Oct. 26, 2001
Columbia, Mo. - On the list of high contact sports, golf is a long par 5 away from football, wrestling and basketball.
Don't tell that to MU golfer Mark McBride though.
As a senior in high school, McBride was almost forced to pick up another hobby after he lost his footing on some slippery stairs in Pinehurst, N.C, and broke his right ankle in three places.
That was four years ago though.
Now, McBride is a third of the way through his final season at MU and the metal plate and eight screws in his right foot serve as a harsh reminder as to what could have been.
"I had no idea how soon I'd be able to play golf again," McBride said. "I was really concerned about what that injury was going to do to my golf swing."
In hindsight, the injury might not have been such a terrible stroke of luck for McBride.
His career stats at MU place him among the best college golfers in the country and, more importantly, as the leader of a successful Division I golf program.
McBride has notched 18 top-25 finishes in 38 starts for the Tigers and has been medallist twice. The Lebanon, Mo., native tied for first place at the Purina Classic in St. Louis two weeks ago.
"My game has just come around full circle since I was a freshman," McBride said. "When I was a freshman, I thought I could hit all the shots and I couldn't."
He gives a lot of the credit for his success to fourth-year Tiger coach Tim Robyn.
"He has taught me how to shoot low scores even when I am not hitting it well," McBride said. "That has probably been the biggest improvement in my game."
That simple improvement has caused McBride's resume to become a little more pressed for space.
Last summer, McBride gained national exposure by advancing to the 2001 NCAA Regional Championship as an individual, winning his second consecutive Missouri State Amateur title, and advancing to the round of 16 at the prestigious Western Amateur Championship.
He also tied for first at the Missouri Golf Association's Stroke Play Championship and was invited to play in the Sunnehanna Amateur, another prestigious event which fields the best amateur golfers in the country.
McBride will be the first to express his pride in his personal accomplishments at MU, but he speaks with greater satisfaction when boasting about the improvements the golf team has made since his freshman year.
"We didn't have an identity then," McBride said. "We have gone from being one of the worst teams in Division 1 golf to a real threat."
Now, the Tigers are ranked 37th in the country and they have three golfers ranked among the top 175 players in the country, including McBride's ranking in the top 100.
"We have a lot more talent now and more guys that are committed to getting better, and committed to winning instead of just being a part of the team."
As for the rest of his senior campaign, McBride has his goals set on winning two more tournaments and advancing to regionals as a team.
He will stay an amateur through next summer so he can vie for a third consecutive Missouri State Amateur title (golf legend Tom Watson is the only other person to win the title twice consecutively) and become the first person in the tournament's history to accomplish such a feat.
The odds are on his side as long as he is a little more careful where he steps.