Cowboys surge into lead in Big 12 Championship, final round Thursday at Southern Hills

Complete results and live scoring

By Ken MacLeod
Photos by Bill Powell

Oklahoma State shot a 4-under par 276 in the third round, led by Eric Lee’s 4-under 66, to take command of the Big 12 Championship at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa.

The Cowboys, seeking their third consecutive victory and fifth of the year,  have Lee and Preston Stout in a tie for fourth individually at even par. They overtook Arizona State for the lead as the Sun Devils shot a 6-over 286 in the third round and are currently at 7-over, while OSU is at 1-over. Houston, at 26-over, is in third place.

Stout, the highly-ranked sophomore from Dallas, said he came to OSU because of the school’s deep tradition and for a chance to play for national championships. With three consecutive rounds of even-par 70 on the venerable Southern Hills layout, he is showing he may be ready to lead the Cowboys back to rarified air.

“It’s a really hard test of golf, very demanding,” Stout said. “You’ve got to be super precise with your iron play and your wedge play. You’ve got to control your spin and hit a lot of off speed shots. I think I’ve battled well and kept my composure so I’m proud of myself and hopefully can get a low one tomorrow.”

Stout and Lee trail ASU teammates Connor Williams and Josele Ballester as well as Houston’s Wolfgang Glawe by a single shot as they share the lead at 1-under.

Also for OSU, Ethan Fang is in ninth place at 2-over after a 70, Gaven Lane is tied for 10^th at 4-over after a 70 and Filip Fahlberg-Johnsson is tied for 26^th after a round of 73.

“We have a lot of talent and a young team, which is really cool,” Stout said. “It seems like we’re starting to peak at the right time and all the guys are playing well and hopefully we can prove that tomorrow. Everyone who chooses to come play here, the legacy and all the tour pros they produce and the trophies in the hallways at Karsten Creek, that was a huge part of why we all came here.”

Head coach Alan Bratton, who won this event as a freshman at OSU in 1992, 12 years before Stout was born, was pleased with what he saw Wednesday as well and sees great potential for a post-season run.

“Under par as a team here is really good,” Bratton said. “Every shot you can have as a cushion out here is big and important. The greens were firmer today and much more predictable and we were able to take advantage of that.

“We had some good teams in 2021 and 2022, but this team is not much different from one to five, probably deeper than those teams. Every guy has been our low scorer for a round and most of them for a tournament. That kind of depth is what you’re hoping to build.

The final round will begin at 7 a.m. with the Cowboys and Sun Devils going off the No. 1 tee between 8:12 a.m. and 8:48 .am. The tournament is open to the public at no charge with parking on site.

Note: Cincinnati’s William McDonald, the only full-time Oklahoma resident in the field, shot a third-round 73 and is in 13^th place at 6-over. He said the Bearcats, who are currently ninth, will need a strong finish tomorrow in order to be invited to regional play.