Missouri men's golf team connects with former players

COLUMBIA — Fred Mayer was a member of the Missouri golf team more than six decades ago. He still does what he can to support the program he once competed for.

Mayer, 84, and other former members of the Tigers men’s golf team returned to Columbia over Homecoming weekend and spent some time with the team. Current athletes, alumni and coach Mark Leroux shared stories and talked golf. They dined together, and some went out on the course.

Leroux said a big difference between golf and many other sports is that the alumni can still come back and compete against the current college athletes. He said it allows the two groups to connect with each other.

“It’s that fraternity,” Leroux said. “It doesn’t matter when you played. If you’re in that group, you’re in that group.”

Unlike football or basketball where the ability to play decreases as athletes get older, golf has the aspect of longevity. Tom Watson competed for the British Open Championship at the age of 59. Some of the alumni of the Missouri golf team play in the same summer tournaments as current players. Many come back for an annual alumni-varsity match.

Although both the alumni and the team want to be seen as the better group on the course, the real value when they all get together is found in the relationships that are formed between the current and former golfers. The alumni tell the players what life was like back when they played for Missouri.