The 2018-19 campaign was an inspiring one for the SMU Men's Golf team. The team achieved success early on, but found themselves in a bunker just before teeing off the postseason. In a season dedicated to head coach
Jason Enloe's late wife, Katie, the team honored her with a great run.
The squad started strong, winning their opening event at the Ocean Course Invitational. Freshman
Ollie Osborne had his breakout moment winning his first collegiate event.
The success continued when the team added wins at the Mardioe Intercollegiate and the Bush Cup against Army. The win at Maridoe propelled the team to No.6, their highest ranking in the fall. The Mustangs also had two other top three finishes in the fall at the Royal Oaks Intercollegiate and their home event, the Trinity Forest Invitational.
The golfers started to see success on the course and it didn't go unnoticed. Sophomore
Mac Meissner and fellow teammate, freshman
Ben Wong were named to the Haskins Award Watch List in October, with Meissner making it on the final fall watch list. Shortly after, both were named to the Arnold Palmer Watch List. Sophomore
Noah Goodwin would go on to make an appearance in the Haskins Award list in March.
The Spring
The team opened up their spring season at the Tiger Invitational where they came up short behind host Auburn. Then, they traveled north to play in the Bandon Dunes where they battled bad weather all weekend for a sixth place finish, their lowest of the season.
Nearing the end of the regular season, the team found itself in an up and down, when they took a 25 field loss at The Goodwin.
Noah Goodwin withdrew from the tournament in the first round due to an injury. After an incorrect scorecard submission, the Mustangs no longer had enough counting scores, and the team was disqualified.
The team took a hard blow dropping 34 spots in the rankings after being in the top 20 for the latter part of the season.
Closing out the regular season at El Macero Classic in tenth place, the Ponies had their eyes set on the postseason.
The Postseason
The Mustangs finished second at the American Athletic Conference Championships with Memphis taking the team title.
Meissner shined at the AAC Championships setting the championship low round record of 66 in the first round. The sophomore went on to set the tournament low 13-under 200, claiming the individual title and the conference Player of the Year, in his first collegiate win. In doing so, he beat the record that was set by fellow Mustang Bryson DeChambeau on the same course, Copperhead Course, back in 2014 for the inaugural AAC Championship.
The team earned the last spot in the NCAA Regionals and was headed to Athens, Georgia. After the first day the Mustangs found themselves well below the advancing group, but it was during the second round that the team charged the leaderboard. After 36 holes the team was in fifth and final spot with 18 critical holes remaining, dropping was not an option. The freshmen duo of Osborne and Wong played their best rounds on the final day, punching the team's ticket to the NCAA Championship in Fayetteville, Ark., where they would be one of two unranked teams in the field.
Seeded dead last in the Championship, the Mustangs were on a mission. After two rounds, the team was where they wanted to be, among the top 15 for a morning tee off on the third round. The Ponies would go on to advance to the fourth round that resulted in an exciting playoff against Clemson, their pairing for the day. Clemson bogeyed two out of the five playoff holes, sending the Mustangs through with the last quarterfinal match play slot.
The team faced off against No. 1 seed, and defending champions, Oklahoma State. The Mustangs gave the Cowboys a run for their money during the match when the teams were neck-in-neck heading into the back nine, but ultimately fell 4-1.
The Future
With no seniors on the roster this season, and regional coach of the year Enloe at the helm, the team will return a full squad adding one more. Battling a tough slate and defeating the odds along the way, the future looks bright for the young Mustang squad.
Final Season Stats
