The story is the golf

By Clay Horning
The Norman Transcript

July 04, 2009 12:56 am

— The Westwood Invitational is littered with stories.
They’re everywhere and every year we try to tell a few of them, which only means we leave hundreds out every single day.
From how one guy got up and down from 80 yards to save triple bogey to how somebody else managed to four-putt from eight feet rarely makes it in the paper because there’s way too much of that to keep up with. Still, we try to do our part.
Today, however, let’s talk golf.
Of course, there are stories there, too.
Because after 18 holes Friday, it’s simply the best Championship Flight leaderboard in memory.
So many rounds under par, yet nobody running away and hiding and, in a total how-cool-is-that bonus, so many of the names could not be more familiar.
If nobody came out to merely watch the Westwood Invitational it would be all right because the big story is always the about 200 or so people, so many of them locals, playing in the thing. But after 18 holes from the Championship Flight, this tournaments needs a gallery beginning today.
In more than 12 years at The Transcript, I’ve watched an absolute slew of junior golfers make names for themselves, from NHS’ Brad Purcell and Andre Metzger Jr. many moons ago to North’s Drew Wright, who lost a big Oklahoma Golf Association tournament at Twin Hills a few days ago by two strokes.
But the guy who might have had the very best run of all is Taylor Artman, who got out of North in 2007. Artman shot 65 Friday and is level with Sam Powell, leading the whole enchilada.
Who else is close?
Former Sooner, Oklahoma Christian national champion golf coach and a guy who received consideration for the job men’s golf job OU just handed Ryan Hybl, Kelsey Cline, a former Westwood Invitational champion, is a stroke back.
So is Rick Parish, who’s been an assistant pro at Westwood Park forever.
Ryan Rainer, another former champion (by way of a front-side 28 in 2005), now living and working in Norman again a few years after getting out of (and playing golf for) Kansas, is three back at 68, alongside Freddie Wisdom, a two-time champion, who never fails to go low when he’s in the field.
Finally, at 69 resides assistant pro Bobby Florer. Florer’s been at Westwood forever, too. And right here with him at 1-under is Brandon Blevins, whose end run at North was almost on par with Artman, who now plays at Northeastern State in Tahlequah.
Then there’s Hunter Buwick, also at 69, another fine Norman junior from years gone by.
Do you see?
Everybody knows these guys.
Back in the day, everybody got to know Tim Graves and Fred Lutz and some other former champions, only nobody grew up with those guys.
These guys, everybody grew up with.
How cool is that?
And about that Drew Wright?
He shot 70.
He’s still in it, too.
Maybe that’s what gets lost every year.
Because every year there’s the biggest-stroke-play-event-in-the-state angle, and the isn’t-it-amazing-there’s-a-tournament-like-this-right-here-in-Norman angle, not to mention the everybody-has-a-great-time angle.
It’s sentimental stuff and it demands attention.
Also, there’s great golf from some fantastic golfers. Sometimes it’s played by interlopers, who are every bit as welcome as every single hometown kid. But sometimes it’s played by the hometown kids themselves and never more so than this time around 18 holes into the 34th annual event.
So come on out to see your friends, your family, the guy you work with and the school chum you haven’t seen in years.
Everybody’s at Westwood this weekend.
More than you’d ever think going low in the Championship Flight.
Clay Horning
366-3526
cfhorning@normantranscript.com