Texas golf star had an ace on a par-4 (in flip-flops) at Ben Crenshaw's boyhood golf course - Golfweek

AUSTIN, Texas — After leaving the University of Texas following the spring college golf season, Tommy Morrison has rolled into the Korn Ferry Tour and become an instant force, winning once at the Evans Scholars Invitational and adding a pair of runner-up finishes in just eight starts.

But Morrison truly added to his lore with a feat at the Austin municipal golf course that has long been the pet project of two-time Masters champion Ben Crenshaw.

Prior to the recent Imagine Muny Gala at Austin City Limits' Moody Theater, a fundraiser that benefits nearby Lions Municipal, Crenshaw's longtime pal and business partner Scotty Sayers let out a doozy of a story about Morrison, who played often at the University of Texas Golf Club but never at Lions.

Well, until he pulled off an incredible feat. And with bare feet, at that.

"The UT players all come over and play it, but Tommy Morrison had never been to the course," Sayers said. "Tommy walks out there one afternoon in flip-flops, jumps on the front, on like the eighth hole, he gets to the ninth. He holes it for a double eagle. He makes a one on No. 9. In flip-flops. Those are the kinds of memories this place makes."

The story about Morrison holing out on a par-4 in flip-flops was just one of many shared at the iconic venue where the Austin City Limits TV program is taped.

The land beneath Lions Municipal is part of the historic 500-acre Brackenridge Tract, a prized parcel owned by the University of Texas. Long celebrated as the first fully desegregated municipal golf course in the South, "Muny" has operated on 140 acres leased from the university since 1936, with the city paying roughly $500,000 annually for the privilege.

For years, leaders of the Save Muny Conservancy, spearheaded by Crenshaw and Sayers, envisioned securing the course's future by purchasing the land outright from UT at a fair market price. But as Austin's real estate boom transformed the city and drove land values to extraordinary heights, that goal became increasingly difficult to achieve.

Rather than pursuing ownership, the conservancy has shifted its strategy toward collaboration. Today, the group is working more closely with the university on maintenance and stewardship efforts while continuing to advocate for long-term lease negotiations that would preserve one of Austin's most beloved public golf landmarks for future generations.

Imagine Muny 5 surpassed its ambitious $1 million fundraising goal for the Muny Conservancy, delivering an evening that blended philanthropy, Texas music and a shared commitment to preserving one of Austin's most cherished landmarks. Guests were treated to updates on efforts to protect Lions Municipal Golf Course, spirited bidding during a live auction led by Brittany Franklin, and a concert lineup that read like a Texas Music Hall of Fame.

Country music legend Tanya Tucker headlined the festivities, joined by ACM Award winner Jack Ingram, Red Dirt favorite Wade Bowen and the 10-time Grammy-winning Western swing pioneers Asleep at the Wheel. The night also featured surprise appearances by honky-tonk icon Dale Watson, who coined the term "Ameripolitan" music, and Austin's own vintage-swing ensemble, The Copa Kings.

"I think it's going pretty well. For the most part, people know what we're about," Crenshaw said. " I think when people don't know much about it and they start studying it, they quickly realize this is a hundred-year-old asset that has provided so much enjoyment to the community. I think some people object to it, mostly because of where it is. It's right in the heart of the city. But it binds this city. And it's the most peaceful place.

"It's really an oasis. People of all ages and types love this place. It's just provided a lot of pleasure."

More than a fundraising event, the gala serves as a celebration of Lions, the historic public venue that has been part of Austin's landscape since 1924. Supporters gathered not only to honor the course's rich legacy but also to strengthen community efforts aimed at ensuring Muny's future for generations to come.

Backstage, Tucker summed up the sentiment shared throughout the evening.

"We want this golf course here forever, for our great-great-great grandkids," she said. "I'm glad to be a part of it."

Tim Schmitt is the editor of Golfweek magazine and the golf coordinator for the USA Today Network.