The University of Texas golf program has produced some legendary figures. Harvey Penick. Ben Crenshaw. Tom Kite. Justin Leonard. The list goes on and on.
The collection of names to don the burnt orange and white has only grown since head coach John Fields took over the program in 1998. Among those he’s brought to the 40 acres in his 25 years at the helm include Dylan Frittelli, Jordan Spieth, Beau Hossler and Scottie Scheffler.
That’s a pretty solid core of PGA Tour pros to come through Austin.
However, the player that changed the trajectory of the program was not a Haskins winner like Hossler or Masters champions like Spieth and Scheffler. Instead, it was a left-handed prodigy named Cody Gribble.
“When Cody Gribble came, he was not only a great golfer, but he was a great person,” Fields said on this week’s episode of GOLF’s Subpar. “He was the right guy at the right time for us, because he was also as great a recruiter as I’ve been around.”
Following Gribble’s arrival on campus in 2009, Texas added names such as Kramer Hickok, Toni Hakula, Julio Vegas and, of course, Spieth, all of whom played a major role in the Longhorns 2012 national championship season.
“When [Gribble] came, that just changed everything,” Fields said. “He was a man’s man. People liked to be around Cody. That helped us get Jordan Spieth. Jordan Spieth helped us get Doug Ghim and Scottie Scheffler. Doug Ghim and Scottie Scheffler helped us get Beau Hossler and Gavin Hall. Gavin Hall and Beau Hossler helped us get the Coody brothers and Cole Hammer. And it’s been pretty wonderful ever since.”
Texas added another national championship to their trophy case in 2022 led by Hammer and the Coody brothers. Ask Fields, though, and he’s quick to point to the man who made it all possible.
“The success tree started with Cody Gribble,” he said.
Check out the entire episode of GOLF’s Subpar below.
Zephyr Melton is an assistant editor for GOLF.com where he spends his days blogging, producing and editing. Prior to joining the team at GOLF, he attended the University of Texas followed by stops with the Texas Golf Association, Team USA, the Green Bay Packers and the PGA Tour. He assists on all things instruction and covers amateur and women’s golf. He can be reached at zephyr_melton@golf.com.
