We’re in need of new and/or used golf equipment to help outfit local 6th, 7th, and 8th graders in the Temecula/Murrieta valley who are playing golf for the first time. If you’ve got spare clubs sitting in the garage, are a golf shop with extra demo clubs, a course with unclaimed clubs, or a generous individual that wants to support local youth—we need you!

Here’s a list of items we need:

• Drivers
• Woods
• Fairway metals
• Irons
• Wedges
• Putters
• Gloves (for smaller hands)
• Balls
• Markers
• Bags
• Shoes (again, for the little people)
• and anything else golf related you can think of

If you have any golf equipment that you’d be willing to donate, send your name and contact info to: contact@back9ine.com and we’ll get in touch with you right away. Thanks in advance.

Let’s get these kids set up so they can start enjoying the great game of golf!

by Matt Johnson / The Daly O’Collegian

Great artists can work in a variety of mediums. Claude Monet had paint. Beethoven had music. Many might not know it, but Oklahoma State has its own great artist. This artist doesn’t work with paints or pastels; he creates his art with a little white ball and a club. Rickie Fowler’s medium is golf.

“It seems like a lot of kids these days are stuck hitting the same shot over and over again, like a machine,” Fowler said. “When I play golf, I visualize what I want to do and then I do it — like an artist. That makes it fun.”

Fowler said he owes his unique philosophy to his upbringing in the game. He was raised in Murrieta, Calif., where his grandfather introduced him to golf when he was only 2 years old.

“He took me out to the driving range one time, and that was all I needed,” Fowler said. At that driving range, he met Barry McDonald, the man who still coaches him today. Fowler said McDonald doesn’t care for angles and video equipment; he teaches about feel and self-control.
Fowler’s philosophy for golf did not solely come from his experiences on the course and range, though.

He developed something vital to his game — riding motorcycles with his father, Rod Fowler.
Rod Fowler still rides motocross today and, before Rickie was born, he rode professionally.
“My whole family rides, and it was a big part of my life growing up,” Fowler said. “I’m kind of fearless and a lot of people think (motocross) is why I play the way I do.” OSU men’s golf coach Mike McGraw said he thought that Fowler’s experiences riding were essential to his game.

“He brings that X-Games mentality to the game of golf,” he said. “When you’re doing a jump on a bike, you have to be 100 percent committed to what you’re doing, and that’s how Rickie is with every single shot he takes.”

When Fowler realized golf was the passion he wanted to pursue, he said he knew he had to stop riding, especially after an incident his freshman year of high school. Fowler broke his foot in two spots and injured his wrist in a riding accident just a few weeks before freshman tryouts for the golf team. After the accident, Fowler decided to put the bike away and focus on golf.

And focus he did.

Fowler was quickly recognized as one of the top high school golfers in the nation, and by the time his sophomore year was over, coaches were taking notice. During the summer before Fowler’s junior year of high school, OSU assistant men’s golf coach Alan Bratton took a trip to California to watch him play. Bratton liked what he saw.

“Just looking at him, you knew there was something special about him,” Bratton said. “It was something that you know when you see him, but you can’t really put it into words.”

Bratton said Fowler showed him his fearlessness that weekend when he shot a 64 in the final round to come from five shots back to win. When Bratton returned to Stillwater, McGraw said Bratton made sure he would go to California to watch Fowler play.

read full article …

by Jimmy Burch / Star Telegram

Oklahoma State golfer Rickie Fowler, winner of the 2008 Ben Hogan Award, is among 22 players on the watchlist for this year’s award, which will be presented May 22 at Colonial Country Club.

The Hogan Award is given annually to the nation’s top college golfer. Other members of the watchlist, announced today, include Southern California’s Jamie Lovemark, a 2008 finalist; Texas A&M’s Bronson Burgoon and Oklahoma State’s Trent Leon.

The candidate pool will be trimmed to a list of semifinalists on April 16, then narrowed to three finalists on May 7. All three finalists will head to Fort Worth for a live announcement of the winner on May 22.

Below is a look at the complete list of candidates on the watchlist:

2009 Ben Hogan Award Watch List (in alphabetical order)

Bronson Burgoon, Texas A&M
Jorge Campillo, Indiana
Bud Cauley, Alabama
Sam Cyr, Point Loma Nazarene
Rickie Fowler, Oklahoma State
Dustin Garza, Wichita State

read full list …

by Mirjam Swanson / The Press Enterprise

The PGA Tour is getting to know a couple of former Murrieta Valley High standouts well — and Rickie Fowler and Josh Anderson are still college underclassmen.

In his third tournament against Tour players, Fowler shot a second-round 66 to make the cut with ease at the FBR Open in Scottsdale, Ariz., last week.

Today, Anderson will tee if up with the big boys at the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines in San Diego.

Anderson, a redshirt freshman at Pepperdine, will take to the North Course at 10:20 a.m. in a group with Bob Heintz and Jason Day.

In his first Tour event, Anderson’s goals for the week are to make the cut and, yes, to win.

And he won’t have to beat Tiger Woods to do it.

“Having Tiger in the field would’ve been really cool,” Anderson said by phone after playing half a practice round Wednesday. “But unfortunately with his knee, he won’t be. It would have been cool, though, to see him.”

Anderson got a close look at the South Course in big-game shape last June when he was inside the ropes for a practice round at the U.S. Open with Fowler, who Anderson said advised him to just be himself.

Medicus Driver Improves all aspects of your swing from the takeaway to downswing.

“He told me, ‘Don’t go out and try to do anything crazy,’ ” Anderson said. “Just stick to what I’m good at.”

Hey, it’s working for Fowler. The Oklahoma State sophomore finished tied for 58th on Sunday in Arizona, and soaked up every drop of the experience in the process.

“I can’t wait to be out there (on Tour),” Fowler said by phone last weekend. “Once it’s the right time, I hope I get out there quick, because it was just awesome being out there this week.”

Fowler rubbed elbows with Charles Howell, Hunter Mahan, Chad Campbell and Gary McCord.

“A few of the players know me and I know most of them,” Fowler said. “But this week I probably got to talk to more guys than I have before. I’d be hanging around and introduce myself, so it was pretty cool.”

read full article …