Bartlesville Golf

The year was 1984. Gas cost close to a dollar a gallon, the Los Angeles Raiders just defeated the Washington Redskins in the Super Bowl, and we were a few short weeks from Ben Crenshaw shooting an 11-under to win the Masters. Little did we know the Bartlesville boys golf team was a few shorts weeks from winning their ninth state title in golf.

The first state title in golf came in 1957 and after a dominating run in the ‘70s, the Bruins were hungry for another. It would come at the Muskogee Country Club where the Class 4A tournament was held that year.

Head coach Ken Bruno was responsible for many of the previous wins for the Bruins and getting back to championship form was long overdue. But heading into the final round the Bruins were behind by four strokes. Thanks to some excellent putting the Bruins were able to shave a few strokes off the score and beat Lawton Eisenhower by one stroke.

A storm cancelled the first round, and the tournament was shortened to 36 holes. Senior Ashley Roeder shot a 74 and over the 36-hole tournament the senior put up a score of 153, good enough for the first-place medal. Will Kittleman was the biggest mover of the tournament. His first-round score of 98 set up a great comeback for the second round where he shot a 79. The 19-point swing made a huge difference for the Bruins.

The Bruins would go on to win another title in 1988.

In 1984 the Bruins also won state titles in fastpitch softball, boys swimming, and girls swimming. Bartlesville has 71 state titles to their credit.

DID YOU KNOW: Will Kittleman’s twin brother Whit Kittleman is father of the University of Tulsa quarterback Stephen Kittleman who won a state championship with Jenks High School in 2020.