some pressure,” said Blonien, a freshman from Altus, Oklahoma playing in her first college event. “I just took a deep breath, which is something I worked on the last three holes to stay calm and keep myself in it. I hit a really good shot into 18, and we picked out a great spot, so all it needed was speed, and it was dead in the heart of the cup. I struggled a little in stroke play earlier in the week, but today was a fresh day and I knew I had to help my team any way I could.”
Arkansas coach Shauna Taylor said the Jackson T. Stephens Cup feels like a home event for the Razorbacks, no matter where it is played.
“Mr. Stephens is really special to not only our team but to the University of Arkansas,” Taylor said. “I was grateful that we could win for him.”
Oklahoma finished third, and San Diego State was fourth in the men’s team competition. In the women’s team play, Wake Forest took bronze over South Carolina.
William Sides of SMU won the men’s individual title in a playoff, and Carolina Chacarra of Wake Forest secured the women’s individual crown.
The men’s field for the fourth-annual Jackson T. Stephens Cup, included Oklahoma State, SMU, San Diego State, Oklahoma, Florida State and Arkansas. The women’s field included Oregon, Arkansas, Wake Forest, South Carolina, Florida State and Oklahoma State.
Invitations were also extended to 12 individual golfers from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and United States Service Academies. Competing in the men’s stroke play division were Cameron Kahle (United States Air Force Academy), Josh Kim (United States Military Academy), Kci Lindskog (Texas Southern University), Sascha Robinson (Florida A&M University), Marcus Smith Jr. (Howard University) and Jack Tarzy (United States Naval Academy). The individuals featured in the women’s stroke play competition were Briann Briggs (Prairie View A&M University), Nevaeh Figueroa (Prairie View A&M University), Bridget Hoang (United States Naval Academy), Kendall Jackson (Howard University), Sue Lee (United States Naval Academy) and Emily Mayne (Howard University).
