Oklahoma’s new men’s golf head coach has a last name that is all too familiar in this town.

Just as his brother, former OU quarterback Nate Hybl, had done in 1999, Ryan Hybl is now a Sooner by way of Georgia.

Hybl, labeled as one of the most decorated golfers in University of Georgia history, brings professional playing experience to a Sooner golf program that could be described as on life support.

“It’s awesome to be here,” Hybl said. “We’ve always loved this place, and we are excited to make this program better.”

Hybl, who most recently served as an assistant coach for his alma mater, takes over for Jim Ragan, who resigned May 16 after nine seasons.

While OU has captured only one national title back in 1989, and has just two top-10 finishes in the NCAA tournament, Hybl’s expectations remain high for the program.

“I’ve been a part of Georgia’s program for about nine years,” Hybl said. “Arguably, we’ve been the best program in the nation over that time. We’ve won championships. Hopefully, I can bring that type of experience here, and we can achieve the same goals.”

As for UGA and OU, Hybl draws similar comparisons between the two schools.

“They [both] made me feel so comfortable. It made me feel at ease,” he said. “Both schools parallel one another. I’m used to being around big time college athletics. There are going to be a lot of ups and downs.”

Hybl lettered from 2001-04, twice grabbing All-American and All-SEC honors. He concluded his career with a scoring average of 72.7, and 13 top-10 finishes, and also garnered the title of team captain for the Bulldogs during his junior and senior seasons.

He credits his coaching now with the experience he received on the course.

“In my opinion it’s a must,” Hybl said about the importance of having played competitive golf before coaching. “There are some college coaches who aren’t coming from my background. Golf is a very tough sport. It helps that I have more of an understanding for the their successes and struggles.”

While on the UGA staff, Hybl helped guide the Bulldogs to five straight top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships, as well as producing 14 All-Americans, 14 first-team All-SEC players and the 2006 SEC Player of the Year.

While he is less than a full week into his new job, Hybl is already on the recruiting trail.

“We’re going to work hard on [recruiting],” he said. “Luckily, we have a good brand in OU to sell and appeal across the nation. We are about to see a change in the program.”

With the changes comes a breath of fresh air for a school and program that once produced PGA Tour talents Anthony Kim and Todd Hamilton, but has since been on a steady downhill slope. Most notably, the slide reached rock bottom when the Sooners finished 10th at the Big 12 Championships last spring.

However, first thing’s first for the school’s golf course, Jimmie Austin Golf Club, which is preparing to host the 2009 U.S. Amateur Public Links Tournament starting July 13.

“It’s gonna be great for the Publinx,” Hybl said about Jimmie Austin. “I had the opportunity to walk around the course last week while a kid was on a recruiting trip. They’ve made a commitment out there. They’ve really done a good job.”