Illustrious group to join Edmond Junior Golf Hall of Fame Saturday
An outstanding class of six individuals, a team and a coach will be inducted into the Edmond Junior Golf Hall of Fame Saturday evening during a banquet at KickingBird Golf Course in Edmond.
Three of the individuals – professional golfers Austin Eckroat, Taylor Moore and Brock Polhill – were scheduled to be inducted in 2024 but had conflicts. The three new inductees are Brooklyn Benn, Jordan Wilson and Zane Heusel. The 1998 Edmond North girls state championship team is being recognized as is former Edmond North boys coach Jeff Doherty, winner of the Bill Nicklas Award. Bill Nicklas was the founder of the junior golf program at KickingBird.
Master of ceremonies will be Baylor coach and 2025 inductee into the Oklahoma Golf Hall of Fame Mike McGraw.
Eckroat, who won the Class 6A state championship as a freshman and again as a senior at Edmond North, was in the process of winning his second PGA Tour event, the Worldwide Technology Championship in Mexico, when last year’s dinner was held. Also competing there was Moore, who won the Class 6A state championship twice for Edmond Memorial in his sophomore and junior years, and won 14 times in high school to set a school record. After an outstanding collegiate career at Arkansas, he is also a PGA Tour winner, having prevailed in the 2023 Valspar Championship.
Polhill helped lead Edmond North to state championships in 2017 and 2018 before playing four years at Wichita State and turning professional in 2023. His pro career is on hiatus with a back injury.
Benn, who currently plays for Wichita State and was the runnerup this summer in the Women’s Oklahoma Golf Association State Amateur Championship, had an outstanding prep career at Oklahoma Christian School, winning the Class 3A state championship as a junior and finishing second as a freshman (Class 2A) and as a senior (Class 3A).
Heusel, who played other sports until his sophomore season, developed into a strong player for Edmond Memorial, with one of his most memorable performances being a victory in the Bulldog Invitational at KickingBird against a field that included most of the state’s top golfers, including future Sooner Jaxon Dowell whom he defeated in a playoff. He went on to play five seasons at Abilene Christian.
Wilson won the Class 6A state championship as a sophomore for Edmond North, a dominant season in which he won six times. He went on to win the 2019 Oklahoma Golf Association State Amateur Championship, knocking off Eckroat in the championship match.
His outstanding high school career propelled him to an offer to play collegiately at Oklahoma State University and he later transferred to the University of Central Oklahoma and is now in the early stages of a professional career.
The 1998 Edmond North girls team won 10 team titles including the state championship, beginning a dominant streak of 70 wins in 71 events. Team members were Jennifer James, Lindsey Peitzmeier, Tiffany Hatfield, Jacque Litsch, Becky Ades and Lauren Willey, with James winning the individual title.
Doherty led Edmond North to 12 state titles in his 21 years as golf coach, including 10 consecutively from 2005 to 2014. He coached 21 players who played Division I collegiate golf and three PGA Tour players in Robert Streb, Kevin Tway and Eckroat.
– Ken MacLeod
