Cowboy Golf Camp

Alan Bratton
Cowboy Head Coach and Camp Director

Under the direction of Oklahoma State head coach Alan Bratton, the Cowboy golf program has continued its proud tradition with a decade of excellence athletically and academically under his watch.

The Cowboys have produced 41 tournament titles, 35 individual medalists, 29 All-Americans, 21 Academic All-Americans and 31 All-Big 12 selections during his tenure.

OSU added team title No. 41 under his direction in 2023-24, while Jonas Baumgartner and Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen earned All-America status. Baumgartner was joined by Hazen Newman as an All-America Scholar as well.

In 2021-22, OSU’s ninth under his guidance, the Cowboys won four times, bringing their total number of victories under Bratton’s watch to 40. The Pokes capped the year with their sixth consecutive NCAA Regional crown before garnering the 57th top-five showing at the NCAA Championship in program history.

Additionally, Bratton’s squad grew the program’s All-American total by three with Eugenio Chacarra capturing first-team status for the second year in a row, while Aman Gupta and Brian Stark claimed third-team honors. On six occasions, Cowboys captured medalist honors as well. Academically, Stark was joined by Baumgartner and Neergaard-Petersen as All-American Scholars.

The 2020-21 season saw the Cowboys advance to the NCAA semifinals for the second consecutive time and capture their second Big 12 title in a row. Overall, OSU secured five tournament titles.

Individually, the Cowboys produced three All-Americans highlighted by Chacarra’s first-team selection. Eckroat earned the distinction for the fourth time in his career and freshman Bo Jin rounded out the trio of honorees to bring Bratton’s number of All-America selections to 24.

In the classroom, Gupta, Neergaard-Petersen and Stark were all named All-America Scholars.Bratton also helped captain the 2020 U.S. Palmer Cup side.

Following the shortened 2019-20 campaign, Eckroat earned All-America status for the third time, while Ferdinand Müller and Neergaard-Petersen were tabbed as All-America Scholars.

Behind one of the most formidable duos in college golf history in Matthew Wolff and Viktor Hovland, Bratton’s 2018-19 squad enjoyed six tournament titles, including its first Big 12 crown under his direction.

Hovland and Wolff combined to sweep national player of the year honors with Hovland taking home the Ben Hogan Award after finishing as the Low Amateur at both The Masters and the U.S. Open. He was also named the Big 12 Player of the Year in the process, while Bratton was named the league’s top coach.

Wolff set school records for wins in a season (6) and consecutive wins (4) as well as season stroke average (68.69). He closed the year by becoming the first Cowboy NCAA champion since 2006 and was named the recipient of the Fred Haskins and Jack Nicklaus awards.

In addition to the Cowboy tandem earning first-team All-America status, Eckroat, who was also a 2019 Palmer Cup participant, was named a third-team selection and Zach Bauchou garnered honorable mention status.

In the classroom, OSU produced five Academic All-Big 12 selections and Hayden Wood was named an Academic All-American for the second year in a row.

The 2017-18 season was one for the ages as Bratton completed the national championship trifecta. In his fifth year at the helm of the program, he directed the Cowboys to a historic season and in doing so, has now led the Cowboys to NCAA titles as a player (1995), assistant coach (2006) and head coach (2018).

OSU’s NCAA triumph on its home course, Karsten Creek, was historic on several levels. The resounding victory was the Cowboys’ first NCAA win in four attempts on its home turf and the first by a No. 1 seed since the implementation of the match play format.

OSU’s dominance was evident throughout the year as it matched the school mark for consecutive victories with seven and equaled the school’s single-season win record with 10.

Individually, the Cowboys racked up honors on and off the course. Five Cowboys received All-America honors led by first-team selections Hovland and Wolff. In addition to Hovland and Wolff, Bauchou was chosen to participate in the Palmer Cup.

Wolff was also named the Phil Mickelson Award recipient as the nation’s outstanding freshman as well as the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year.

For his efforts, Bratton was awarded the Dave Williams Award as the nation’s top coach.

In August, Bratton was once again on the bag to help a Cowboy to the U.S. Amateur Championship, looping for Hovland’s dominant march to amateur golf’s most prestigious title at Pebble Beach Golf Links.

In 2016-17, Bratton’s squad reeled off five victories and three runner-up showings in 13 starts. OSU advanced to match play at the NCAA Championship as well, notching a top-five finish. Individually, the Cowboys produced four All-Americans with Bauchou, Hovland, Zachary Olsen and Kristoffer Ventura all securing honorable mention status. Olsen and Sam Stevens continued the program’s long line of success in the classroom as well with the duo earning All-America Scholar honors.

The 2015-16 season saw Bratton direct the Cowboys to four tournament titles. Individually, four Cowboys won events with Kristoffer Ventura winning twice en route to third-team All-America honors. Additionally, Stratton Nolen became the most recent in a long line of OSU products to capture conference medalist honors. In the process, Bratton was named one of five finalists for the Dave Williams National Coach of the Year Award.

In the classroom, Jordan Niebrugge and Olsen captured Academic All-America status, while Niebrugge was named the Big 12 Men’s Golf Scholar-Athlete of the Year as well as OSU’s scholar-athlete of the year.

