Men's Golf Program, Winning by One Stroke at 8-Under After Carding a 1-Under 71 at the Con- Cession Golf Club
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Men’s Golf Men’s Golf October 25, 2018 marked the 19-year anniversary of the tragic passing of one of SMU’s most prominent athletes and one of golf’s most charismatic figures, Payne Stewart. Stewart, an 11-time PGA Tour winner and three-time Major Champion, left an impact on the world of golf and the Mustangs’ golf program. After playing at Southern Methodist University (SMU) and earning his degree, the Missouri-native turned professional late in 1979, but failed to earn a PGA Tour card. So, instead, he competed on the Asian Tour, winning twice. In 1982, Stewart earned his PGA Tour card, where he went on to claim his first-of-11 PGA Tour titles, the 1982 Quad Cities Open. Stewart would total 11 PGA Tour wins in his career, and won his first major at the 1989 PGA Championship. In 1991, Stewart claimed his first U.S. Open, before going on to win his second in 1999, dramatically sinking a 15-foot putt to beat Phil Mickelson by one stroke. Payne went on to become one of the most unforgettable figures in golf, striding the fairways in signature plus-fours and a tam-o’-shanter cap, while displaying a graceful, fluid golf swing and intensity. He was posthumously inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2001, before being inducted into the 2015 PGA of America Hall of Fame. In 2000, the PGA Tour established the Payne Stewart Award, which is given each year to a player who shows respect for the traditions of the game, com- mitment to uphold the game’s heritage of charitable support and professional and meticoulous presentation of himself and the sport through his dress and conduct. 2 Men’s Golf Kelly Kraft won the 2011 U.S. Amateur championship at Erin Hills. Since 1998, four Mustangs have won the U.S. Amateur, more than any collegiate program during that span. Colt Knost won the 2007 U.S. Amateur championship in San Francisco. SMU U.S. Amateur Champions 2015: Bryson DeChambeau d. Derek Bard, 7 and 6 Olympia Fields Country Club, Olympia Fields, Ill. 2011: Kelly Kraft d. Patrick Cantlay, 2 up Erin Hills, Erin, Wis. 2007: Colt Knost d. Michael Thompson, 2 and 1 The Olympic Club (Lake Course), San Francisco, Calif.. 1998: Hank Kuehne d. Tom McKnight, 2 and 1 Oak Hill C.C. (East Course), Rochester, N.Y. Hank Kuehne won the 1998 U.S. Amateur championship in Rochester, N.Y. SMUMUSTANGS.COM 3 Men’s Golf Chris Parra | Head Coach | Second Season | Alma Mater: SMU (1998) Chris Parra was named full-time Head Coach for the SMU men’s golf program on April 16, 2020, after serving the 2019-20 season as interim head coach and five-plus Parra’s Career ResumE seasons as an assistant coach with the program. Education As interim head coach during the 2019-20 season, SMU won two events, and SMU, 1998 finished the shortened year ranked No. 12 in the Golfstat rankings, the school’s best finish since the organization began ranking teams in 1993-94. Parra helped three Collegiate golfers to Ping All-Central Region honors and two golfers to All-America recognition. In the classroom, the men’s golf team posted the highest GPA among all men’s Two years at SMU programs on the Hilltop. Best finish: 1st Parra’s tenure has been highlighted by success at the NCAA Championships, - UTSA Invitational producing the program’s first NCAA Individual Champion in 2015, when Bryson DeChambeau claimed medalist honors at the NCAA Championships, and reaching Professional Experience the match-play quarterfinals in 2019 after winning a playoff with Clemson for a spot in the final eight. The Mustangs also captured the program’s first NCAA Regional Championship in 2015, winning Tour Years Events Wins Top-10 Top-25 the Noblesville (Ill.) Regional. PGA Tour 06-07, 12 1 0 0 0 Web.com Tour 2008-14 36 0 1 4 Since arriving on campus in 2014, Parra has coached eight All-American Athletic Conference selections, eight all-region selections, two AAC Golfers of the Year (DeChambeau, 2015; Mac Meissner 2019), four All-Americans, LatinoAm 2002-04 3 0 0 2 and been a part of eight tournament wins. PGA Canada 2002-06,14 2 0 2 2 In 2018-19, the Mustangs reached the NCAA Championship Quarterfinals before falling to No. 1 seed Oklahoma State. The squad had four victories on the season, including first collegiate wins for Mac Meissner and Ollie Osborne. The team finished second at the conference tournament, where Meissner claimed the individual title and Player of the Year. Both Meissner and Noah Goodwin were named to the All-Conference