Tom Kite and Ben Crenshaw
Crenshaw’s interest in golf was stoked by the arrival of a mysterious kid who one day joined Ben and his brother at the turn at Austin CC. He had thick glasses and was wearing slacks, of all things. The Crenshaw boys were turned out in T-shirts and shorts and had raggedy sets of hand-me-downs, but this kid had a big, red leather bag and sparkling new Wilson clubs. On the 10th tee he unsheathed an adult-length driver, took a cartoonishly long swing… and then gouged the earth 18 inches behind his ball, whiffing entirely. Helluva way to meet Tom Kite for the first time. He and Ben quickly became friends and rivals, with Penick ministering to both. Even as a tween, Kite put in marathon practice sessions, and his conversations with Penick were highly technical. The young teaching pro handled Crenshaw much differently. They would mostly chip and putt, and many lessons took place in the pro shop, waggling clubs while talking philosophically about the game. Says Crenshaw, “He would give me one thought to take to the course and that was plenty.”
One of Tom Kite’s coaches said Tom Kite has an attitude like Ben Hogan- a long-range view of his career. He knows that practice is the answer to greatness, and so he patiently practices to build his swing and develop a style of hitting the golf ball. Tom’s greatest weakness is not his game; it is a lack of concentration when he gets angry with himself in a pressure situation.
May 9, 1970, the stars aligned, and Ben Crenshaw signed with Texas. Golf Coach Hannon after seven years and a couple of close misses at winning the National Championship, knew he finally had the right ingredients to win it all. While the featured golfers were Tom Kite and Ben Crenshaw, the great supporting cast was the needed impetus to reach the top of college golf.
July 9, 1972, Sports Illustrated article sums of College golf up to 1972. The author Barry McDermott says, “ College Golf along with penmanship exercises and reading the Congressional Record has long ranked high in the boredom league. …. on par with intramural softball. “
The author goes on to say that this is a pity because some college players, with a little adjustment to their mental games, were ready for the pros. Tom Kite and Ben Crenshaw were two he mentioned. Tom Kite was the second-ranked amateur at the US Open at Pebble Beach and finished 20th overall. As amateurs, Tom Kite and Ben Crenshaw collectively had played in 5 Opens and 3 Masters. Tom’s friends called him Pink Pad because of his fair complexion that turned pink if exposed to the sun without a hat.
Tom Kite- Concentration, swing , and Victory
Tom’s greatest weakness is not his game; it is his lack of concentration when he gets angry with himself in a pressure situation.
Ben Crenshaw
Crenshaw was the first freshman to win medalist honors at the NCAA national championship tournament setting a record with a 15 under par. In 1971 the Longhorns were 15 down on the last day of the NCAA tournament. Florida, Wake Forest, and Houston were in the lead. Kite and Crenshaw were on fire, and Texas wins by seven shots. The teams 275 sets an NCAA Championship record.
Crenshaw is the individual National champion in 1971 and ’73, and he shared the crown with Kite in 1972.
Crenshaw was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.
He wins 18 Collegiate Tournaments.
He is First team All American and recognized as the Nations Most Outstanding Collegiate Golfer in 1971, ’72, and ’73
He has a breathtaking 70.61 stroke average during his college career.
Ben Crenshaw is the first Longhorn Medalist at the NCAA Championship event since 1935.
Ben Crenshaw holds the Longhorn record for medalist at tournaments (16). Justin Leonard is second (8).
Ben Crenshaw wins a record 3rd medalist honor at the NCAA Championship.
Ben Crenshaw, a freshman and Tom Kite lead the University of Texas to consecutive NCAA titles (1971-1972)
For the first time in NCAA championship golf, Texas shoots sub-par golf over the four-day National championship tournament.
Ben and Tom
Letters to Tom and Ben
