Dustin Garza is part of the 2018 Pizza Hut Shocker Sports Hall of Fame induction class. The class will be inducted at a banquet on Sat., Jan. 27.

Dustin Garza came to Wichita State from Mission, Texas so he could benefit from strong coaching and Grier Jones' PGA Tour experience.
 
"When you come out of high school . . .  you think 'I'm going to go in there and I'm going to tear it up,'" he said. "It's a whole different world. I knew I needed some direction. I knew I needed some leadership."
 
Garza found that with Jones at Wichita State. Jones' gruff style and insistence on practice hours worked, even while Garza enjoyed playing more than hitting range balls. Jones backed up his words with his college and professional success and Wichita State's regular NCAA berths.
 
"It's the talent that is easy," Jones said. "It's the doing that is hard. You've got to be out there every day."
 
That is what Garza wanted to hear.
 
"I needed to learn from somebody who played on the Tour," he said. "It's easier to learn from somebody who's actually done it."
 
After four years together, Garza departed Wichita State as the first Shocker to earn first-team All-America honors (third team in 2009 and first in 2010). He won 12 tournaments, including the MVC Championship in 2009 and 2010, and finished in the top 10 26 times. He started by claiming MVC Newcomer of the Year honors in 2007 and kept improving.
 
"His last two years were ridiculous," Jones said. "Every time he handed me a scorecard, it was something lower."
 
Garza came to Wichita State with great touch, able to hit the ball straight and place it on the green. When he doubted his putting ability, Jones convinced him otherwise. Confidence was rarely an issue.
 
"When something bad happened, he had a bad round, he basically let it go," Jones said. "And he didn't get scared being 5-under (par). If he was 5-under, he didn't want to come in 5-under. He was going for 8."
 
Garza almost ended up golfing at Texas Tech. His belief in Jones and his experience with Wichita on his campus visit directed him to Wichita State. Visiting Flint Hills National Golf Club and meeting Shockers alums made a big impression.
 
"As soon as I landed (in Wichita), I knew it was my home," Garza said. "The people, the alumni were so good to us. They were big supporters to us, of what we wanted to do. It was a lot of fun to play there."
 
Garza played on the PGA Tour and the Web.com Tour before retiring from golf in 2014.