OU second, Cowboys eighth after 36 holes in Big 12 Championship

TRINITY, Texas -- Behind a 3-under-par performance by junior Abraham Ancer, the 28th-ranked University of Oklahoma men’s golf team is in second place after two rounds of the Big 12 Championship in Trinity, Texas. The Sooners carded a pair of 292 rounds for an 8-over-par 584 at the 7,330-yard, par-72 Whispering Pines Golf Club.

With 36 holes left to play, Oklahoma is in a great position to compete for a program’s second Big 12 Championship.

The Sooners have two golfers in the top 10 and trail No. 15 Texas A&M by two strokes. No. 46 Texas Tech is four strokes behind OU in third, and top-ranked Texas is in fourth at 18 over. No. 32 Baylor rounds out the top five at 25 over par. The winner of the last five championships, No. 30 Oklahoma State is in eighth place at 36 over par.

“I am pleased,” said head coach Ryan Hybl. “This is a grind out here; 36 holes today and this golf course is pretty big. You really have to pay attention on every hole. I’m really proud of both of our young freshmen - Michael Gellerman and Charlie Saxon. They each contributed in both rounds, which is awesome. Getting Abe (Ancer) to shoot a good round in the afternoon is great. It’s what he’s been expecting to do all year long. I’ve been waiting and waiting for it to happen and it finally did. He had a really good day today.”

Oklahoma needed a big performance from someone to be able compete with some of the best collegiate golfers in the country, and Ancer responded. The Mission, Texas, product recorded four birdies in the first round, but finished at par due to two bogeys and a double bogey. He cleaned up his game in the second, adding four more birdies and a single bogey to finish the day at 3 under and take over the individual lead with a two-round 141 (-3). He’s in front of Texas A&M’s Johannes Veerman by one shot.

“I was hitting it really well off the tee,” said Ancer. “I didn’t miss many fairways and that really helps here. You need to hit fairways and be really accurate on your second shot because there are a lot of slopes (on the greens). I managed to hit it in the right spots and I was putting well, too. I wasn’t making a lot of putts, but I wasn’t three-putting, either. I put it in the right spot and either two-putted or made a run at birdie.”

Ancer is comfortable at Whispering Pines, a good sign for his Sooners.

“This course is lovely,” added Ancer. “It’s one of my favorite places now.”

Gellerman cared a two-round 146 (+2) and is in a tie for ninth place at the championship event. The freshman made a splash in the second round with an eagle on the 392-yard, par-4 14th hole. Gellerman drove it onto the green and drained a seven-foot putt to record his first eagle as a Sooner. It was the only eagle of the day for any of the 50 competitors.

Senior Riley Pumphrey also turned in a solid performance for the Sooners, finishing the first 36 holes just outside the top 10. Pumphrey registered a first-round 72 (E) and a second-round 75 (+3) to finish the day in 12th place at 3 over par.

Charlie Saxon completed his day as the fourth Oklahoma golfer inside the top 20. The freshman shot a two-round 150 (+6) and is in a tie for 17th place.

Will Kropp showed promise throughout the day, but couldn’t overcome a pair double bogeys in each of his first two rounds. The junior sits in a tie for 42nd place with a 2-over 158 (+14).

“We actually finally finished nice and made a couple of birdies coming in, which we haven’t been doing at all this year,” said Hybl. “Dinner will taste better.”

Oklahoma will be paired with Texas A&M for Saturday’s third round, teeing off from the first hole at 8 a.m. CT. Live scoring will be available at Golfstat.com.
 

Oklahoma State’s men’s golf team posted a 36-hole total of 612 on Friday at the Big 12 Championship to stand in eighth place at Whispering Pines Golf Club.
The Cowboys’ 36-over score put them a shot behind Kansas State for seventh place at the par-72, 7,298-yard layout. Texas A&M used a 286 during its second round to move from third to first at 582. Oklahoma finished the day in second at 584.

A pair of Cowboys wrapped up the day in the top 20 with sophomore Talor Gooch and junior Sean Einhaus posting 151 totals to tie for 19th place.

Gooch bounced back from an opening 78 with a 73, while Einhaus carded rounds of 76 and 75.

Freshman Tanner Kesterson posted rounds of 78 and 77 for a 155 total to finish tied for 31st place.

Sophomore Ian Davis also posted a 155 total with rounds of 78 and 77 as well.

Redshirt freshman Patrick Winther came in tied for 46th place at 161 with rounds of 81 and 80.

The Cowboys will begin their third round tomorrow at 8:27 a.m. and will be paired with Kansas State. OSU must move up into at least seventh place to be eligible for post-season play with the requisite .500 record against D-1 competition.
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Teams scores: 1. No. 15 Texas A&M, 296-286--582, 2. No. 28 Oklahoma, 292-292--284, 3. No. 46 Texas Tech, 290-298--588, 4. No. 1 Texas, 302-292--594, 5. No. 32 Baylor, 304-397--601, 6. Iowa State, 307-299--606, 7. Kansas State, 307-304--611, 8. No. 30 Oklahoma State, 310-302--612, 9. Missouri, 312-301--613, 10. Kansas, 307-320--627

Top Individuals: 1. Abraham Ancer, Oklahoma, 72-69--141, t3. Johannes Veerman, Texas A&M, 72-70--142, t3. Matias Dominguez, Texas Tech, 69-74--143, t3. Jordan Spieth, Texas, 74-69--143, 5. Tyler Dunlap, Texas A&M, 73-71--144

OU scores: 1. Abraham Ancer, 72-69--141, t9. Michael Gellerman, 74-72--146, 12. Riley Pumphrey, 72-75--147, t17. Charlie Saxon, 74-76--150, t41. Will Kropp, 79-79--158