Bill Glasson

Bill Glasson was a bit rough around the edges when Bill Brogden convinced him to come from Fresno, Calif., to Oral Roberts University. But his combination of a relentless work ethic and a take-no-prisoners attitude soon had him outplaying his more celebrated teammates as well as the rest of the nation.

After nearly leading the Titans to the 1981 NCAA Championship, Glasson joined the PGA Tour, where he won seven times and led the PGA Tour in driving distance in 1984.

His first win came in the 1985 Kemper Open and epitomized his tenacious attitude. Trailing seven strokes behind the leader Larry Mize with 14 holes to play, Glasson made a 45-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole for a round of 66 to finish one stroke ahead of Mize and Corey Pavin. Glasson won a second Kemper Open in 1992. His best finish in a major is a tie for 4th place at the 1995 U.S. Open. Glasson has over 60 top-10 PGA Tour finishes and has earned more than $6.7 million in career earnings. He was featured in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking. His most recent win on the Tour was in 1997 at the Las Vegas Invitational.

Glasson could have accomplished much more, but the body that looked like Tarzan often felt like he had fallen out of a tree. Glasson has undergone more than 20 surgeries and is still battling health issues today while competing on the Champions Tour.

“Bill is the toughest, most competitive guy I’ve ever been around,” Brogden said. “He came to ORU with the least and just willed himself to become a good player. He would play Joey Rassett every day and lose, but he came back the next day determined to beat him.”