Stevens, Sherman Gipson ’73 and Bill Osmun ’90. The team
shot 14 under par to claim the tournament win.
Wichita State alumni vied for top honors in the 2003 Arizona Shocker Open March 18 near Phoenix — and cheered on WSU’s baseball team in an upset win March 19 over No. 1 Arizona State at Tempe.
“This was our second golf tournament,” organizer Vic Heckart ’62 says. “I think it’s a bonding experience for a bunch of Shockers to play golf together, and we all had a great time socializing, and eating lunch together. Everyone seemed to be very appreciative to have participated in the experience.”
In fact, the Shocker event was such fun for participants that Heckart hopes the invitational golf tournament will develop into an annual event. Last year’s tourney was held at Falcon Dunes Golf Course near Luke Air Force Base in Waddell, Ariz.
This year’s participants took to the links at the Dobson Ranch Golf Course in Mesa, Ariz., a championship course that has been twice voted “Best Public Golf Course.” The winning trio of Sherman Gipson ’73, Bill Osmun ’90 and Clark Stevens dominated tournament play. The three-member squad shot 14 under par to claim the win.
Brad Beets ’87, WSU Alumni Association executive director, was one of several Wichitans who traveled to Arizona to try his luck on the greens. When asked about his performance in the tourney, Beets smiles and says, “I can say this: Nobody has to worry about the executive director playing too much golf instead of working in his office.”
In addition to Gipson, Osmun, Stevens, Heckart and Beets, other tournament competitors included Jack Alumbaugh, Ritchie Bump, Rich Carlan, Matt Dick ’93, Larry Elliott, Dick Elliott ’71, Rex Higgins ’60, Steve Joyce, Jim Klisanin ’58, Larry Friedlander, Dan Maruki, Jim McNerney, Eric Moorman ’71/74, Lanny Van Eman ’62/65, Seth Yount ’02, Rob Lippold and Mike Lamb ’80, the WSU Foundation’s senior director of planned giving who made the trek to Arizona.
Not only was the 2003 Shocker Arizona Open a success, so was the Shocker turnout for the baseball games versus Arizona State University at Packard Stadium in Tempe, Ariz., which drew a crowd of WSU supporters. The Shockers fell to the Sun Devils in the first game 9-2, but avenged the loss the next day in a 6-3 upset of the nation’s top team.
