As the final round of the NCAA men’s stroke play championship began, Mason Overstreet headed down the fairway with a large gallery in tow.
“Mason was looking around on No. 2,” Arkansas golf coach Brad McMakin said. “There was a group from the Golf Channel going around with his group. And you could see Mason figuring it out.”
Among the first recognized by Overstreet was Golf Channel field reporter Notah Begay, a former PGA Tour player and a teammate of Tiger Woods at Stanford.
Overstreet told McMakin, “Coach, I had Tiger Woods Golf 2003 [video game] and I played the Tiger Challenge. I used to play Notah Begay. I’d beat him.”
Overstreet confirmed that story a few days after returning from his runner-up finish at the NCAA tournament in late May. Asked if he informed Begay of the old battles in his living room, he said, “No, I didn’t tell him. I just played.”
Did he ever. The true freshman from tiny Kingfisher, Okla., had the best Arkansas finish at the NCAA since R.H. Sikes won it in 1963. Like Sikes, he was there as an individual after tying for fifth at the regional.
McMakin explained on the plane ride home the next day that it was the best finish by a Razorback in 54 years.
There was a classic reply from Overstreet, “Coach, 54 years is a long time.”
You think?
“Really, it was just an awesome week,” McMakin said. “It was a big, big stage and Mason was unbelievable. It was the most impressive performance I’ve seen in my career.”
McMakin has seen plenty. He played on an NCAA championship team at Oklahoma. He coached the Hogs to a team runner-up finish. But never has he seen such a steely performance by such a young player in such a big event.
“The final round was amazing,” McMakin said. “He shot 71 in unbelievable conditions. The wind blew 25 to 30. The rough was penal. He beat every member of the Walker Cup, some of them by 30 shots for the tournament.”
Overstreet shot 7-under for the tournament. He was tied for the lead briefly during the second round and within one shot on a couple of other points over the 72 holes. Ole Miss sophomore Braden Thornberry also shot 71 to win by four shots at Rich Harvest Farms in the Chicago suburb of Sugar Grove, Ill.
“I saw Mason look at the leader board when he was tied,” McMakin said. “He may have been nervous for a little bit, but it didn’t last long.
“It’s hard to do what he did. His ball striking was incredible and his putting was awesome, too.
“Think about this, on very difficult greens, he missed three putts inside 10 feet for the entire tournament.
“The second round, he missed one green. He didn’t miss a fairway. That’s incredible on that course. He probably wouldn’t have missed a green, but I made him go for it on 17 when I thought he could get home in two on the par five. He almost did, but he was behind a tree and he had no shot. The 68 in the second round was incredible.”
On a course full of doglegs, Overstreet couldn’t use his driver much, so his massive length wasn’t an obvious advantage.
Overstreet is a freak as far as length. He flies his drives 350 yards. He routinely flies it on the 18th at Fayetteville Country Club, a 363-yard par four.
Overstreet has always been a good putter, but he’s elevated his play on the greens this spring with intense practice.
McMakin knew Overstreet was good when he signed with the Hogs. He won 31 tournaments in a great high school career against rugged Oklahoma competition.
“I thought he’d be really good after he got some experience here,” McMakin said. “He won tournaments in Oklahoma and it’s great competition there right now. But, he hadn’t played on a lot of different grasses. He had not played all over in junior golf.
“So I just didn’t expect him to be this good on the college level this soon. He has just been great this spring.”
Overstreet doesn’t look like the typical college golfer. At 6-1 and 220 pounds, he does not look anything like the slender, athletic flat bellies dominating the college circuit.
But make no mistake about Overstreet, he’s athletic and he’s got rare ability. He may be as good of a prospect as ever to come through Arkansas golf.
Well, the obvious comparison would be to John Daly, with victories in two majors. Overstreet is Daly-like in almost every area except the negatives.
“I played with John in college tournaments,” said Mc-Makin, who played on a national title team at Oklahoma in 1989. “Mason is John without all the issues. He doesn’t drink, makes good grades and is a great kid.”
The build is powerful.
“Yes, he looks like an offensive lineman in football,” McMakin said. “He’s 220 with big shoulders. He’s just so strong.”
McMakin calls Overstreet a difference-maker. Is there anyone else like him in college golf?
“I don’t think so,” McMakin said. “There are some good freshmen around, but he does some things no one else can do.”
Just think John Daly, except take away the bad stuff.
Clay Henry can be reached at [email protected] .