Cowboys claw back, Sooners in second at NCAA Championship
CARLSBAD, Calif. – Oklahoma State’s men’s golf team carded a 285 during the second round of action at the NCAA Championship on Saturday to grab sole possession of seventh place at the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa.
The second-ranked Cowboys rose seven spots in the team standings with their 3-under tally at the par-72, 7,480-yard layout. OSU stands at 2-over 578, two shots behind Texas and three shots behind Florida State for fifth place.
Oklahoma dropped from the lead into second place after Arizona State fired an 11-under round to pull three shots ahead of the Sooners.
The NCAA Championships feature 72 holes of stroke play, with the 30-team field cut to 15 after 54 holes. Monday’s final round determines the top eight teams that move on to match play, and the individual champion is crowned. Match play on Tuesday and Wednesday will decide the team national champion.
OSU sophomore Gaven Lane posted the squad’s round of the day, firing a 3-under 69 to rise 54 spots into a tie for 25th place at 144. Lane was bogey free on his outward nine, posting birdies at the second and the ninth.
He would tack on a birdie at the 12th to get to 3-under par for the day. After carding his lone bogey of the round at the 17th, he bounced back with a birdie at the par-5 18th hole to wrap up his day.
Preston Stout worked his way into the top 10, using a 70 to move into a share of eighth place at 141. The sophomore stood at 2-over through seven holes before carding three birdies over his next six holes to move under par. He would add his fifth birdie of the day at the 18th.
Sophomore Eric Lee used a 1-under 71 to climb 30 spots into a share of 33rd place at 145.
Sophomore Ethan Fang’s 75 tied him for 64th place at 148, while freshman Filip Fahlberg-Johnsson also signed for a 75 and is tied for 89th place at 150.
OSU will begin its third round Sunday at 9:25 a.m. (CST) and will be grouped with Illinois and Ole Miss. Live scoring is available at scoreboard.clippd.com.
Of note, four Cowboys were named NCAA Division I PING All-Region honorees by the Golf Coaches Association of America on Saturday as well. Fang, Lane, Lee and Stout all garnered the recognition.
Oklahoma sits alone in second place, 22 shots above Sunday’s 54-hole cut and 14 clear of the match play cut to eight teams.
The sixth-ranked Sooners (2, -10) trail leader Arizona State by three after the Sun Devils fired an 11-under 269 on Saturday at the North Course at Omni La Costa. True freshman Clark Van Gaalen is tied for fifth and one of four Sooners inside the top 25.
“Overall it was another pretty good day for us,” head coach Ryan Hybl said. “For us to have all five guys give us solid rounds and be in it all day was big. It’s important to get morning tee times, and we’ve played well enough over the first two days to do that. We’ll get going tomorrow morning and keep the pedal down.”
Oklahoma battled strong winds Saturday but used a solid start on its first nine to offset an even finish after starting on No. 10. Goodman and Cowan delivered red numbers, while Van Gaalen and Maybank III added counting even-par rounds.
Goodman (T8, -3) posted a 71 (-1), bouncing back from a double bogey on 18 with an eagle on the par-5 fifth. The senior, one of four Sooners named to the PING All-Region team Saturday, sits tied for eighth.
Cowan carded a 71 (-1) and is tied for 25th, getting back to even par for the week. He tallied four birdies, including one on his final hole to finish under par for the round.
Van Gaalen (T4, -4) remains inside the top five and trails the lead by five after an even-par 72. The freshman, also an All-Region pick, led OU with 15 pars on the day.
PJ Maybank III (T55, +3) climbed into the top 60 with a 72 (E), providing a key counting score. Jase Summy (T18, -1) is tied for 18th overall despite a 2-over 73 to close out the OU lineup.
Oklahoma tees off first Sunday morning alongside Arizona State (-13) and top-ranked Auburn (-6) at 8:30 a.m. CT.
Arizona State’s Connor Williams and Ole Miss’ Michael La Sasso share the individual lead at 9-under.
Live scoring is available on Clippd for the duration of the championship.
TEAM TOP-20 LEADERBOARD
1. Arizona State (-13)
2. Oklahoma (-10)
3. Auburn (-6)
4. Florida (-5)
5. Florida State (-1)
6. Florida (E)
7. Oklahoma State (+2)
8. Ole Miss (+4)
9. Illinois (+7)
10. Cal (+8)
11. Virginia (+10)
12. Pepperdine (+11)
12. Colorado (+11)
12. Georgia Tech (+11)
15. Vanderbilt (+12)
15. Wake Forest (+12)
15. Texas A&M (+12)
18. BYU (+13)
19. Texas Tech (+14)
20. South Carolina (+19)