Bohls: Texas freshmen golfers boosting Horns' national championship defense chances

While I got ya, here are nine things and one crazy prediction:

1. Don't sleep on this year's Texas golf team

Texas men's golf looks ready to roll: Sure, the Longhorns sit in fourth place in the East Lansing Regional behind a scorching hot Georgia team (28-under par) that barely made the NCAA postseason, Illinois and Oregon. But John Fields’ 15th-ranked Texas team (12-under) is capable of great things and needs only to finish in the top five to advance to the NCAA Championships in Scottsdale, Ariz., at Grayhawk Golf Club. (Kansas State and Florida are each eight strokes behind Texas, going into Wednesday’s final round.) The Longhorns are, after all, the defending national champions and have the mettle to repeat behind the nation’s top-ranked freshman class, including South African Christiaan Maas, Dallas’ Tommy Morrison and Anderson’s Keaton Vo. “These four have the opportunity to do something that’s never been done before at Texas and win multiple championships like Ben Crenshaw and Tom Kite did in the ❜70s,” Fields said by phone. “They’ve got a chance. Christiaan’s cut from the Ernie Els mold and plays in a big, easy way. But I’d say all four (including alternate Jacob Sosa from Westlake) have pretty extraordinary belief in themselves.” Texas did finish fourth at the Big 12 Tournament and Maas is “playing some frustrating golf” with putting issues. But Morrison is on top of his game, and Vo aced the 202-yard fifth hole on Monday — his fourth hole-in-one ever — and rallied for a 3-over score with even par on the back nine after a difficult nine on No. 18 (his ninth hole) Tuesday, hitting twice off the tee into the gnarly rough both times.

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2. Sooner or later, Texas will get its betting bill

Betcha it passes: Eventually. Maybe in 2025. By then, maybe the Texas Legislature will realize its folly. First, let me say I’m not a gambler. I play a lot of fantasy football, baseball and golf, but I’ve probably made five bets in my entire life. That said, I wholeheartedly support legalized sports betting in Texas same as all of the state’s professional sports franchises even though Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick quashed the resolution that had passed the House and wouldn’t even allow the Senate to consider the bill. At the very least, he could allow the Texas electorate to decide if it wants legalized gambling or not. You know, the will of the people and all. Besides, the state already sponsors a lottery with The Lotto, Mega Millions, Texas Two Step, etc. … To me, a person who wants to gamble will find a way to gamble whether online or in Vegas or any of our neighboring states, who certainly don’t want betting legalized in Texas. But why should Texas lose all that money to Oklahoma and Louisiana? Ever since May 14, 2018, when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 — the federal law prohibiting sports betting — some 34 states as well as Washington, D.C., have legalized sports betting. And another four have pending legislation to implement betting. The end result of that legal wagering the last five years, according to the American Gaming Association, has been $220 billion. All legal. And more than $3 billion in tax revenue. That, my friends, will pay for a lot of teacher raises or mental health advances or police oversight or immigration solutions or whatever you want to spend it on. A big key is regulation so illicit gambling by the Alabama baseball coach and possibly the Iowa State and Iowa baseball programs can be discovered, the same as six NFL players were suspended in April for their connection to violations of the league’s gambling policy.

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3. Roschon Johnson makes an immediate impression

Utility man: Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian couldn’t help but sharing an interesting story about Roschon Johnson at one of his running backs position meetings with the Chicago Bears. The running backs coach for the Bears tweeted out that after a meeting, the former Longhorn went around the room and picked up all the water bottles the other players had left. Hats off to Johnson's parents for raising him the right way. “That’s our culture,” Sarkisian told our “On Second Thought” podcast. “Our culture is about what more can I do, not what more can I get. And I think that when you have that, I think guys pull for one another.” … As if expectations for this coming Texas season aren’t already high enough, Pro Football Focus has pegged quarterback Quinn Ewers as the Minnesota Vikings' first pick at No. 21 next year, even likening him to another former Vikings QB, Brett Favre. PFF talks about Ewers' “ridiculous arm talent” but also has problems with his decision-making and accuracy. If he corrects those, the site says Ewers will “undoubtedly vault himself into top-five territory.” … An interesting piece in The Athletic delves into the tampering process of the transfer portal, citing the more than 1,100 scholarship players from Group of Five schools who have entered the transfer portal since August. It reports that nearly 600 of those left, including 200 to Power Five schools. And not your run-of-the-mill players because 64 were all-conference last season. … That will impact Texas because Wyoming, a Longhorns opponent on Sept. 16, lost 12 players in the portal. Former UT defensive lineman and assistant coach Oscar Giles was recently promoted to associate head coach of the Cowboys. Rice, Texas’ season-opening foe, lost just four players and inherited nomadic quarterback JT Daniels, who will be at his fourth stop after playing at USC, Georgia and West Virginia. Alabama said goodbye to 20 players and added just five. Guess Nick Saban feels like Sark: once you enter the portal, you’re gone.

