The history of IU golf is told through individual blips of conference recognition scattered on the national collegiate golfing radar screen. And then IU golf coach Mike Mayer recruited Evansville native Jeff Overton.\nOverton's 2001 arrival in Bloomington received little student fanfare and even less campus community publicity. Besides the usual public relations memo and the student newspaper plug, neither Mayer nor the student body knew what to expect from a golfer who first caught the "golfing bug" sometime during his eighth-grade year in middle school.\nOverton concluded his IU golf career in May, however, as the single greatest golfer to ever swing a crimson and cream tinted golf club. Between the fall of 2001 and the spring of 2005, he won one Big Ten Championship title and eight other individual tournament titles, was the Big Ten Golfer of the week nine times, was a two-time winner of the Les Bolstad Award for the lowest stroke average in the Big Ten Conference at the end of the season and won back-to-back Big Ten Player of the Year awards his junior and senior years.\n"My dad told me I could do anything I wanted if I wanted to," Overton said. "I wanted to play golf and next thing you know I was a decent golfer ... Pretty much as soon as I got to campus I knew I had made the right choice. I got to play in tournaments right away with experience playing against the number one from other teams -- had I gone anywhere else I would have been lost in the crowd. "\nOverton said he was recruited by Big Ten rival and 2005 NCAA Golf Champion Illinois, Ball State, Kansas State University and the University of Georgia, but without a scholarship offer. He is only the seventh IU golfer to win a Big Ten Championship since the tournament began in 1958, including the 1975 Hoosier duo of Bob Ackerman and Gary Biddinger who finished tied for first.\nOverton's career-ending 71.71 strokes per golf outing average is the lowest number of swings of any IU golfer the program has ever seen.\n"By my junior year I won a tournament and then I thought I could win every tournament I played," he said. "It has now gotten to the point I want to be the best golfer Jeff Overton can by maximizing my potential."\nAfter stumbling somewhat during the third round of the 2004-2005 season opener, Overton scorched his way through the Midwest collegiate golf scene with three tournament wins, four second-place prizes and nine top-five finishes out of 10 contests entered -- including a Big Ten Championship crown. He completed 34 rounds of golf during the regular season, averaging 69.97 strokes per outing. \nOverton's season-ending average of 70.62 is the lowest number of strokes ever swung during 18 holes of competition by any IU golfer. \nMayer said the Big Ten Conference and IU records Overton leaves behind "speak for \nthemselves." \n"It's been an honor to work with Jeff Overton -- he has a lot of heart and passion," he said. "I've been privileged to be part of the process. Golf is a team concept but it is very much an individual sport."\nIU men's golf tied for 18th place at the NCAA East Regional tournament two weeks after the team scored a second place finish in the Big Ten Championships in May. Overton ended his Hoosier golfing career at the NCAA Tournament tied for 20th, although he proclaims Hoosier golf fans will soon see his Professional Golf Association swing sometime in the next two to three years.\n"I try to figure out holes I can take advantage of and the holes I need to be careful of -- it's all about picking your spots. You don't have to birdie all 18 holes. Sometimes the best shot is for par," he said. "It's a great honor to be considered 'the greatest golfer in the history of IU golf.' It's been a great ride and I appreciate everything IU and Coach Mayer have done for me." \nOverton is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten team member. He also thanked his father, Ron, for "strength and courage" and his "cushion" Bob Walters, his mentor who helped fuel his ambitious drive to hit 200 to 300 golf balls every day for the last decade.\nMayer said he credits Overton with helping mentor teammate and former IU golf star Heath Peters and a batch of young Hoosier talent recruited during the last three years.\n"I think Jeff shows everybody they can achieve if they set out to achieve -- if they have passion, love, desire and a work ethic as well," he said. "I loved every minute of all the practice hours. When you have that kind of heart you can get pretty damn good at golf."\nOverton said he admires PGA superstar Tiger Woods for contributing to fan growth and media attention of golf throughout the last ten years, and golf folk legends Ben Hogan, Jack Nicholas and Sam Sneed among an extended list of others.\n"At first my motivation was to do something with my life that I could work hard for. My self-drive earned me a scholarship and I was able to play as part of a team," he said. "I try do my best and I try my hardest at every tournament. If I lose, I'm going to go out and make sure the winner is in the spotlight. Part of winning is being a good loser -- I try to treat everybody after each round as a winner."