In 2014-15, the Cowboys posted a victory at the Royal Oaks Intercollegiate, Jordan Niebrugge became the program’s most recent NCAA regional champion en route to earning All-America status. Niebrugge built on his victory during the summer, finishing as the low amateur at The Open Championship and securing a spot on the U.S. Walker Cup squad for the second time in his career.

Bratton took the reins of the Cowboy golf program in 2013-14, becoming just the fourth head coach since the program’s inception in 1947.

Year one under his direction fell in line with the standard for OSU golf … competing for championships. The Cowboys reeled off four consecutive wins, closing the fall with victories at the U.S. Collegiate Championship and the Royal Oaks Intercollegiate before starting the spring campaign with wins at the American Airlines Invitational and the John Hayt Collegiate.

OSU picked up its fifth win of the season at the NCAA Columbia Regional before tallying the program’s 17th national runner-up finish at the NCAA Championship.

Individually, Wyndham Clark was tabbed as the Big 12 Player of the Year and was selected to participate for the U.S. at the Palmer Cup. Clark was joined by Talor Gooch, Ian Davis and Niebrugge as Cowboys to earn All-America honors as well.

Bratton made his return to the men’s side after a successful two-year run as head coach of the OSU women’s squad.

The 2012-13 campaign saw Bratton direct the Cowgirls to their eighth Big 12 title and first since 2009. His squad also posted victories at the Landfall Tradition as well as the SMU Invitational. The Cowgirls capped the season with a 12th-place showing at the NCAA Championship.

In the process, Bratton was named the Big 12 Coach of the Year, while Kelsey Vines capped her career by earning second-team All-America honors for the second year in a row. She was also named the Big 12 Player of the Year for the second-straight season. Additionally, Julie Yang capped her first season in Stillwater with honorable mention All-America status.

Both players notched victories during the season with Vines winning the Hurricane Invitational and Yang emerging victorious at the SMU DAC Invitational.

After taking over the program in 2011-12, Bratton and Co. produced immediate results.

OSU’s first event under his direction proved to be a memorable one. The Cowgirls erased a 21-shot deficit during the final round at the Dale McNamara Invitational to emerge victorious. Behind the second-lowest 18-hole score in school history, the Cowgirls rallied for a five-shot victory.

Bratton’s squad made it two in a row with a one-shot win in its next outing at the Windy City Collegiate Classic. The outing in Chicago also produced his first individual medalist in Vines.

Vines would go on to win once more during her first season in Stillwater en route to earning Big 12 Player and Newcomer of the Year honors. Additionally, she became Bratton’s first All-American, earning second-team honors.

Bratton moved into his first head coaching position after a successful seven-year run as the associate head coach for both the men’s and women’s golf programs at OSU.

In his seven seasons with the Cowboys, the program won its 10th national title in 2006 and produced its eighth NCAA champion in Jonathan Moore. Additionally, the Cowboys finished in the top five at the NCAA Championship on five occasions and captured six conference crowns.

During his tenure, OSU generated 23 All-Americans, including 10 first-team selections. The Cowboys also produced national players of the year in Rickie Fowler, Pablo Martin and Peter Uihlein.

Bratton was instrumental in Uihlein becoming the program’s fourth U.S. Amateur champion, serving as the All-American’s caddy for his 2010 victory at Chambers Bay.

On the women’s side, he helped prepare the Cowgirls for back-to-back top-10 finishes at the national tournament. In 2009, OSU finished fourth before tying for eighth place the following year.

The Cowgirls also captured three Big 12 titles during Bratton’s time on staff.

Individually, the Cowgirls produced four first-team All-Americans during his time as an assistant. Among those earning the distinction was Caroline Hedwall, who left Stillwater as the most decorated player in school history after becoming the Cowgirls’ first NCAA champion and national player of the year in 2010.

A native of College Station, Texas, Bratton has had a hand in the day-to-day coaching and recruiting efforts for both the Cowboy and Cowgirls since his return.

Bratton returned to OSU after spending three years as a player development manager for Ping where he worked to enhance the company’s college and amateur programs.

Prior to his stint at Ping, Bratton played professionally from 1995-2000, competing on the Asian Tour from 1996-97, the PGA Tour in 1999 and the Buy.com Tour in 2000. During his professional career, Bratton competed in 31 PGA events and posted a pair of top-25 finishes, tying for 25th at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and tying for 15th at the Nissan Open.

Bratton regained his amateur status in 2006 and immediately enjoyed a successful run upon his return to competitive golf. During his first summer back in action, he claimed the Oklahoma State Amateur title before winning the local qualifier for the U.S. Amateur. In addition, he competed in the Western Amateur and qualified for the U.S. Mid-Amateur.

As a Cowboy, Bratton was a four-time All-American, earning first-team honors in 1994 and 1995, and was named co-recipient of the 1994 Jack Nicklaus Award, honoring the nation’s top player.

As a senior in 1995, he led OSU to the eighth of its 10 national championships in one of the most legendary victories in college golf history with the Cowboys taking down Stanford in a playoff.

The Big Eight Player of the Year in 1992 and 1994, Bratton also captured conference medalist honors in 1992 and 1995. He is currently tied for fourth on the school’s all-time list with seven career victories.

Bratton was equally successful in the classroom, garnering Academic All-America honors in 1994 and 1995 on his way to earning a degree in business administration.

Bratton and his wife, Gretchen, who is also an OSU graduate, have three children: Mason, Noah and Gunnar.