Stamper puts stamp on Oklahoma Open, McCracken loves the grind
By Ken MacLeod
Owen Stamper of Scottsville, Ky., just a few months removed from his collegiate career at Middle Tennessee State, fired a 6-under 64 Saturday to finish at 14-under and win the Oklahoma Open by four shots over Tucker Allen of Tolar, Texas.
Stamper is not the first relative unknown on his way up to win the Open and put his name alongside famous Oklahoma pros such as Gil Morgan, Bob Tway, Danny Edwards, David Edwards, Tom Jones, Mark Hayes, Willie Wood, Robert Streb and Max McGreevy. A young man just out of college named Lucas Glover came through in 1981 to win the Open and he’s done all right.
Stamper collected the first place check of $10,000 after shooting rounds of 65-67-64 in the dominant win. He shot 32 on each nine Saturday and was never challenged down the stretch.
The top Oklahoma finish went to veteran Logan McCracken of Tulsa, who tied for fifth at 7-under with Joel Thelan of Hudson Oaks, Texas. Jared Strathe of Owasso tied for ninth at 5-under and Andres Brictson of Edmond and Tyson Reeder of Edmond tied for 12th at 4-under.
Logan McCracken, right, alongside Tyson Reeder, is a veteran of the scorer’s table.McCracken, who played collegiately at the University of Tulsa after transferring from Texas Tech, has been waging the mini-tour war for 11 years. Now 33 with a child due in September, he is ever hopeful that the next year will provide the break that will lift him from mini-tour obscurity to the heights. Meanwhile, however, he just loves the game and loves to compete.
His final hole Saturday may encapsulate the journey. After a great drive on the par-4 18th, he blew a wedge over the green and onto a hillside above the hole. From there he hit an exquisite chip shot that danced down the slope and then gravity carried it until it plopped in the hole for a closing birdie.
“I feel like my game is close,” McCracken said. “Yes, there’s a lot of really good young players out there but I feel like I can compete with them.”
McCracken will be back in action this week when the All Pro Tour (APT) comes to Indian Springs Country Club in Broken Arrow Tuesday through Friday. He pocketed $2,200 for his solid play this week (70-66-67). His year is a mix of state opens, APT events and making it through Monday qualifiers to play in Korn Ferry Tour events, where he had status the past two years. This year he has played four KFT events and 10 APT events.
“With a baby on the way and the family growing, it’s time to step up my game,” McCracken said. “But if I’m not full Korn Ferry Tour status by next year, it will be time to reevaluate some things. I played a lot of KFT events the last two years and learned a lot from those guys and feel like my game is trending in the right direction.”
McCracken will be going back to first stage of PGA Tour qualifying school in Abilene, Texas, in October to pursue KFT status for 2025. For those on the margins, it’s a hard way to make a living, especially since the next wave seems to get better every year. Witness Stamper.
“The kids get better every year, and not just longer,” McCracken said. “With all the stats and data that they have access to from a young age, they are more complete players at a younger age. You just got to try to keep up. It’s pretty tough But I love it. I love the grind and I really haven’t thought about trying to do anything else. I just put everything into it and we’ll see what happens in the next year.”