TOP ATHLETE OF THE PAST 30 YEARS: NATHAN HUGHES (BARTLESVILLE)

By Mike Tupa

Nov. 19, 2025

BARTLESVILLE AREA SPORTS REPORT

During his nearly 30 years of covering area high school sports for either the Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise or the Bartlesville Area Sports Report, Mike Tupa has enjoyed the opportunity to observe some incredible athletes.

This is an ongoing series highlighting, each few days, one of those athletes from the 1996-97 school year through the present. The list is not in chronological order. The athletes are presented in random sequence.

Today's Spotlight

NATHAN HUGHES (Bartlesville)

Golf (late 2000s)

Golf might be the ultimate sport of disciplined nerve, major mental focus, and stoic mental control.

Success on the links is often more a measurement of those intangibles rather than risk and luck.

Bartlesville High School graduate Nathan Hughes apparently incorporated all three at a young age — young enough to win the Class 6A boys individual state championship in 2009.

Building on the momentum of his high school and junior golf accomplishments, Hughes went on to a notable college career and in tournament/at-large competitions.

A product of a golfing family — his father Terry Hughes is an accomplished linkster and former high school golf coach for more than two decades and his uncle Steve Hughes has an impressive golfing resume in city-and-beyond experiences — Hughes continues in 2025 to play at a high level — including winning the prestigious 2025 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship National Qualifier.

But the intent of this feature is to revisit Hughes’ achievements as a prep golfer, making him one of the top athletes and competitors in area prep and youth sports history.

While playing for the Bartlesville Bruin boys golf team — coached by Jeff Rude — Hughes qualified for the 2009 state tourney.

It was on the onerous undulations of the Emerald Falls Golf Club (Broken Arrow) that Hughes made Bruin history.

He achieved it in climactic fashion, hitting a 12-footer for birdie on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff.

He became only the second Bruin boys state golf champion (according to the Iwasatthegame website), along with Ashley Roeder (1984) — although the former Bartlesville Sooner High School also boasted a boys state golf champion (Gary McDonald, 1980).

(Out of fairness, the former area high school golf state champions include: Bartlesville or Bartlesville Sooner —Faith Hopkins, 2018 girls, and Linda Brown, Sooner, 1978 girls; Nowata — Shelbie Black, girls, 2014, and Billie Dodge, girls, 1936; Pawhuska — Dorothy Campbell, girls, 1940.)

Hughes finished out his Bartlesville career with a flurry of meteoric play in the spring of 2009.

At the Centennial Conference Tournament (Ponca City Lou Wentz Course), he fired twin rounds of 70.

Around that same time, Hughes rallied from a first-round 75 to shoot 71 the next 18 and capture the Bartlesville Invitational crown with a birdie on the second playoff hole.

Hughes attacked the Class 6A regionals (Ponca City Country Club) with a 70 in the opening round and 72 in the follow-up 18. He finished just four strokes in back of the champion.

He also led the entire Bartlesville team to one of its top-ever showing — a 286 in the first round (Hughes 70, Clint Jones 71, Brandon Wong 71, Brad Hager 74, Braxton Clopp 82) and 304 on the second 18 for a 590, good for third place in the regional and to earn a spot at state.

Hughes opened up the first day at state in 2009 with an uncharacteristic 73. But he snapped back in a big way by shooting 66 the next round, which tied him for the lead.

During his sizzling round of 66 — which teed off on the back nine — Hughes recorded an eagle-three (No. 15) and birdies on No. 16, No. 18, No. 1, No. 2, and No. 4. He closed out the round with five-straight pars.

On the second day of state, he ended the regulation 54 holes still knotted for first place.

As mentioned, he sank a 12-foot birdie on the first hole in sudden death playoff action to win the state championship.

Some of his other achievements in 2008 or 2009 included:

— Winning the Bartlesville City Championship (70-71) at Adams.

— Winning the 2009 Junior PGA Sectional Championship.

— Earning spots in the Junior PGA National in Ohio and in the Junior World Championship in California.

— Capturing back-to-back high school conference titles in 2008 and 2009.

— Defending his championship at the 2009 PGA Junior Series at Kickingbird.

Hughes signed a golf letter of intent with the University of Oklahoma but later switched to the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UKMC).

While at UMKC he averaged 73.89 for 36 rounds his junior season — seventh best in UKMC history at that time. Between his junior and senior years he recorded 22 rounds of even par or below, including at least one 65.

His career stroke average of 74.38 ranked No. 6 in UKMC history as of 2014.

In 2013, Hughes pulled off a major upset — at least on paper — by winning the Oklahoma State Amateur Championship.

Hughes seeded only No. 21 when match play started. But he battled into the final to face the highly-regarded No. 2 seed Talor Gooch. Hughes beat Gooch, 3-and-2. Late birdies helped Hughes close out the win on the 16th hole.

He has won numerous Bartlesville city championship tournaments and won or competed at an elite level in several grueling competitions.

In addition to his father and his uncle, Hughes also has followed the tradition of a great links legacy from his grandfather.

Hughes is an example of par-fect choice as one of the exceptional area high school competitors of the past 30 years and beyond.

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Nathan Hughes

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This series has featured the following athletes, listed in no particular order.

-Jena’ Williams, Bartlesville

-Eric Rolfs, Bartlesville

-Chris Smith, Caney Valley

-Jill Bryan, Copan

-Barron Tanner Jr, Bartlesville

-Hailey Tucker, Bartlesville

-Jeremy Dunkle, Dewey

-Whitney Metcalf, Bartlesville

-Tim Hamilton, Bartlesville

-Danielle Koster, Bartlesville

-Carson LaRue, Dewey

-John Hamman, Wesleyan Christian

-Jamie Elam, Caney Valley

-Sam Mitchell, Bartlesville

-Karissa Jones, Dewey

-Noah Hartsock, Bartlesville

-Tiffany Paper, Copan

-AJ Parker, Bartlesville

-Tiffany Eden, Caney Valley

-Henry Williams, Bartlesville

-Markell Carter, Bartlesville

-Rebecca Schluter, Wesleyan Christian

-Adam Hibdon, Barnsdall

-Tishuana Hunter, Nowata

-Nate Alleman, Bartlesville

-Jessie Burch, Dewey

-Joey McNair, Caney Valley/Bartlesville

-Michael Thompson, Bartlesville

-Kate Steward, Bartlesville

-Jarrett Rouse, Community

-Amanda Warehime, Bartlesville

-Trey Osborne, Dewey

-Heather Lanphear, Barnsdall

-Erin Epperson, Bartlesville

-Levi Wyrick, Caney Valley (Kan.)

-Spencer Magana, Dewey

-Jackie Jo Chaney, Copan

-Haley Downey, Bartlesville

-Cooper Fogle, Caney Valley

-Amanda Brown, Copan 

-Rachel Smith, Pawhuska

-Casey Cassity, Barnsdall

-Stacy Cornforth, Bartlesville

-Gabby Higbee, Dewey

-Kirby Schoenthaler, Bartlesville

-Tyler Kay, Barnsdall

-Colton Penrod, Bartlesville

-Erin Herchock, Dewey

-Lindsey Collins, Caney Valley