Sooners make the 8-team match-play field in NCAA Men’s Golf Championship
By Chip Rouse
The OU men’s golf team on Monday experienced its worst round of the 72 holes of stroke play in the NCAA Men’s Golf Championship, but the Sooners had built a strong enough cushion in the first three rounds that they were able to hold on to second place and advance to the match-play portion as one of the eight teams still competing for the national championship.
The Sooners trailed the tournament leader, Vanderbilt, by just one stroke after 54 holes, but fell off the pace in the final round of stroke play, posting a team score of 16-over-par for the final 18 holes at par-72 Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill. Oklahoma finished with a 72-hole score of one-under 1151, a dozen shots back of Vanderbilt but comfortably in the field of eight moving forward to match play.
The windy conditions on Monday wreaked havoc with the entire field, not just the Sooners. Only three players out of the 84 who teed off in Monday’s round were able to break par. Sophomore Blaine Hale led OU with a three-over-par 75. Hale finished 11th overall in the individual competition, which concluded on Sunday and was won by Braden Thornberry of Ole Miss with a 72-hole score of 11-under 277.
“What a crazy day. The golf course played extremely difficult, and we did enough to get the job done.” –Ryan Hybl, OU men’s golf coach
“What a crazy day,” said Sooner coach Ryan Hybl, referring to the very challenging course conditions on Monday. “The golf course played extremely difficult, and we did enough to get the job done.”
Grant Hirschman was the next best OU golfer over the four-day, stroke-play competition, ending up 32nd with a 291, three strokes over par.
Oklahoma’s final round score of 304 was a full 25 strokes worse that the team’s best round on Day 2, when all of the Sooners shot par or better in posting a nine-under score of 279 (see the individual OU player scores for each of the four rounds.)
Companion Big 12 schools Oklahoma State and Baylor also made the eight-team field that will play a match-play format over the next two days to determine the 2017 NCAA champion. Oklahoma State finished fourth in the stroke-play portion of the championship, and Baylor tied for seventh.
The Sooners opening match on Tuesday is against Baylor. The winner between the Sooners and Bears will advance to play the winner of No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 6 USC in a semifinals match on Wednesday.