Two years into his golf journey at Oklahoma, Cheboygan's PJ Maybank feels good about his game. He's also hungry for a huge junior season.
CHEBOYGAN – Even a couple months later, PJ Maybank III still remembers the feeling.
Competing in the NCAA Division 1 men’s golf national championships at Omni La Costa in Carlsbad (California), the Cheboygan native and his Oklahoma Sooner teammates made the quarterfinals.
While the Sooners didn't win it all, it was an experience Maybank will never forget.
“It’s the biggest tournament of the year, all of us teams and players are there, and it’s on national TV, so it feels a little different,” Maybank said. “It’s kind of like one of our majors, I guess, but it’s an awesome event and so much fun. I can’t wait to get back, and it was a really good experience for me to get in and play the whole event, and I got two more years of it.”
Two years can go by in a hurry and it certainly feels like it has for Maybank, who’s now heading into his junior year with the national powerhouse Sooners this fall.
From competing in the drive, chip and putt championships at Augusta as a youngster, to winning numerous golf titles all over the state of Michigan and beyond, to committing to Oklahoma a few years back, the journey has been an exciting one for Maybank, whose second year at OU had ups and downs.
While he had a productive fall in 2024, he experienced some struggles during the early part of last spring. However, Maybank adjusted and found his game at the right time. By May, he helped the Sooners qualify for a 14th consecutive NCAA championship event.
“Every part of my game just started to be back to normal, and maybe mentally going into the rounds a little differently,” Maybank said.
What has benefitted Maybank during his time at OU is learning from all-American teammates like Ryder Cowan, Drew Goodman, Jase Summy and Clark Van Gaalen. Knowing most of them going all the way back to their junior golf days, their play has only inspired Maybank to up his game.
“Once you practice and play with them every day, you realize they do the same type of stuff that you do,” Maybank said. “They hit certain shots a little bit better, they work on certain parts of their game a little bit more, but it’s not that much different.”
Like previous summers, Maybank has been busy on the course even if it’s technically his offseason with the Sooners. In June, he placed second in the Michigan Amateur Championship held at Belvedere Golf Club in Charlevoix, while also competing in premier out-of-state events like the Sunnehanna Amateur (Pennsylvania) and the Western Am (Illinois).
This past Sunday, he added another trophy to his collection by winning the 78th Northern Michigan Open at the Cheboygan Golf & Country Club, his first victory since 2023.
As he awaits Year 3 at OU, Maybank feels strongly about his game.
But to reach a new level, he wants to be like his teammates – more consistent.
“I felt like (last) school year I played really well, especially in the fall. I would’ve had a couple chances to win in the fall, but I just needed to put three full rounds together, and the same thing at regionals where I had one bad round,” Maybank said.
Contact sports editor Jared Greenleaf at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @sportsCDT
This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Cheboygan's Maybank striving for more consistency with Oklahoma golf
Category: General Sports
