OU Club of Collin County

OU to Host National Amateur Golf Championship 2009

By Eddie Radosevich of The Daily

OU’s Jimmie Austin Golf Course will play host to the 2009 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, scheduled for July 13 through 18 of next year.

The U.S. Amateur Public Links is open to amateur golfers who are bona fide public course players and hold a USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 8.4. The tournament is one of 13 national championships conducted by the USGA, 10 of which are held solely for amateur players.

The course will undergo a series of improvements before the tournament begins, according to Rodney Young, director of golf at Jimmie Austin.

“Standard adjustments to fairway cuts will be made,” Young said. “We will also be perfecting bunker edges while also continuing maintenance on the greens.”

Read more here.

Camp Crimson Ends

By Laura Hampton of The Daily

Saturday’s heat advisory was no deterrent for soon-to-be freshmen, who chanted and cheered with enthusiasm at the Sooner Camp's closing ceremony.

The final session, held at Burr Park, culminates weeks of hard work and preparation for camp coordinator, Zac Stevens.

Stevens said the session went smoothly, but he is relieved it is over.

Family is a major theme for Camp Crimson, as counselors and staff ease the transition for incoming freshmen from birth family to the OU family, by teaching them OU traditions and helping them form friendships that, for some, will last throughout their college careers, Stevens said..

Kendra Whitman, incoming freshman from Harrah, said the camp took some of the sting out of moving away from home.

“I’m still a little nervous,” she said. “But now I’m definitely more prepared.”

During Saturday’s ceremony, the campers fanned themselves in the shade, as they sat in their assigned family groups, listening for the winners of the chant competition and demonstrating newly acquired sooner pride.

Read more here.

Did you know about the Sooner Kids Club?

Is your munchkin as big of a Sooner fan as you are? Have you heard about the Sooner Kids Club?

The OG+E Sooner Kids Club provides special opportunities for young fans of OU's athletics teams.

Any child younger than 8th grade (per NCAA rules) can join the club to enjoy a long list of benefits. An annual membership is only $30.

Members receive a t-shirt, membership card, a birthday card and an OU gift pack. In addition, OG+E Sooner Kids Club members receive special gifts and coupons courtesy of Subway.

Members also receive free admission to regular-season home events for OU soccer, volleyball, women's basketball, wrestling, baseball, softball, gymnastics, tennis, the Red/White Spring Football Game and special admission to Meet the Sooners Day for football in August.

Learn how to sign up your kiddos here.

Sooner Basketball on TV

By Scott Moore of The Norman Transcript

Oklahoma fans will have plenty of chances to see the Sooners on television this basketball season. The Big 12 released its schedule Thursday and all 16 of OU’s conference games will be available, with 10 to be aired nationally. Kansas and Texas are the only other conference schools that will have all of their games on television.

It may not boost attendance numbers, but the Sooners have several marquee names coming to town, which should draw plenty of interest.

The Sooners open conference play Jan. 10 at Kansas State and two days later open their league slate at home against Texas in a game to be televised nationally by ESPN (Cox channel 29). OU’s next four games will also be nationally televised.

Read more here.

Sooner Basketball on national television:
Jan. 10 at Kansas State (Big 12)
Jan. 12 Texas (ESPN Big Monday)
Jan. 17 at Texas A&M (ESPN)
Jan. 21 Nebraska (ESPNU)
Jan. 24 Baylor (ESPNU)
Jan. 26 at Okie State (ESPN Big Monday)
Jan. 31 at Iowa State (Big 12)
Feb. 3 Texas A&M (Big 12)
Feb. 11 at Baylor (ESPN2)
Feb. 14 Texas Tech (Big 12)
Feb. 21 at Texas (ESPN)
Feb. 23 Kansas (ESPN Big Monday)
Feb. 28 at Texas Tech (ABC)
Mar. 4 at Missouri (Big 12)
Mar. 7 Okie State (ESPN)

(Big 12 Network formerly ESPN Plus)

Horton Aims to Match Conner

From Soonersports.com

They competed in different generations, but one significant factor links Bart Conner and Jonathan Horton - their alma mater, the University of Oklahoma.

Two decades removed from his competitive career, Conner's shadow still looms large over the Sooners' gymnastics program, thanks in good part to the two Olympic gold medals he won during the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.

Horton, the most successful gymnast to come out of the university since Conner, has broken a good number of Conner's school records and would love to match the man he grew up following when he competes on the U.S. team during next month's Olympics in Beijing.

"People are always comparing me to guys like Bart Conner," Horton said Friday while training inside Oklahoma's Sam Viersen Gymnastics Center. "Talk about legacy. That guy, he accomplished everything. He won national championships at OU and represented this school like nobody else has ever done by going to the Olympics and winning a gold medal.

"He's got that on me right now ... I look at a guy like him and I (say), 'OK, now I've got to get a gold medal like him.' Knowing that I've taken a walk in his shoes, representing the school the way he's done it, feels incredible."

Read more here.

Keep up with Jonathan in Beijing.

Are you Ready?

2008 Oklahoma Football teaser video.

Scholarship Winner Send-off

Join us on Sunday, July 27 at 2 p.m. as we celebrate our 2008 Scholarship winners.

This year's scholarship winners have much to look forward to as they head up to OU this fall. And to celebrate their new beginnings the OU Club will host a reception to honor them. Food and beverages will be served. Come and share your best OU stories, give your most sage "Freshman Year Advice," and meet some fantastic club members.

Email Sharon Jett for directions.

Boomer Bytes

Have you checked out Boomer Bytes yet? Jason Matheson highlights online coverage of OU Athletics for Sooner fans. Updated each weekday morning, Boomer Bytes is your quick guide to Sooners in the news.

Here's what he has to say today:

• Guerin Emig of the Tulsa World: "It is where his mother taught Brian Bosworth and Keith Jackson, the place his parents met, and where his four older siblings were born -- and it is where he has spent more time than he cares to remember moving relatives into dorms. There has always been a bond between Brian Lepak, a former standout offensive lineman for Claremore, and the University of Oklahoma."

• Stewart Mandel of Sports Illustrated lists his season-defining games: "While it's no guarantee the two Red River rivals will make it to their Shootout unscathed -- Oklahoma faces early challenges from Cincinnati, Washington and TCU; Texas faces old nemesis Arkansas -- they're still likely to be vying for no less than a Big 12 championship. Between them, the two schools have won five of the past six crowns (though the Sooners claimed all but one of those)."

• Bruce Feldman of ESPN ranks Washington's non-conference schedule most-daunting in the nation: "On the bright side, all three opponents have to visit U-Dub. The down side: I predict all three of those teams (BYU, Oklahoma and Notre Dame) will be ranked and two of the three (OU and BYU) will be top-15 teams this year."

You should check Jason's column out.

Video & Photos of Stadium Work

from SoonerSports.com

Work continues on installation of the new video board towering over the south end zone at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. On Monday, workers were installing the final row of HD panels to the top row of the board using a huge crane visible from several miles away.

The face of the video board will measure 113.5 feet wide by 32.5 feet tall for a total viewing area of 3,689 square feet.

Workers were also extending the ribbon boards on both east and west sides of the stadium to the full length of the upper decks. Under the southwest corner of the stadium, expansion of the SoonerVision studio from the ground to the second floor is underway.

View photos and video of the new south end zone board at Owen Field.

June 30, 2008: Workers Installing Last Row of Panels | June 30, 2008: View Video of Stadium Work