Less than a year after horrific accident, Fosdick to compete in Oklahoma Open
By Ken MacLeod
The 112th Oklahoma Open begins Thursday on the East Course at Oak Tree Country Club in Edmond and there are some intriguing names preparing to brave the blistering heat that has settled over the state like a devil’s blanket.
The Oklahoma Open is a 54-hole event Thursday through Saturday with a cut after 36 holes to the low 40 and ties after Friday’s second round. Spectators are welcome.
The biggest name in the field this year is Zach Bauchou, the former Oklahoma State All-American who just concluded his rookie season on the PGA Tour, making 16 of 21 cuts and earning over $1.3 million while finishing 88th on the FedEx Cup standings, ensuring he’ll be back on the Tour in 2027.
The past two Oklahoma Open champions, John Sand of Houquian, Wash., who edged Tyson Reeder with a birdie on the final hole in 2025, and Owen Stamper of Scottsville, Ky., who won by four shots in 2024, are both in the field.
There are some top amateurs from across the state and it will be interesting to see how Ainslie Stanford III, Emerson Majma, Parker Payne and others fare against the pros. University of Tulsa golfer Chris Worrell was the last amateur to win the Oklahoma Open in 2013, before that it was TU’s Chris Noel in 2002.
The name in the field that golfers throughout the state are most excited to see is Oak Tree assistant pro and former collegiate coach Josh Fosdick. Josh was involved in a bizarre and terrible accident when he plunged into a drainage channel near the Turner Turnpike on Oct. 31, 2025. Traffic on the turnpike was stopped for an accident and Fosdick walked a few yards from his car before falling into the pit and suffering horrific injuries, including breaking both legs in numerous places and shattering his right foot and ankle. Doctors at Oklahoma Medical Center told him the injuries were of the severity which would have required amputation in the not-so-distant past. Instead, after successful surgeries and a herculean recovery effort by Fosdick, he’s playing in the Oklahoma Open.
The Oklahoma Golf Association which runs the Open gives four spots to the host facility for its professionals and Fosdick is in the field. He has played in a couple of PGA South Central Section events in his comeback including the Section Match Play Championship but this will certainly be the biggest event in which he has competed since the accident.
Now 10 months into his rehab, supervised and pushed relentlessly by member Shane Sims, owner of Core Physical Therapy, Fosdick has not only regained the ability to walk, he can drive a ball 290 yards. He estimates he’s lost 5 mph of clubhead speed on his drives and hits his irons about 10 percent shorter than pre accident. All more than good enough to enjoy the game and be competitive, two things that seemed ludicrous to consider 10 months ago.
From being totally immobilized for eight weeks after surgery to a wheelchair, walker, cane and taking a few tottering steps on his own was a process that went more rapidly than Fosdick could have hoped, he started hitting chip shots in March and was playing by April.
“His comeback has been impressive from what I’ve seen,” said Oak Tree CC Director of Instruction Tosh Hays. “He’s been able to get his club head speed back to almost what it was before. It’s been remarkable. But it’s a credit to him and the amount of rehab he’s put in.
“I think you will see a pretty good group there to see him off when he tees off tomorrow (9:50 a.m. on the first tee.)”
Fosdick credits his wife Stephanie, family and his extended family at Oak Tree CC including head pro Kevin Wagner for his recovery but certainly they all deserve it. But Fosdick has put in the work. And he’s not stopping now, hoping for greater flexibility in his knees which will allow him to do squats and leg lifts that currently are in the no-fly zone.
Asked if the injury and the freak nature of the accident has affected his psyche, Fosdick said surprisingly not.
“I’ve really only had one dream about it,” he said. “My brain has done a really good job coping. Now I’ve become really good about seeing a hole or depression in the ground from 20 yards away and I don’t go walking through native grasses any more.
“When you’re lucky to be alive, everything else is good. I think that attitude is what has helped me put the rehab work in. Nobody is going to do it for me. I’ve got to do it.”
And remarkably he’s back playing professional golf.