Cowboys finish third, Sooners seventh in Big 12 Championship
TRINITY, Texas – Oklahoma State’s men’s golf team used a closing 277 to move into third place during the final day of action at the Big 12 Championship on Sunday at Whispering Pines Golf Club.
The Cowboys’ 11-under score was the low round of the event by six shots and gave them a 12-over total of 1,164 at the 54-hole event. Texas claimed the team crown at the par-72, 7,473-yard layout, finishing with a 1,158 total and three shots clear of Texas Tech.
TCU’s Julien Brun fired his second consecutive 66 to finish at 11-under 277 and nine shots clear of the field.
Senior Talor Gooch carded OSU’s low round of the event, posting a 67 during his fourth round to move into a tie for third place at even-par 288. The finish marked the second consecutive top-five showing at the event for Gooch, who was the league runner-up last year.
Sophomore Jordan Niebrugge used a closing 68 to move up 17 spots and into a tie for ninth place at 293.
Freshman Zachary Olsen’s 72 also put him among the eight players at 293.
Senior Ian Davis maintained his tie for 19th place after finishing with a 73 to stand at 296.
Redshirt freshman Wyndham Clark posted his low round of the event, firing a 2-under 70 to get in with a 299 total and tied for 25th place.
The Cowboys will be back in action on May 15 when NCAA Regional play gets underway.
After struggling this weekend at the Big 12 Championship, the 15th-ranked University of Oklahoma men’s golf team finished in seventh place with a four-round 1192 (+40).
The Sooners shot an 11-over-par 299 on Sunday against the nine-team field.
A bright spot for the Sooners was sophomore Beau Titsworth, who matched his career-best showing with a tie for fifth place. Titsworth fired an even-par 72 on Sunday, bringing his four-round total to 290 (+2), and did not tally a score higher than 73 (+1) for the event. In the final round, Titsworth pocketed two birdies and eagled the par-5 hole No. 12.
"Beau did a great job this week, and it was great to see him perform well knowing he has struggled recently this spring," OU head coach Ryan Hybl said.
The performance is the third-top 20 finish for Titsworth in the past seven tournaments. He also took a share of fifth at the spring-opening UTSA/Oak Hills Invitational, where he competed as an individual, and placed 19th at the Linger Longer Invitational.
Titsworth said it feels great to finish in the top five for the first time in a team event, especially against a solid field.
"I’m walking away from this tournament with some confidence and momentum leading into regionals," Titsworth shared. "I wish the team could have played better, but I have no doubt we will figure it out before regionals."
With a 298 (+10), junior Michael Gellerman finished in 24th place, two strokes outside the top 20. On Sunday, he shot a 2-over 74, his second-best score of the event. Senior Michael Schoolcraft tallied a final-round 79 (+7), bringing his total to 302 (+14), good for a share of 28th place.
Tied for 37th place were junior Charlie Saxon and freshman Max McGreevy with a four-round total 308 (+20). For the final 18 holes, Saxon recorded his tournament-low round, a 2-over 74, while McGreevy carded an 80 (+8).
As a team, this is one of the worst tournaments the Sooners have played in a long time, according to Hybl.
"We could not get anything going, and we looked out of sorts all week long," Hybl explained. "Regionals is right around the corner, and we need to figure something out before then."
The Sooners will return to the course for an NCAA Regional on May 15-17. The selections for the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship will be announced starting at 9 a.m. CT on Monday, May 5, live on the Golf Channel. The Selection Show will also stream live at GolfChannel.com.