Showcase at Cedar Crest: Allyn Stephens and Gregory Odom Jr. take the titles

The inaugural Southwest Airlines Showcase at Cedar Crest crowned its first-ever champions, Gregory Odom Jr. of Howard and Allyn Stephens of Tulsa, at Cedar Crest Golf Course in Southern Dallas.

The Memphis native Odom, coming off two collegiate wins in September, shot a 5-under 66 to secure the victory by 5 strokes in the Men’s Division at 12-under par.

The graduate student is a product of NBA legend Steph Curry’s continued investment in the Howard University Men’s Golf Team and was listed as a finalist for the prestigious Ben Hogan Award earlier this year.

Second place in the Men’s Division of the 54-hole event featuring elite golfers from diverse backgrounds was shared by KJ Ofahengaue, Christian Rodriguez, and Joshua Siplin at 7-under par.

Ofahengaue, from Lehi, Utah, and attending Utah Tech, and Rodriguez, from Houston and attending UT San Antonio, fired 2-under 69 in the third round. Orlando native Joshua Siplin, who plays at Howard University, shot a 1-under par 70 to maintain second on the leaderboard.

In the Women’s Division, Allyn Stephens of Tulsa fired a 4-under 67 for a 9-under par three-round total. The Houston native, who started the final round with a two-shot lead, ended up blitzing the field to win by 10 shots.

Second place in the Women’s Division went to local golf phenom Shyla Brown, a 15-year-old high school student out of McKinney, Tex. Brown fired a 1-under 70 in the final round, good for a 1-over par and a four-spot jump up the final leaderboard.

Kingston, New York native Amber Pennington, attending Delaware State University, faded with a 5-over par 76 for solo third at 2-over.