By Ken MacLeod
Angelica Pfefferkorn walked on to the Oklahoma State women’s golf team knowing her odds of playing much were slim. She was consistently shooting in the high 70s or low 80s, hardly the scores that would benefit a team with the competitive aspirations of the Cowgirls.
By her senior season, however, Pfefferkorn, through diligent hard work during and outside team practice hours, had improved enough to move into the starting lineup and be a vital contributor. And she did this while maintaining a 4.0 grade point average in a pre-med degree program and serving as a volunteer for numerous organizations.
“Her story is truly amazing,” said OSU coach Greg Robertson. “She didn’t get in the lineup for three years and knew she wasn’t going to be a pro. But she kept working and working to get better. Last year she really helped us get through regionals and into the NCAA Championship.”
Pfefferkorn this week was named the winner of the 2024 Everett Dobson Award by the Oklahoma Golf Hall of Fame. The Dobson Award is a $5,000 cash award that goes to help a recent graduate of an Oklahoma college or university get a start in their post-graduate career. Pfefferkorn is currently back in her home state of Indiana working for an ophthalmologist while applying to medical schools.
“Oklahoma has so many talented young people that have been influenced by the game of golf.,” said Lew Erickson, chair of the scholarship committee for the Oklahoma Golf Hall of Fame. “What Angelica accomplished while obtaining her degree at OSU was remarkable. We are proud to award her the 2024 Everett Dobson Award.”
“With so many quality applicants it is always a tough choice for the committee,” said Hall of Fame chairman Tom Jones. “Angelica is an outstanding pick by the committee and she has a great future.”
Robertson originally recruited Pfefferkorn at Carmel, Ind., when he was at Kent State and she contacted him when he took the OSU job in 2019 to see if she could still walk on. He let her know how difficult the road ahead would be for her to earn playing time.
“We told her there were no guarantees and frankly she was way behind the others when she came in,” Robertson said. “But she just kept working and getting better.”
Pfefferkorn said her teammates were her inspiration and what allowed her to make the progression she made.
“Honestly the girls were so motivating to be around,” she said. “They were my best friends and a huge motivating factor. They were so kind and celebrated every player’s individual wins, whether that was in competition or just making improvement.
“I knew my end goal wasn’t to play professionally, I’ve wanted to be a doctor since I was a little girl. But I really wanted to play and contribute and that’s what drove me.“
She was put on scholarship in 2022 and made 11 starts as a senior, shooting a career-low 66 in the Jim West Challenge and making seven birdies in the final round of the regional tournament in East Lansing.
In addition to golf and school, she volunteers for numerous organizations related to both golf and medicine.
Previous Everett Dobson Award winners
2023: Natalie Gough; Oklahoma City University, Mikaela Rindermann; Southwestern Oklahoma State University
2022: Kaylee Petersen, Northeastern State University
2021: Kaitlin Milligan, University of Oklahoma
2020: Sydney Youngblood, University of Oklahoma
2019: Elizabeth Freeman, Oklahoma Christian University
2018: Rylee Reinerston, University of Oklahoma
2017: Drew Posada, Oklahoma Baptist University
2016: Jordan Niebrugge, Oklahoma State University
About The Everett Dobson Award:
The Everett Dobson Award is named for the Oklahoma City businessman, philanthropist and avid golfer and champion of the game who provided the initial impetus and funding to start the Oklahoma Golf Hall of Fame.
Dobson, who played his collegiate golf at Southwestern Oklahoma State and is a former president of the Oklahoma Golf Association, is the owner of Oak Tree National, among other business and philanthropical interests.
Criteria for the award include that the recipient should exemplify strong citizenship, sportsmanship and character – attributes that the OGHOF believes are engendered by the game of golf. Golf accomplishments are considered, but are not the sole or determining factor for this Award.
About the Oklahoma Golf Hall of Fame:
The non-profit Oklahoma Golf Hall of Fame was established in 2014 and merged with the previously established Women’s Oklahoma Golf Hall of Fame. The Class of 2023 was its sixth induction class. Videos of each inductee are on the website.
