Shocker golf coach Grier Jones, as tough and demanding as they come, will be pleased to find out how one of his top players was spending an early summer afternoon.
About a week after the season ended, Ty Cline was back on the course, playing with a few buddies at Barton Creek in Austin, Texas. He was doing pretty well, too. "I'm at one under, 12th hole," he reports from a cell phone, the wind whipping in the background. "Not too bad."
That's the kind of dedication that Jones, a former professional in his ninth season at Wichita State, likes to see. "We have had some success because there are a lot of guys in the program who work beyond what is normal," Jones says. "They spend almost every waking hour on their game. And they do it because they want to, not because they have to."
The work ethic is certainly bringing results.
The Shockers won the Missouri Valley Conference for the fifth time in six seasons and, more importantly, reached the NCAA championship for the second straight year. "I was proud of our season, I really was," Cline says. "We played pretty well toward the end and had a pretty good showing at nationals. I think we got better as the year went on."
The Shockers were pleased to win the MVC tournament for the second consecutive time, but disappointed in their overall play at the par 71, 6,813-yard Deere Run Golf Course in Silvis, Ill. WSU posted rounds of 306-299-291 for an 896 total, four better than Illinois State.
Hutchinson native Jesse Schulte continued an impressive freshman season by finishing second with a three-day 220, just one stroke behind medalist Brian Anderson of Illinois State.
John May, a senior from Wichita, was sixth at 225, followed by freshman Cameron Bishop at 12th. Bishop, from Tulsa, fired a tournament-low 69 on the final day to finish at 227.
Junior Judd Easterling, from Dixon, Mo., was 13th with a 228. Cline, a junior and Valley Center native, was 16th at 233.
"Luckily, at this point in time we're enough better than everyone else that we can not play well and still win," Jones says. "I don't know if we were looking ahead or what, but no, we weren't happy at all."
The Shockers improved at the ncaa Central regional at Purdue University, placing eighth to advance to the national championship. Easterling and Schulte tied for 17th to lead WSU at the regional. "The golf course was set up so hard — it was basically a survival test," Jones comments.
The reward for surviving was a trip to play in the NCAA Division I tournament at the par-70, 6,679-yard Cascades, consistently ranked by golf publications as one of the country's top 50 courses, in Hot Springs, Va. "It was just awesome to get there — what a great experience," Schulte says.
After a slow start, the Shockers turned in a solid third round of 285 to finish 17th.
Easterling had the best individual performance for WSU. He shot a third-round 66, his lowest of the season, to move into a tie for 17th and qualify to compete on the tourney's fourth round. The 66 included five birdies, but Easterling wasn't assured of advancing until he survived an errant tee shot that landed him in the rough on 18.
A nice chip and a five-foot putt allowed him to save par and play on the last day. "I was very, very pleased," says Easterling, who finished 10th. "The first two rounds, I played mediocre. But I just got a little more confident and, with that 66, jumped up 40 or so spots."
Easterling, like his teammates, credits his coach for the team's success. Jones was an All-American at Oklahoma State and spent 14 years on the PGA tour — a career that included rookie of the year honors. The Wichita native stresses hard work and mental toughness. He makes no apologies for having the highest of expectations.
"Anyone who knows Grier knows the way he is," Easterling says. "He accepts nothing but the best. He really drives his players. I came to Wichita as an average golfer from a small town in Missouri, and he's really transformed my game. He's a great teacher, a great golf coach."
The future looks extremely bright for Wichita State. Jones expects big things from Easterling, and he says several of the younger golfers have great talent.
"Man, there's a lot of potential there," Schulte says. "I'm definitely excited about next year."
Angel Leads Women
Senior Liliana Angel saved her best for last, finishing with a career-high fourth-place finish at the MVC championship at Hickory Ridge in Carbondale, Ill.
As a team, the Shockers finished sixth with a three-round 971 — the best 54-hole total of the season.
