Stevens continues PGA Tour ascent with solo third at CJ Cup
By Art Stricklin
Special to Golf Oklahoma
MCKINNEY, Texas – A sense of freedom and a load of birdies lifted former Oklahoma State golfer Sam Stevens to his second top five finish of the season and the certaintly his professional golf career, which began in in 2018, is on the rise.
With a final-round 64, Stevens shot 20-under and finished solo third Sunday in the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, pocketing $683,100 and moving up to 30th in the FedEx Cup Standings. He also moved up to third place in the Aon Swing 5, which gives players the ability to become eligible for Signature Events with mid-season play. He will now be eligible for next weeks Signature Event in Philadelphia and the PGA Championship in two weeks at Quail Hollow.
Stevens was a solid player for one of the greatest collegiate teams of all time at OSU, having to battle for starts with the likes of Viktor Hovland, Matthew Wolff, Austin Eckroat, Kris Ventura, not to mention future pros Zack Bauchou, Brendon Jelley and Hayden Wood.
“You see what good golf looks like, that is for sure,” Stevens said. “I probably played in half of the tournaments. But if I had gone somewhere else, I might have played more college events, but not have the experiences I have.”
He played in the third round with Scottie Scheffler, who tied the all-time PGA scoring record at 31-under par in a runaway win. Stevens shot 70 in that round, his highest score of the week, but said he learned plenty.
“I played with Scottie and he’s not guarding anything. He’s still going for every thing. I need to do more of that.”
Stevens did more of that in the final round and said playing free has helped him rise up the ranks.
“If you had ask me that question in college, I might have said I didn’t know if I would ever make it on the pro tour, but it’s nice to play well and nice to be on TV. I played with a sense of freedom today and I think it helped me all week long.”
Oklahoma State coach Alan Bratton said he was extremely proud of the progress Stevens has made since turning professional.
“Sam has always been a gamer and he’s competitive,” Bratton said. “He made an impact on our program and has continued to get better since earning his degree. I couldn’t be prouder of him and his family for their success.”
It was his fifth top-five finish on the PGA Tour, his second third-place finish and boosted him to more than $6 million dollars in prize money won. But it also showed him how far he has to go to achieve the PGA Tour victory and continued Tour success he craves.
“This is the first time I’ve shot 20-under-par on the PGA Tour and I got lapped out here,” he said. “You’ve got to keep making birdies.”
Stevens was born in nearby Fort Worth but is Wichita golf royalty. His grandfather Johnny Stevens and father Charlie Stevens were both legendary amateur (and professional) golfers in Kansas. Sam often played in Oklahoma Junior Golf Tour events while growing up and then attended OSU. He participates in events at Oak Tree National including the annual Oak Tree Invitational in which he played last year with his father as partner.
After last week’s New Orleans PGA tour event, Stevens asked good friend and former OU golfer Max McGreevy about his game and career advancement.
“He said I’ve got to be patient and play good at the right times. I don’t think I’m impatient, but I have to play free.”
His wife Kelsey, who stayed at home in Wichita this week, is expecting their fourth child in mid June, around the time of the U.S. Open at Oakmont.
“I’m just so blessed with my family and my wife, they have done everything to help me in my career,” Stevens said. “It’s hard to win out here, but you have to put yourself in position to win and I have stayed back from the moment at times. You just have to be free.”