Team, All-Region Team and Third Team All-America and All-America Honorable Mention respectively. In 2017-18, team finished top-10 at six events. The Mustangs placed second at the conference championships for Parra’s Year-by-Year the third time since joining the American in 2014, with Meissner earning Freshman of the Year. Meissner went on to the NCAA Norman regional where he finished with a share of 21st place. Assistant Coach at SMU Year Conference Finish NCAA Finish In 2016-17, the Mustangs finished top-10 in five events, including a fourth-place finish at the Clemson Invitational 2014-15 1st AAC T5th (April 7-9) and a fifth-place finish at the Southwestern Invitational (Feb. 27-28). GrayTownsend earned his first 2015-16 2nd AAC 14th collegiate tournament win, and recorded a career-low tournament score of 207 (-9, 70-69-68) at the Marquette 2016-17 N/A N/A Invitational. 2017-18 6th AAC N/A 2018-19 2nd AAC T5th In his second season on the Hilltop, Parra helped lead the SMU men’s golf team to two victories, the 2015 Erin Head Coach at SMU Hills Intercollegiate and the Farms Collegiate Invitational. At Erin Hills, SMU topped known power house programs, Year Conference Finish NCAA Finish Oklahoma State, UCLA and Ole Miss. At The Farms, the Mustangs were the only team to shoot under par, 2019-20 No Championships (COVID-19 Pandemic) finishing 8-under with a three-round score of 856. SMU finished 29 strokes ahead of second-place San Francisco (+21,885). Academically, the team was named a 2016 All-Academic team, while Andrew Buchanan and Ryan Burgess received Division I Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholars honors, both being selected by the Golf Coaches Association of America. In 2015, the Mustangs posted their second-consecutive, top-three American Athletic Conference Championship finish, coming in second. SMU pushed forward to NCAA play, where the Mustangs tied No. 4 Illinois for the win at the NCAA Noblesville Regional, before a 14th-place team finish in the championship. Including the NCAA regional, SMU won three events. The Irving, Texas, native played for the Mustangs from 1996-98, earning a tournament win in 1997 at the UTSA Invitational. Parra had a 75.94 stroke average in six collegiate events, turning pro in 1999. Parra competed professionally for 14 years (1999-2014), spending most of his career on what is now known as the Korn Ferry Tour. He played in 36 events on the PGA Tour’s developmental circuit, earning one top-10 finish and four top-25 finishes. His best finish came in 2010, where he finished tied for seventh at the Fort Smith Classic. In 2006, Parra made his first PGA Tour appearance in the Byron Nelson Championship, where he made the cut and finished 72nd overall. Later in his professional career, he played in the LatinoAm and the PGA Canada Tour. At the 2013 U.S. Open Local Sectional Qualifying, Parra carded a 70 to tie for second. 4 Men’s Golf Individual Records SCORING AVERAGE (MIN. 15 ROUNDS) (SINCE 1993-94) LOW ROUND (SINCE 1993-94) 1. Mac Meissner, 2019-20 70.44 2006-07 Colt Knost The Maxwell 2 61 2. Bryson Dechambeau, 2013-14 70.46 2014-15 Austin Smotherman The Goodwin 3 62 3. Noah Goodwin, 2019-20 70.60 2012-13 Maxime Blandin Royal Oaks Intercollegiate 2 63 4. Bryson Dechambeau, 2014-15 70.61 1996-97 Hank Kuehne Golf World/Palmetto Dunes 1 63 5. Justin Thompson, 2019-20 70.93 2014-15 Bryson Dechambeau The American Championship 3 64 6. Mac Meissner, 2018-19 71.48 2013-14 Bryson Dechambeau Gifford Collegiate-PelicanHill 3 64 7. Mac Meissner, 2017-18 71.82 2009-10 James Kwon Baylor Intercollegiate 2 64 8. Kelly Kraft, 2009-10 71.85 2009-10 Kelly Kraft The Gopher Invitational 3 64 9. Hank Kuehne, 1997-98 71.92 2006-07 Colt Knost The Maxwell 1 64 10. Will Dodson, 2004-05 72.02 2006-07 Scott Barton The Maxwell 1 64 11. Noah Goodwin, 2018-19 72.04 1998-99 Nicholas Loar John Burns Intercollegiate 2 64 12. Colt Knost, 2006-07 72.09 2018-19 Noah Goodwin Trinity Forest Invitational 1 64 13. Ollie Osborne, 2019-20 72.17 2019-20 Jackson Markham Prestige Individual Tournament 1 64 14. Kelly Kraft, 2010-11 72.20 2019-20 Jackson Markham Prestige Individual Tournament 2 64 15. Mario Clemens, 2012-13 72.24 LOW TOURNAMENT VS PAR (SINCE 1993-94) (54 HOLES) NATIONAL SCORING RATING (MIN. 15 ROUNDS) (SINCE 1993-94) 2019-20 Jackson Markham Prestige Individual Tournament 200 -16 1. Hank Kuehne, 1997-98 16 2009-10 Kelly Kraft The Gopher Invitational 201 -15 2. Bryson Dechambeau, 2014-15 18 2000-01 Franklin Hatchett SMU Stonebridge Big E 201 -15 3. Bryson Dechambeau, 2013-14 21 2006-07 Colt Knost The Maxwell 196 -14 4.