Coach Jimmy Clayton 1982- 1997 men’s golf

A West Texan (Kermit), Jimmy Clayton, was an All-American golfer at North Texas State in 1968. Jim says, “I recruit smilers.” The players are the “P.R. group for the University.” In the college golfing world, it is essential to be positive and friendly.

• Jim Clayton is U.T.’s first full-time Golf Coach

• 6-time SWC Coach of the Year

• A member of the Golf Coaches Association of America Hall of Fame

• 6 top 5 finish at NCAA’s

• Coached Bob Estes-1988, Justin Leonard-1994, Brad Elder- 1997, and Jeff Fahrenbruch-1997

1982- Jim Clayton

Mark Brooks, Brandel Chamblee, and Paul Thomas were the team leaders.

7th at the NCAA Championship    

The Team won 4 consecutive tournaments ( a record)

Mark Brooks wins two regional tournaments in 1982 and two in 1983. Mark Brooks is an All-American in 1983.

Brandel Chamblee is SWC champion, medalist at the Pan American Intercollegiate and the Alarcon Intercollegiate. He won the Morris Williams in 1984.

Horns finish 3rd at the SWC tournament.

1983- Jim Clayton 6-2 and SWC champs- Second in the Nation

This Longhorn team had the most tournament victories since the early ’70s. Winning 6 tournaments and 4 in a row. Paul Thomas had a chance to win the medalist honors at the NCAA tournament, but he lost in a 4 man playoff.

Texas also lost to Oklahoma State to finish runner-up for the NCAA championship, but the Horns still received the MacGregor/Jack Nicklaus trophy which is given to the #1 team in the nation.

most popular song in 1983

1984- Jim Clayton Team  is 16th at the NCAA Championship- pending information

1985 Pending Content- Jim Clayton 5th at the NCAA Championship

Three Longhorn freshman 19 years old’s play golf like tournament-hardened seniors. The Horns are ranked 11th in the nation, with Bob Estes, Brian Nelson, and Blair Manasse lead the Team. Bob Estes had a great year winning the Pan America Intercollegiate, finished in the top 5 in four of six tournaments with a scoring average of 71.5. Brian Nelson’s scoring average is 75.1, finishing 8th at the Rafael Alarcon tournament and 15th in the Morris Williams tourney. Blair Manasse had the least experienced of the three, but he won 4 major titles in Junior play. 

1986 Pending Content- Jim Clayton 17th at the NCAA Championship

Team wins 3 tournaments

1986-1987 Pending Content- Jim Clayton 20th at the NCAA Championship

Brian Nelson finished in second in the NCAA with 6th other golfers. It was the second time in the 1980s that a Longhorn finished as runner-up at the NCAA tournament. It was Texas’ 10th consecutive top 20 finish.

Bob Estes 1988 Collegiate Player of the Year

Bob Estes is the medalist in 6 regional tournaments from 1985-1988.

In 1995 Bob won the Texas Open. It was his first time in his professional career he won a tournament.

Hometown: Abilene, Texas

·       Three-time All-American and four-time All-SWC selection

·       Won four tournaments during senior year

·       1988 NCAA Player of the Year

·       He was the 1989 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year

Bob Estes became the first player since Ben Crenshaw to win both the Williams and Harvey Penick tournaments in the same year.

1987-1988 Pending Content- Jim Clayton- 11th at the NCAA Championship

The golf team finished 2nd in the SWC, winning three tournaments for the season.    Estes and Board lead the Team.

1988-1989 Jim Clayton SWC Champs- runner-up for NCAA championship

Jim Clayton is Conference Coach of the Year

2nd at the NCAA Championship

The Team wins 4 tournaments

Taylor Tipton is a medalist at a regional tournament

Omar Uresti is a medalist in one tournament in 1989 and one in 1990.

Brian Nelson recovering from major back surgery in 1988 makes the All-SWC team in 1989 with Brad Agee, Kyle Jerome, Omar Uresti. Uresti finished 12th at the NCAA tournament.

1989-1990 Coach Jim Clayton -SWC champion- 22nd nationally

Horns were picked 4th in the Fall of 1989 national polls, but the Team struggled in the Spring of 1990. Brad Agee and Omar Uresti led the Team all year long with top 10 rankings, but they were ambushed at the nationals, finishing 22nd.

It was a lackluster year, but the Horns were SWC champions and tournament champions. They won two of three important tournaments, and Omar Uresti won the Harvey Penick and All-Americ tournaments. They were in the top 10 all year long.   

Men’s golf- The Team places first at the Morris Williams Tournament. Bob Estes was medalist. The Team won the SWC championship. Brad Agee and Brian Nelson led the Team.

Still, the Team placed in the top 5 in 7 of the 11 tournaments that they played

1990-1991 – Jim Clayton first in the SWC and 9th at the NCAA tournament. 

A year of highs and lows. Teams finished in the top 4 in the first 4 tournaments.

SWC Champs with the help of Cameron Greenwood, Kyle Jerome, and Michael Cooper. 

70 of the 76 college sports do not generate enough revenue to pay for T.V. exposure, so many of these sports depend on television money generated from Division I basketball of college basketball to gain national exposure. Golf is one of them. 

Golf could pay their way, but the NCAA did not want golfers looking like walking logos for sponsors. So the NCAA has decided to tightly limit the amount of commercialism that can be on display. 

Justin Leonard failed to sign his scorecard at the NCAA tournament, and his score was disqualified. 

LeLeonard’sro coach says that Justin “h”s the work ethic of Kite, but he also has a feel for the game of Crenshaw.” “ustin says his significant strengths are consistency and mental toughness. 

Justin Leonard is the first Freshman since Lance Ten Broeck was the SWC medalist in 1975. Jean-Paul Hebert was second. 