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4. Big bucks from a big golf tournament

Big donor: The PGA Tour announced its final tally of donations to Austin charities from the World Golf Championship-Dell Technologies Match Play for 2023 came to $1.1 million. That brings the total of the eight-year event, including the COVID-canceled tournament in 2020, to $7 million.

5. Texas baseball takes it swings

On base: Texas’ Eric Kennedy had himself a weekend with 13 RBIs in the last two games of the wins over San Jose State. Pitcher Travis Sthele has seemed to find himself with a 95-mph fastball to go with his solid changeup and emerging slider. Texas had 18 two-out RBIs in the series and scored 42 runs in the two victories. … Longhorns head coach David Pierce said the key to Lebarron Johnson Jr.’s turnaround was sparked by a small tweak in his delivery to help stay directional versus circular. “It has helped him be on time to his release point, which also helps him create a downward angle with all his pitches.” … Likewise, Pierce loves Dylan Campbell’s patience at the plate during his 30-game hit streak. “He’s not forcing hits. His maturity as a hitter along with a simple approach and swing has put him in a position to handle different types of pitches.”

6. How does an owner-player sound, NFL?

On hold: So Matt Ryan has retired. Wait. No, he hasn’t retired. He’s, uh, taking a break to work as a CBS Sports NFL analyst, kind of like the break he took in that fourth quarter in the Super Bowl in Houston against the Patriots despite a 28-3 lead. I expect this to be a permanent retirement. … Tom Brady’s wanting to buy a share of the Las Vegas Raiders, who couldn’t get him as a quarterback and want the next best thing. Come on, TB. Look elsewhere. Ask Robert Kraft to sell you a piece of the Patriots, and you can be the boss of Bill Belichick. That would be an interesting dynamic.

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7. This and that

Wheels for women: Good on Madisen Skinner, the former Kentucky volleyball player who transferred to Texas and helped the Longhorns win last year’s national championship. She cashed in with a sweet NIL deal with a shiny, new VW, and, I’m told, became the first Longhorns female athlete to get a new ride. I call shotgun. … Silver is on the clock. Is Ja Morant a guest lecturer for a class on How To Sabotage Your Own Career? Are you for real, man? After getting suspended eight NBA games for brandishing a gun inside a Denver nightclub, the Grizzlies star appeared in a video on social media waving a firearm. So he’s suspended from all team activities for the time being. What’s that mean? He can’t attend the company picnic this summer? Banned from the sack races? In this climate of out-of-control gun violence, can you say one-year suspension from commissioner Adam Silver? The NBA should suspend him a year. How else do you get his attention? That said, I’m assuming Gov. Abbott and others will want zero suspension and ask Morant for his personal endorsement.

8. Where have you gone, Kyle McCulloch?

Scattershooting: While wondering whatever happened to former Texas pitcher Kyle McCulloch.

9. Meanwhile, from the greatest seat in the world ...

On the couch: Have mixed feelings about the third season of “Ted Lasso.” While I love the positivity and exuberance of Jason Sudeikis in the lead role and Roy Kent is one of the best characters ever, it just seems the series has dragged at times, fleshes out too many characters like Rupert and Keeley and can’t decide what it wants to do with Nate as either a villain or a redemptive soul. Still love the series, but give the third season a 7. ... You might check out “Call me Kate,” an in-depth look at Katharine Hepburn’s life and loves. Gave it 8 ducks.

There's a new G.O.A.T in town

Crazy prediction: Shohei Ohtani will go down as the greatest baseball player ever.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas freshmen golfers competing hard to defend national championship