Billy Applewhite (1987) - Southern Miss M-Club Hall of Fame

Billy Applewhite

Induction:
1987

The 1960s was an era where the golf program at Southern Miss started to come of age and one of the players that helped the program continue to move up the ladder was Billy Applewhite.
   Few players that played at Southern Miss had the complete game that Applewhite did. Not only was he long and accurate off the tee, but his iron play was spectacular and his chipping and putting was among the best.
   He began his career at Southern Miss playing for the legendary Coach B.O. Van Hook in 1962 and helped lead the team to a 7-6-1 dual match record. That team recorded victories over Spring Hill College, Loyola of New Orleans, Millsaps College and Tulane, among others.
   The 1963 team with Applewhite playing a large role finished with a 9-3 dual match record and also competed successfully in three tournaments as well. They finished fifth in the 17 team Louisiana State Invitational, second in the nine team Buckholtz Invitational and captured the Mississippi Intercollegiate Championship.
   Applewhite tied for low medallist honors in the Buckholtz Invitational, but lost the individual title in a playoff. Southern edged Ole Miss for the state championship by a single shot.
   Applewhite and the 1964 squad posted a 4-2 dual match record and once again captured the Mississippi Intercollegiate championship. The season would see the team finish third in the Buckholtz Invitational and seventh in the LSU Invitational.
   In the 1964 state intercollegiate Southern had five players, including Applewhite, among the top nine finishers as they captured the title.
   1965 would see Applewhite and the golf squad have one of the greatest years in school history as they breezed through the dual match schedule with a perfect 11-0 mark. They won their third straight Mississippi Intercollegiate championship, finished third in the Buckholtz Invitational and eighth in the LSU Invitational.
   Applewhite and his teammates defeated Tulane, Missouri and Southern Illinois, among others that year. The team also ended the year at the Southern Intercollegiate in Athens, Georgia.
   Since finishing his career at Southern Miss, Applewhite has been one of the true promoters of golf around the state of Mississippi. As one of the most successful club pros in the state, he has taught the game to a couple of generations of kids and the popularity of the game around Mississippi today can be credited in part to him.
   He has also continued to be a big supporter of Southern Miss and its golf program and his contributions are still felt today.
   As a player he played a large role in helping to elevate Southern Miss golf to the next level. As an individual player he won tournaments and championships, but to him the team was the most important, and with his team they won championships as well.