So often in sports, success is measured by championships and trophies.
And that’s certainly the easiest way to demonstrate it.
But there are other ways to show greatness that sometimes go unnoticed or at least underappreciated.
The Kansas men’s golf team is in the middle of one of those rides, with the Jayhawks having qualified for an NCAA Regional tournament in 10 consecutive seasons, dating back to head coach Jamie Bermel’s fourth season in Lawrence in 2015-16.
Since reaching a regional that season — KU’s first since 2012-13 — Bermel and the Jayhawks have been playing in the postseason every year, with one break because of the COVID-19 pandemic mixed in there.
It’s a streak that, in longevity at least, rivals what Kansas basketball coach Bill Self’s teams did in winning 14 straight Big 12 titles.
Much like Self back then, who seemed to be asked every year how the streak happened, Bermel, who just finished his 15th season at KU, was asked recently if he could pinpoint a reason for the KU men’s golf team’s long run of consistency.
He offered up one name as his answer.
“I think it all started with Chase Hanna,” Bermel said. “He set the standard and everybody kind of bought into that standard.”
Hanna, who played and starred at KU from 2014-17, has pushed his collegiate success into a long professional career, as well. He has spent most of his time on the European Tour and the PGA Tour Latinoamericano and is currently playing on the Challenge Tour and Clutch Pro Tour.
While he was flattered by Bermel throwing credit his way, Hanna remembered it slightly differently.
In a text exchange with R1S1 Sports from a tournament overseas, he said he was merely the third best performer on that team, giving then-seniors Ben Welle and Connor Peck just as much credit for turning the tide.
“While it means a lot that Coach Bermel views me as someone who helped jumpstart the program’s success, in qualifying for our first regional of the 10 in 2016, Ben and Connor really played well that year and helped us get over the top.”
He added: “I’d say all three of us bought into Coach Bermel’s system and we succeeded in the program because of it.”
Hanna remembers vividly his first meeting with Bermel at his childhood home in the Kansas City area. The impression Bermel made that night paved the way for Hanna to head to KU and for the Jayhawks to become mainstays on the postseason scene.
“I was in Bermel’s first recruiting class,” Hanna recalled. “I’d grown up a big KU fan and had always wanted to go there, but, frankly, was apprehensive about the direction of the program before he was hired. If KU didn’t hire him, I probably wouldn’t have gone. When I met him and learned about his success, how he operated and how he wanted to get KU golf back to where it belonged, it became a no-brainer for me to go to KU. I’m not sure if he wanted to or not, but he honored the offer I had from Coach (Kit) Grove and I think I committed within a week or two.”
Hanna saw then — both during that first visit and throughout his first couple of years in the program — what so many have seen from Bermel during the past decade, when winning golf and competing for championships has been a regular part of the Jayhawk way.
During his time at KU, Bermel has led the Jayhawks to those 10 regionals, 2 NCAA Championship appearances and 16 tournament titles.
He also has helped deliver 75 Top-5 finishes while coaching 15 GCAA All-American scholar athletes and 7 Big 12 golfers of the month.
“Coach is able to get the most out of his players and demands a lot,” Hanna said. “But I knew it came from a place of wanting to compete and wanting to get back to where KU golf should be, which is where it is today.”
As has been the case most years of late, the roster will look a little different when the 2026-27 season rolls around. But the Jayhawks’ goals will remain the same — keep the regional streak alive and get to another NCAA Championship.
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