UT Golfers Keep Momentum, Turn Heads at U.S. Open

By Alex Layman in Special, Sports on June 19, 2012 at 10:42 am | No Comments

The Longhorn golf team is having a great summer.

Fresh off a dramatic victory in the national championship match against Alabama, one current and one future Horn took to a bigger stage this past weekend to show off their skills: the U.S. Open.

Jordan Spieth—an 18 year-old UT freshman whose victory in his match against Alabama helped the Horns take home the crown—finished the U.S. Open as the lowest-scoring amateur in the tournament. His final score of seven shots over par (+7) was good enough to tie him with Tiger Woods on the final leader board. Not only did he tie Woods, Spieth also managed to outplay the world’s first-, second-, and third-ranked golfers on the brutally difficult Olympic Club course in San Francisco.

Only two shots behind him was 17-year-old Beau Hossler, a UT commit from California. For a brief period on Saturday, Hossler was leading the entire tournament. Though he didn’t win the U.S. Open, nor pose a threat on Sunday, Hossler’s play caught the golfing world’s eye.

It didn’t hurt that Hossler decked himself out in UT gear, generating what a Forbes headline called “significant free press for the University of Texas.” Writer Patrick Rishe, who covers the economics of sports, estimated it at between $150,000 and $250,000 in ad value for UT.

In a sport aching for heroes since Tiger Woods tumbled off his pedestal and into the tabloids, the play of both Hossler and Spieth has garnered many headlines around the world. Articles from sports writers are praising both players and raising one major question: is UT building a golfing dynasty?

Only time will tell how well-founded UT’s dynastic credentials really are, but in the meantime, Horns fans should be proud—what Spieth and Hossler did during last weekend’s tournament was something special. Their play turned heads, their confidence drew praise, and their burnt-orange attire struck fear into every opposing college out there.

Jordan Spieth. Courtesy UT Athletics.

Tags: Beau Hossler, forbes, jordan spieth, Patrick Rishe, US Open, ut golf