Golfers hope number comes up at NCAAs
They call it “Project 17,” which sounds more like a secret government experiment — and might as well be considering the level of difficulty for the University of Houston in pursuit of a 17th golf national championship.
No athletic program in school history has enjoyed more success than the men’s golf program, a dynasty that would even make UCLA basketball red with envy: 48 NCAA championship appearances, eight individual national champions and 17 national titles that span four decades.
“There’s a lot of mystique,” said Jonathan Dismuke, in his seventh season as UH’s director of golf.
UH will compete in the NCAA championships for the third year in a row beginning Friday at Eugene (Ore.) Country Club. The Cougars qualified by finishing in a tie for third earlier this month at the Franklin (Tenn.) Regional.
All about consistency
For decades, a trip to the NCAA championships was commonplace for the Cougars, who made 45 appearances between 1952-2001. That includes a dominant stretch of 12 titles in 15 years. Steve Elkington and Billy Ray Brown guided the Cougars to national titles in 1982, ’84 and ’85.
UH endured a 13-year NCAA drought before returning in 2014 to begin its current run.
“If you are going to win a 17th national championship, you’ve got to be there consistently,” Dismuke said. “You have to show up and play well for a long period of time.”
Signs of the program’s history and success are everywhere at the Dave Williams Golf Academy at Golf Club of Houston, named for the legendary Cougars coach. The list of alums is a who’s who of future pros: Elkington, Brown, Fred Couples, Fuzzy Zoeller, John Mahaffey, Phil Rodgers, Ed Fiori, Marty Fleckman, Hal Underwood and Blaine McCallister, to name a few.
“You can keep naming names,” Dismuke said. “The commitment to greatness is second to none.”
Some alums make frequent visits, including last fall, when Elkington, whose son Sam is a freshman on the team, stopped by to present each player an ‘old school’ satin UH jacket.
“Everyone definitely knows the tradition here and everything that’s been accomplished,” said Perras, whose grandfather, Fred Marti, was on UH’s 1962 title team.
Perras, a sophomore from Deer Park, became the second UH player in history to shoot three straight rounds in the 60s (joining teammate Blair Hamilton in 2015) to capture the individual title at the Franklin Regional.
Building a champion
Like they have done all season, the Cougars relied on top-to-bottom depth with four players — Perras, senior Vincent Martino, sophomore Papito Gonzalez and junior Matt Scobie — shooting below par in the final round. Blair Hamilton, a former honorable mention All-American and 2015 individual regional winner, shot even-par 72.
“We’re more balanced than we have been in the past,” Dismuke said.
Perras said the Cougars hope to build off the experience of the past two NCAA trips, where they finished 10th in 2014 and in a tie for 26th last year.
“I feel we have a good shot,” he said. “We’re looking forward to playing well there and not just showing up this year.”
If they need a reminder, Project 17 is staring them in the face.
“It’s definitely in our heads,” Perras said. “That’s the overall goal. Each year, we’re trying to get a little bit better and better and improve the program. If we do that each year, I feel we will get to 17 national championships and a lot more good things will come and hopefully match the legends that played here.”