A Moment in Time
October 30, 2003 | Men's Golf
Oct. 30, 2003
By Kristie Jutras, Texas Tech Athletic Media Relations - - The crowd stood listlessly waiting, while the wild West Texas winds blew, daring to interfere with the ball that could place Texas Tech on the map. John Paul Cain calmly stepped up to make his putt, and as the ball rolled cleanly into the hole, the gentle sound of it hitting ground was silenced by the roar of the spectators and his fellow teammates. As the magnitude of the great feat, just accomplished, sank in, the players, Don Kaplan, John Farquhar and Chris Blocker, along with the crowd, rushed the green. The Texas Tech golf team had won the first Southwest Conference Championship in the history of the school.
The title Southwest Conference Champions put the icing on the cake for a team that was not expected to end the season with such a high standing. In the pre-season ratings, Arkansas and Baylor were placed as top candidates for champion status, with Tech fairly far behind. The first tournament ended in Laredo, Texas, with the team hopeful, as they walked away with a second-place trophy. Texas Tech was ready to give the Southwest Conference teams a run for their money.
Competition pulsed through the veins of every golfer in the conference - the outcome of the season would remain a mystery as the teams played neck to neck. Tech's excitement with it win at the West Texas Relays in Odessa quickly vanished as they went on to play a mediocre match at the Houston University Invitational. With this disappointment in mind, the Texas Tech golf team took a 180 turn as they faced its next opponent, Texas A&M. After the duel, Texas Tech was back in the running, but the team in Ft. Worth - TCU, its greatest competitor, was out to make sure Tech didn't feel the sweet glory of victory as conference champions.
The Horned Frogs kept on the heels of the Raiders the rest of the season, waiting for the team to slip just once. The Tech golfers played on with a vengeance, and as the tournament against Baylor came down to the last stroke of victory or defeat, John Paul Cain stepped up to take the challenge.
The players of this legendary team went on to successful careers in their post college years. John Paul Cain made a name for himself in the national golf scene, playing in numerous U.S. Amateur tournaments, U.S. Open Championships and became a player in the senior PGA tour. John Paul Cain and John Farquhar were both honored for their accomplishments with admittance to the Texas Tech Athletic Hall of Honor.
As the 1959 team reunited at the opening of the Rawls Golf Course, an image comes to mind of four young, determined men who played to reach a dream, but along the road, became legends.