FAYETTEVILLE — Mason Overstreet doesn't look like the typical college golfer. At 6-1 and 220 pounds, the freshman standout for the Arkansas men's team does not look anything like the slender, athletic flat bellies now dominating the college circuit.
But make no mistake about Overstreet, he's athletic and he's got rare ability. He may be as good of a prospect as ever to come through Arkansas golf.
Well, the obvious comparison would be to John Daly, in the news last weekend after he won his first tournament on the PGA Champions Tour. Overstreet is Daly-like in almost every area except the ones he should have outgrown after leaving the Razorback golf program – but never did.
“I played with John in college tournaments,” said Brad McMakin, the Arkansas golf coach who played on a national title team at Oklahoma in 1989. “Mason is John without all the issues. He doesn't drink, makes good grades and is a great kid.”
Overstreet is a big key as the Razorbacks head to the NCAA Regionals on Monday through Wednesday at the University Club at Baton Rouge, La. He was team low last month, tied for 13th, at the SEC Championships where he became only the first freshman in UA history with an even par or better finish.
“He's incredible,” McMakin said. “He's improved every week. He's a great player for a freshman. You think of the freshmen I've coached here and no one has beaten what Mason did as far as the SEC tournament.
“I'm talking about Sebastian Cappelen, Taylor Moore, Austin Cook and David Lingmerth. We've had some pretty good players.”
Overstreet hails from tiny Kingfisher, Okla., where he dominated the high school and junior scene in that state for the last four years. His length and soft putting touch were legendary on the Oklahoma scene where junior golf has been great for decades. He spurned recruiting interest from both Oklahoma State and Oklahoma to play for McMakin.
“We were on him early,” McMakin said. “He came to see us as a ninth grader and just fell in love with out facilities. His parents went to OSU, but we knew he liked us from the start.”
It helped that The Blessings Golf Club, the UA home, hosts one of the top junior events. Overstreet got to see the facility in all of its glory in the summer as a young player.
The Hogs take a young team to Baton Rouge. Junior Alvaro Ortiz is the veteran. Charles Kim is a sophomore. Overstreet is one of three freshmen in the lineup, joined by Luis Garza and William Buhl.
All of the freshmen were highly regarded, but Overstreet is the one who raises eye brows with his length and touch.
“He's had to improve his short game, but he's got great hands,” McMakin said. “He's better around the greens, but he's always been a good putter. He didn't putt well at the SEC tournament, or he might have won it.
“That first round (74) was pretty good considering he had a double and a triple (bogies). He had two bad swings in the tournament.”
Overstreet shot a 4-under par 66 in the finale as the Hogs posted the third best closing team round in the history of the SEC Tournament, a 12-under 268. It's that round – after another sloppy start – that gives McMakin hope that the No. 31 Hogs can make it out of the regional.
Overstreet's 13th at the SEC Tournament was his best of the year. He had two other top 15 tournaments, but this was against a great field and on a big stage. The finish was spectacular and not just for Overstreet.
“That ought to give us some confidence,” McMakin said. “That and the fact that we've played that course at LSU and did well there. We stayed with LSU in a 36-hole event. Our guys said on the plane ride back if we get to go there for regionals, we'll make it through. They believe it.”
The key will be the start. The Hogs, perhaps because of extreme youth, have started slow all season. Sometimes it's been worse than slow.
“We've been horrible at times in the first round, just horrible,” McMakin said. “It drives me crazy. It's mental, because they are very talented. I know it's getting comfortable with new courses. So the fact we've seen this course, maybe we won't start like that.
“I know I've tried everything to get them going early. I've tried different things. I know it's mental, because they can all play. I tell them to pretend it's the final round because we've had some great finishes.”
One of the worries is that the Hogs have had poor weather for the last few weeks at home. Storms ruined the construction work going on at The Blessings, taking out the practice facility for quite some time.
“The weather has been good the last week,” McMakin said. “So we've had one good week to work. I know our women's team was going into (NCAA Regionals) without much practice time this past week and I know that bothered them (in failing to advance). I'm hoping we've had enough practice with this last stretch of nice weather.”
Overstreet is something to watch, on the practice tee or in action in a round. His length off the tee is now a legend at The Blessings where the 620-yard 12th is his personal toy.
“There are no par fives for him, none,” McMakin said. “There are none anywhere he can't reach in two shots, usually with a mid-iron. The 12th at The Blessings he plays with a driver and a four-iron. Like I said, he doesn't have par fives.”
The only three-shot holes would be dogleg par fives, something that won't allow his driver to come out of the bag.
“He flies it 350,” McMakin said. “I'm not kidding. It's 350, easy. He flew his driver right into the middle of the green at No. 18 at Fayetteville Country Club. I saw the divot. There was some wind, but that's a 363-yard hole. No problem, 363."
McMakin helps his players put together a strategy to get around the golf course. Part of that is picking the target line off the tee. It's different for Overstreet. Do you cut the corner on doglegs? And, by how much do you cut? What about houses at the corner?
"It's nerve wracking, so different for him," McMakin said. "It's different than I've ever had. You look at the corner and he might be taking it over a house or two, or a bunch of trees."
The build is powerful.
“Yes, he looks like an offensive lineman in football,” McMakin said. “He's 220 with big shoulders. He's just so strong.”
The background isn't football, but basketball.
“He was a point guard for his high school basketball team,” McMakin said. “He's got great hands. He won some 3-point shooting competitions in high school. And, he's very competitive. I think the basketball background helps.”
It's that background that allows McMakin to turn up the coaching juices when it comes to Overstreet.
“Some you can't coach hard, but with Mason, he handles it, likes it,” McMakin said. “So I can raise my voice with him, get after him. I know it's that basketball background that allows for that. He's been coached hard and can handle it.
“I did play with Daly. I have seen what he can do. Incredible length and great touch is what John always had. Mason is the same.
“So there are some golf courses that Mason can just over power. He's also much better about pulling out the 3-wood when the driver isn't the right club, but he can go after a tight hole with the driver. He did that at SECs.”
McMakin thinks the Hogs are in the right mindset for post-season play. The youth might be offset by confidence that they are playing on a familiar course.
“We are going there thinking right,” McMakin said. “There are good teams there, but there are some northern teams who have not played bermuda. We've been on bermuda all spring. That should help us.”
The Hogs are healthy. Kim, who won against a great field at Florida, appears to be healthy. He's been in and out of the lineup because of a bad back and sickness.
“He's back,” McMakin said. “He's not been healthy much of this semester. With him in our lineup, we are a different team.”
But if you want to talk about a difference maker, it's probably Overstreet. No one has anyone like him in college golf.
“I don't think so,” McMakin said. “There are some good freshmen around, but he does some things no one else can do.”
Just think John Daly, except take away the bad stuff.