Cameron Greenwood broke all the rules that many follow to play good golf. CaCameron’sirst loves in high school were hunting, football, and basketball. As a result, he played very little golf until he reached college. 

Justin Leonard

Justin Leonard Is Medalist 8 Different Times During His Longhorn Career. Second Only To Ben Crenshaw. 

 Three time All America – 1992, 1993, 1994

Collegiate Player of the Year in 1994

HOH – 2004

Medalist at NCAA 1994 and SWC conference medalist in 1991, 1992, 1993, and 1994, and

10-25-91- Leonard and Sosa lead the Horns. Leonard is known as the “J”ker” “or his smile and Sosa is known as a Johnny Divot for his massive divots.

U.S. Amateur Champion 1992

Walker Cup Selection 1993

Fred Haskin Award winner 1994

Jack Nicklaus Award winner 1994

1991-1992- Content- Jim ClClayton’seam won the SWC tournament and finished 6th in the NCAA tournament.

The Longhorns captured their 4th straight SWC tournament title. Justin Leonard became the first Longhorn to take back-to-back SWC individual medalist honors since Ben Crenshaw.

Horns won their 3rd tournament at the Morris Williams, beating 4 teams that were ranked higher in the process.

Jean-Paul Hebert was medalist at the Don Shula/University of Miami Collegiate Invitation. It was HeHebert’sirst win at Texas. Freshman Harrison Frazar also finished in the top 5 at the Don Shula tournament.

Clayton says about Leonard “ ” his age, hehe’she best I’I’vever had.”

“ustin Leonard was a four-time professional tournament winner when he entered the Texas Open in 2000 winning the tournament by 5 strokes. He said after the victory “ “dodon’tead a lot of golf magazines”,”and “I”dodon’tatch a lot of golf on television But I know that I hahaven’ton in 2 1/2 years . ItIt’sike a little burden lifted.” “n 2001 and 2007 he repeated as winner of the Texas Open.

The Team wins 5 tournaments (a record)

Justin Leonard, Michael Cooper, and Jean-Paul Hebert all contribute to a great season.

Justin LeLeonard’soommate was Stuart Wallace and was part of the Team that placed 5th in the nation. The Horns finished 11 strokes behind Florida. Justin Leonard missed 5 college tournaments to play in the Masters, Colonial, Byron Nelson Classic, Houston Open, and Bay Hill Classic. In the 8 college tournaments he played, Justin won 3 individual titles. The Team only won one tournament without his participation.

Justin won the 3rd straight SWC title. Jean-Paul Hebert was runner-up.

1992-1993 – Jim Clayton team with the 5th straight SWC Championship and places 5th at the NCAA tournament.

1993- 1994 Coach Jim Clayton 6- peat SWC champions – Team finishes runner-up at the NCAA tournament

Jim Clayton is Conference Coach of the Year.

Leonard is Male athlete of the year in the SWC joining past winners Brooks Kieschnick, Scott Bryant, and Greg Swindell. He won 4 consecutive SWC medalist awards.

Justin is the memen’sCAA individual golf champion.

Leonard leads the Team with Jean-Paul Hebert. Depth was the key to success this year. Harrison Frazar tied for 7th at the NCAA championship tournament helping the Team to a runner-up position.

Justin Leonard, Jean-Paul Hebert, Harrison Frazar, and Stuart Wallace all return from the 1993 5 place finish at the NCAA championship.

Hebert was an honorable mention All-America posted the second-best average on the Team in 1993 with a 73.55 through 16 tournaments and finishing second at the SWC championship and a third-place tie at the NCAA championship in 1993. Frazer entered the 1994 season with a 74.08 average per tournament. Wallace averaged 75.16 per tournament played.

1995 – Jim Clayton First in the SWC and 3rd at the NCAA tournament.

Longhorns return with three All Americans. Justin Leonard and Brad Elder lead the Team. The SWC championship came down to a 5-foot putt and a victory by one stroke over the Aggies. Brad Elder leads the way.

SWC Champs

Tom Kite dropped by to see if Harvey Penick was well enough to join him in the dedication of the life size bronzes of of he and Harvey. Harvey passed away shortly after this meeting. Some of HaHarvey’supils included Tom Kite, Ben Crenshaw, Davis Love III, Kathy Whitworh, Mickey Wright, and Betsy Rawls.

-1996 Jim Clayton – The great Longhorn winning streak is over. Texas is 5th in the SWC and 13th at the NCAA tournament.

Inconsistencies plagued this Team finishing last among 15 teams at a tournament in Lake Forest, Ill followed by a lack luster performance at the Red River Classic finishing 10th of 17 teams.

1997 Jim Clayton – second in the Big 12 but did not make the cut to 15 teams at the NCAA tournament.

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Longhorn Hall of Honor inductee Brad Elder is one of only four Longhorns to win the natnation’sdest and most prestigious collegiate golfer of the year honor, the Fred Haskins Award. His most successful season as a Longhorn came as a junior in 1997, when he earned the Haskins Award. That year, he was again selected first-team All-America and honored with the Jack Nicklaus Award, given annually by the Golf Coaches Association of America to the golfer who excels throughout the course of the entire season. He finished his collegiate career as the natnation’s. 1 amateur according to the Golfweek/Titleist amateur rankings.

Reflection Point

July 1, 1997 – Jimmy Clayton announced his retirement. Jim led the Horns to 6 top 5 finishes in the NCAA tournaments with 3 teams finishing as runner-ups to the national champion. Jim had 8 SWC championships including 7 in a row from 1989 and 1995. Clayton was voted 6 time winner of SWC Coach of the year by his peers. Coach Clayton had 16 All-Americans and 3 players who were players of the year- Elder, Leonard, and Estes.

ALL AMERICANS UPTO 2008