State signees: Lathrop to Cowboys; Anderson, Watson choose Baylor; Herman to Ole Miss

Several standout male golfers from Oklahoma accepted scholarship offers following national signing day last week, while the top ranked senior female prep golfers in the state are going to Ole Miss and Columbia.

Ben Lathrop of Heritage Hall signed with Oklahoma State, while Baylor coach Mike McGraw, inducted last week into the Oklahoma Golf Hall of Fame, came across the border to nab Tripp Anderson of Mustang and Cooper Watson of Lawton.

The Oklahoma Sooners restocked with two highly-ranked national recruits in Coltrane Mittag and Max Emberson.

Lisa Herman of Jenks, the top-ranked senior at No. 33 ranked by the AJGA, has signed with Ole Miss. Juliana Hong of Norman,the next top-ranked female senior in the state, is going through the rigorous admission process of Ivy League school Columbia and is expected to have an official signing day in December.

Other signings of Oklahoma Junior Golf Tour players include Abbie Justiz of Arcadia and Edmond North signing with Jacksonville University. Ty Neatherlin of Oklahoma Christian signed with Drake, Hayden Russ of Norman North with Pittsburg State and Marlee Pope of Piedmont with Oklahoma Baptist.

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Lathrop to join national champ Cowboys

STILLWATER – Oklahoma State’s men’s golf team has announced the signing of in-state product Ben Lathrop it was announced by Cowboy head coach Alan Bratton.

“We always want the best player in Oklahoma for each class and that is Ben. It is icing on the cake that he is a legacy and he has been a Cowboy his whole life. He understands the standard and will help us reach our goal of chasing championships. I could not be happier to add Ben to our program,” Bratton said.

This past year, Lathrop captured the Oklahoma Class 4A state title for Heritage Hall, firing rounds of 69, 64 and 76 at Dornick Hills. His second-round total set a course tournament record. Additionally, he posted rounds of 65 and 66 to win the Class 4A Regional. Lathrop was fifth at the Oklahoma Junior Boys and registered a 10^th-place finish at the K.J. Choi Foundation Texas Junior Championship.

As a sophomore Lathrop tied for first at the Class 5A state tournament before falling in a playoff. The Oklahoma City native was victorious at the Class 5A Regional and captured medalist honors in 2024 at the AJGA’s Talor Gooch Foundation Junior Championship.

Lathrop’s freshman season saw him finish as the runner-up at the Class 4A state tournament with scores of 69, 68 and 68. He captured his first career regional title as well.

Baylor thrilled to add Anderson, Watson

A trio of talented student-athletes, including Tripp Anderson, Chase Yenser and Cooper Watson have signed to join Baylor men’s golf for the 2026-27 season, it was announced by coach Mike McGraw.

“We are happy with this class,” McGraw said. “All three players emerged in mid to late summer and all three have been playing really well in recent months. They will all be tremendous additions to our program and we’re excited to welcome them into the Baylor Family.”

Anderson, a native of Mustang, joins the Bears after a decorated junior career in Oklahoma. He boasts three tournament titles over the fall season, including a first-place finish at the LT Shootout at The Lake, where he shot a 7-under. He also won the Lincoln Park Best of the West Fall Classic on the Oklahoma Junior Golf Tour in October, firing an 11-under to win the title, including a 62 in the first round. Anderson also won the Lake Hefner North Fall Championship in September in Oklahoma City, firing a 12-under.

Watson, a native of Lawton, joins the Bears after prepping at Macarthur High School for Coach Michael Pooschke. Watson has had a great summer and fall in 2025 that included an eighth-place finish at the OJGT/TJGT Red River Team Challenge at Dornick Hills Country Club in late October. He also placed 14 at the OJGT Lake Hefner Fall Championship and 34^th at the Oklahoma Open in August, featuring a 67 in the opening round. Watson finished third at the AJGA Junior Open at The Bridges in July, 38^th in the Oklahoma State Amateur, sixth in the State Amateur Qualifier and second in the Lawton FireCracker that saw him shoot a 64 in the opening round. Also in the summer of 2025, Watson earned a 10^th place finish in the OJGT Lincoln Park Junior, a second-place finish in the OJGT Oak Tree Junior Classic, a fourth-place finish in the OGA Stroke Play Championship and a sixth-place finish in the NB111 Regional.

Herman signs with Ole Miss

OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss women’s golf head coach Kory Henkes welcomes the duo of Lisa Herman and Ebba Lundqvist as part of the 2025 National Signing Day class.

Herman hails from Jenksand is the No. 33 ranked player by the American Junior Golf Association. In nine AJGA events, Herman has five top 10 finishes including a pair of runner-up placements at the K.J. Choi Foundation Texas Junior Championship hosted by Pacificlinks Korea and the Mizuno Junior Championship. Herman has 11 top 10 finishes across the amateur circuit.

“We are thrilled to have Lisa join the Ole Miss Golf family”, head coach Kory Henkes said. “She is one of the top recruits in the country, a tremendous ball striker, and an extremely consistent player. Lisa’s competitiveness and drive will have an immediate impact on our program.”

Sooners bolstered by Emberson, Mittag

NORMAN — University of Oklahoma head men’s golf coach Ryan Hybl announced the addition of Max Emberson and Coltrane Mittag, a pair of top-25 prospects, to complete the Sooners’ 2026 signing class as the NCAA’s early signing period opened.

The two elite recruits make up the nation’s No. 10-ranked recruiting class, with Mittag set to enroll in spring 2026 and Emberson joining the roster ahead of next season.

Emberson, the No. 24 player in the class from Thousand Oaks, Calif., is ranked third in the state of California and captured the 2025 Southern California Junior Amateur title. Over the past year, he has notched a top-10 finish at the Junior North & South Amateur, a top-15 showing at the SCGA Amateur and reached the Round of 32 at the U.S. Junior Amateur. Competing for Oaks Christian High School in Westlake Village, Emberson also claimed the 2024 CIF California State High School individual championship.

Mittag, ranked No. 13 nationally, is a two-time Nebraska Junior Player of the Year and the low junior finisher at both the 2024 and 2025 Nebraska Amateur championships. The Ashland, Neb., native turned in an eighth-place finish at the Western Junior Championship, tied for 11th at the Wyndham Junior Invitational, 10th at the Texas Junior Championship and tied for 12th at the Bobby Chapman Invitational. He is currently No. 51 in the AJGA national rankings. Mittag advanced through U.S. Open local qualifying in 2025, proving his ability to compete with collegiate and professional talent. A graduate this winter of Classic Conversations, he will be eligible to compete for the Sooners beginning in the spring of 2026.

“I couldn’t be more excited to welcome Max and Coltrane to our program,” Hybl said. “Both are proven winners who are mature beyond their years and ready to compete right away. They’ve played in some of the top junior and amateur events in the country and shown they can go toe-to-toe with anyone. They embody what it means to be a Sooner: hardworking, disciplined and high character, and we can’t wait to get them to Norman and see the impact they’ll make.”

The 13th-ranked Sooners closed their fall slate earlier this month with a record-breaking victory at the Ka’anapali Classic – Hybl’s 50th career win – shooting a program-record 63-under par. Mittag will join that roster in January, while Emberson is set to arrive ahead of next season, when OU is expected to return nine players.