BOB WEST ON GOLF — LU in all-time top 50 for PGA Tour money winnings

Published 12:03 am Wednesday, February 24, 2021

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One of the most popular segments of a sports talk radio show I did for many years was trivia. Listeners loved to show off their knowledge by trying to answer trivia questions across the sports spectrum. They also loved the prizes that went with the first correct answer.

Today’s column, then, is going to start with a golf trivia question that ties into what follows. Sorry, but there will be no prize, mainly because there is no way to determine who got it right first. We’re just playing for fun.

Based on the PGA Tour’s all-time money list of over 600 golfers, what school ranks No. 1 in combined official earnings of its players? Keep in mind that some of the modern game’s all-time greats – Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson – played before purses started to skyrocket in the late 1990s.

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Before posting the answer, here’s some of the material I found interesting in what had to be an exhaustingly researched story written by Alex Meyers of Golf Digest. If you want to cheat, you can probably Google him.

Lamar University, paced by Chris Stroud’s $12.8 million in career earnings, is 47th on the all-time list with $25,956,942 as of mid-January. Other Cardinals who earned over $1 million included Shawn Stefani ($6.3), Ronnie Black ($3.2), Trevor Dodds ($1.9) and Kelly Gibson ($1.8).

Noteworthy about Lamar’s place in the pecking order is that only four other schools in Texas – UT at $177.1 million, UH at $67.3, A&M at $60.6 and SMU at $28.3 are ahead of the Cardinals in winnings. Baylor, however, at $25.7 is closing fast and, with Stroud injured, will soon pass LU, if it hasn’t already.

Also worth mentioning is Arkansas’ place in the pecking order. The Razorbacks, with Andrew Landry their No. 3 contributor at $5.8 million, are No. 42 and rising. Only Arkansas pros to have won more than Andrew are John Daly ($10.3) and David Lingmerth ($8.8).

Okay, now for that trivia answer, and it isn’t the obvious choice of Stanford because of Tiger Woods. Matter of fact, Stanford is only No. 8 at $147 million. Nor is it the school I would consider another obvious choice – Oklahoma State. The Cowboys are No. 2 at $233.6 million.

Topping the list, with a big boost from Phil Mickelson, is Arizona State. Sun Devil players have banked $255.7 million in PGA Tour earnings. With Mickelson about to move to the Champions Tour or the TV booth, and with all the young stars coming out of OSU, there could be a new No. 1 in the not-too-distant future.

Rounding out the top five, by the way, are Georgia ($177.3), Texas ($177.1) and UNLV (177.1). Worth mentioning because they are off- brand schools are No. 15 Coastal Carolina ($70.9) and No. 23 Augusta College ($53.5). Credit Dustin Johnson and Patrick Reed for those two.

CHIP SHOTS: Andrew Landry put together one of his most solid weeks of the 2020-21 season in earning a tie for 26th at the Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles. On a Riviera Country Club layout playing extremely tough, Landry shot rounds of 69-69-72-72 for a 2-under 282 that earned him $67,890.

Reflective of how difficult storied Riviera was playing, Max Homa’s winning score was minus 12. Landry was in the top 10 late in each of the first three rounds and was high as T11 after seven holes on Sunday. His only better finish this season was a tie for fourth in the December RSM Classic.

At long last the first hole-in-one of 2021 has been reported at Babe Zaharias. Clifford Daigle of Port Arthur bagged it with a 9-iron from 125 yards on No. 2. It was his first ace. Witnesses were Tom Wooley, Randy Godsey and Terry Stubing.

In the Monday Senior 50 Plus 2 ball at Zaharias, the team of Mike Brown, Rick Pritchett, Cap Hollier and Jerry Watson won the front with minus 1. Placing first on the back was the team of Ron LaSalle, Rufus Reyes, Bob Luttrell and Art Turner. They were minus 1.

Format for the Wednesday, Feb. 10 DogFight at Zaharias was flighted two-man teams playing 9 holes of scramble and 9 holes of best ball. In Championship Flight, the duo of LaSalle-Ed Holley placed first with a 68.

Steve Wisenbaker-Larry Reese teamed for a 67 to take President’s Flight, the pairing of Luttrell-Dan Flood took A Flight with a 70 and Bobby Kimball-Charlie Perez claimed B Flight with a 77.

Closest to the pin winners were Pritchett (No. 2, 4 feet, 3 inches), Reyes (No. 7, 11 inches), Reese/Earl Richard (No. 12, 8-8) and James Trahan (No. 15, 7-9.

Golf news should be e-mailed to rdwest@usa.net.