Don’t blink. You might miss the McMurrys.
It’s not as if the 17-year-old brothers, Daniel and David, are particularly fast. It’s just that they are identical twins who both play golf for Ardmore High School.
And they’re both pretty good.
The McMurrys haven’t put down their clubs since Ardmore’s season ended May 12 with another 5A state championship. The soon-to-be seniors have two state titles under their belts now and are gunning for Oklahoma Junior Golf Tour glory in the summer months. As of Monday, Daniel and David were in first and third place, respectively, in the OJGT points standings. Daniel leads second-place Jett Johnson of Norman by 59 points (352-293) and David is in third with 235.
“Those two guys, I can remember seeing them in the junior golf program,” Ardmore coach Steve Ross said. “They took an instant love for the game. I don’t think they even played anything else.”
Besides a little one-on-one basketball, the McMurrys are all golf, all the time. Both have taken up the Junior Tour for a second summer in order to improve during the “offseason.” The McMurry’s don’t have far to go. Daniel, an All-Ardmoreite Golf Super Team selection, is coming off his second consecutive top 10 finish at the 5A State Tournament (eighth in 2009, sixth in 2008) and David has placed in the top 20 the past two seasons (14th and 18th).
“It keeps us practicing during the summer,” David said of the OJGT. “There are more kids on the Junior Tour and a lot of the same kids we play in high school.”
“The conditions we play are better in the summer, so I feel like we shoot better scores,” Daniel said. “We also see improvement because some of the courses we play are the same as in high school.”
Combined, the brothers have placed no worse than eighth in three Junior events this summer, including a 1-2 finish at the Trosper Park Summer Challenge in Oklahoma City. Daniel shot a two-day 69-68—137 followed by David’s 70-70—140.
The McMurrys have a habit of finishing mere strokes within each other. A sibling connection or pure luck?
“Sometimes he’ll beat me one round and I’ll beat him the next day and we’ll tie for our two-day total,” said David, who’s 23 minutes older than Daniel. “We probably think a lot alike out there on the golf course.”
“That’s been the big joke the last couple years,” Ross said. “It’s been that way for three years — it seems like at the end of the tournament they are right within a shot of each other. But they have two totally different games. David can really heat up fast and Daniel’s really consistent. It’s funny how their scores end up the same after each tournament, but if you look at each round, they shoot completely different.”
David professes to have the better long game; Daniel says he’s better on a short course. That isn’t where the differences stop, either. They’ve only played together in the same group twice this year (both times on the Junior Tour), but when asked about the benefits of playing side-by-side, Daniel and David were apples and oranges.
“You can kinda help each other out because you’re more comfortable,” David said. “I’d play a little better with Daniel.”
“Sometimes you can concentrate more if you’re playing with different faces,” Daniel said. “But it’s fun playing with kids I know like Cash (Campbell) and (Jacob) Oaks (both of Ardmore). It’s half and half.”
Half and half. Strangely enough, the McMurrys aren’t the first twins to come through the Ardmore High School golf ranks. Ross’ two younger brothers, Stan and Scott, played for the Tigers from 1984-1987. Steve played with his twin brothers for three years (1984-86), so he had a bit of an idea on what to expect from the McMurrys.
“Golf is such an individual sport,” Ross said. “Where one might have a good short game, one might hit every fairway. My brothers had their different games and even though you grow up and play together, you have your different habits. You develop your own sense of being when you’re out there.
“Those two boys, just like my brothers, have completely different games.”
Perched high atop the Junior Tour standings, the brothers will play a few more tournaments to ensure their qualification for the Red River Team Challenge at Dornick Hills, Oct. 31-Nov. 1, which pits players from Oklahoma and Texas against each other in a border-war style team tournament. It will be quite the home-course advantage for the two, who are both Dornick Hills members and won the first of their two team state titles there in 2008.
And if one of the McMurrys happens to win the Red River Challenge? The tournament director may need to see some ID.
Erik K. Horne
221-6522
