Cowboys, Sooners advance at NCAA Championship, look to secure match play spots

CARLSBAD, Calif. – Oklahoma State and Oklahoma each safely advanced through the 54-hole cut to 15 teams at the NCAA Championship and will be looking to lock up spots for match play by being in the top eight at the conclusion of today’s fourth round of stroke play.

Oklahoma State posted a 1-under 287 during the third round of stroke play at the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa to share fourth place through 54 holes..

OSU stands at 8-under 856 and is tied with Arizona and UCLA at the par-72, 7,528-yard layout. Auburn leads the field with its 842 total.

Cowboy junior Preston Stout fired a 7-under 65 to climb into the top spot on the individual leaderboard at 11-under 205. Stout opened with an eagle at the par-5 10th and birdie three of the final four holes on his outward nine for a 5-under 31 on his first nine. He would birdie the sixth and the eighth to get to get to his 7-under total for the round.

Stout will be vying to become OSU’s first individual NCAA champion since Matthew Wolff in 2019 and its 10th overall.

Junior Eric Lee signed for a 77 to finish at 216 and tied for 47th place, while classmate Ethan Fang posted his second consecutive 71 to finish tied for 58th place at 218.

Junior Gaven Lane carded a 74 to stand at 220 and tied for 72nd place.

Sophomore Filip Fahlberg-Johnsson posted a 79 and will enter his fourth round tied for 127th place at 226.

The Cowboys will tee off Monday at 1:25 a.m. (CST) and will be grouped with UCLA and Arizona. Live scoring is available at scoreboard.clippd.com and Golf Channel coverage will begin at 4:30 p.m. (CST).

With its season on the line, Oklahoma climbed two spots up the leaderboard into ninth place and is just a shot outside of eighth place. The Sooners have now advanced past the 15-team cut at nine of the last 10 NCAA Championships and will look to secure their eighth match-play appearance on Monday. The Sooners carded an even-par 288 in the third round and will enter Monday’s final round of stroke play in ninth place at even-par 864.

Junior Ryder Cowan paced Oklahoma on Sunday, firing a 3-under 69 to move into a tie for 22nd at 2-under for the championship. Cowan’s round was the Sooners’ lone under-par score of the day as the junior continues his push for All-America first-team honors.

Matthew Troutman sits tied for 32nd at 1-under after posting a 1-over 73 in Round 3. Clark Van Gaalen carded a 2-over 74 and is tied for 55th at 1-over overall, while All-American Jase Summy turned in an even-par round and enters Monday tied for 58th at 2-over.

Following the round, Summy is projected to become Oklahoma’s nation-leading 10th PGA Tour University graduate. The senior is expected to earn Korn Ferry Tour status by finishing inside the top 10 of the PGA Tour University rankings.

PJ Maybank III rounded out the Sooner lineup and is tied for 141st.

The 30-team field was trimmed to 15 following Sunday’s round. After Monday’s final round of stroke play, the top eight teams will advance to match play, with quarterfinal and semifinal matches scheduled for Tuesday and the national championship match set for Wednesday.

Oklahoma will tee off Monday beginning at 1:36 p.m. CT alongside North Carolina and Duke. Live scoring is available through Scoreboard powered by Clippd, while Golf Channel will provide coverage from 5-9 p.m. CT.

Top 10 Team Scores

1. Auburn—284-272-286=842

2. Texas—287-277-281=845

3. Vanderbilt—287-277-291=855

T4. UCLA—280-289-287=856

T4. Arizona—287-285-284=856

T4. Oklahoma State—295-274-287=856

7. North Carolina—287-288-283=858

8. Duke—286-286-291=863

9. Oklahoma—292-284-288=864

T10. Virginia—288-284-293=865

T10. Florida—291-290-284=865