High wind, rough make it difficult on Stephens Cup competitors in opening rounds

With Tulsan Will Sides in second place individually at even par, Southern Methodist held a two-shot lead over Oklahoma State on the men’s side as darkness fell in The Stephens Cup Monday at Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club.

Several golfers will go back out Tuesday morning to complete their final few holes and then play 18 more beginning at 11 a.m.. The top four teams in men’s and women’s will advance to one round of match play on Wednesday.

Golfers faced steady winds of 20-25 mph, high, thick Bermuda rough and fast and firm greens and the results showed it.  Ethan Fang of Oklahoma State was the only men’s golfer in the field under par and he was 1-under through 16 holes of his second round. Sides was next at even par with one hole to play. The best score of the day was recorded by Carolina Chacarra of Wake Forest. The younger sister of former Oklahoma State golfer Eugenio Chacarra, Carolina shot rounds of 66-70, making six birdies against two bogeys in her opening round.

The University of Oklahoma, which entered the event off consecutive victories, is in fourth place at 16 over. The Sooners were led by Ryder Cowan , tied for eighth at 3 over. Jace Summy is at 5 over, while Matthew Troutman and P.J. Maybank III are 6 over. Drew Goodman is 8 over.

Florida State, boasting the world’s top-ranked amateur in Luke Clanton, is in fifth place at 29 over. Clanton shot a 3-over 73 in his opening round and 72 in the second round.

The 14th-ranked Cowboys were one of three teams unable to finish their second round due to darkness. Three of the five players in the OSU lineup will wrap up their second round tomorrow morning before beginning the third and final round of stroke play at the par-70, 6,964-yard layout.

Currently, OSU sits at 10-over par and two shots off the pace of SMU. The Cowboys posted the low score of the first round with a 282, 2-over par, and are 8-over on their second round with individual leader, sophomore Ethan Fang, and sophomore Preston Stout having two holes remaining in their rounds and sophomore Eric Lee needing to finish the 18th.

Fang opened with a 1-under 69 which featured three birdies. He has four birdies through 16 holes during his second round and is the only player under par in the men’s field.

Freshman Filip Fahlberg-Johnsson posted scores of 71 and 72 to finish the day in eighth place at 3-over 143.  Sophomore Gaven Lane was a stroke back with scores of 70 and 74, tying him for 10th place.

Stout opened with a 72 and is 5-over on his second round to stand in a tie for 21st place. Sophomore Eric Lee is tied for 23rd after opening with a 76 and posting a 2-over total through 17 holes during his afternoon round.

Tuesday’s third round will begin at 11:20 a.m. with Golf Channel providing live coverage from 3-6 p.m.

Wednesday’s match play portion of the event will begin at 10:30 a.m. with Golf Channel covering the action from 3-6 p.m.

In the women’s team race, Oregon leads by a single shot over South Carolina with top-ranked Arkansas third five shots back. Oklahoma State is in fourth, one shot ahead of Florida State for the final berth in match play.

Grace Kilcrease is tied for 11^th at 9 over to lead Oklahoma State.

Freshman Natalie Blonien of Altus drew her first start for the Razorbacks and struggled with rounds of 81-84.  It was a tough conditions to make your college debut for a team ranked No. 1 in the country.

Live scoring for the event can be found at: https://scoreboard.clippd.com/tournaments/233394/scoring/player

Tickets can be purchased at: https://stephenscup.com/tournament-info/

Stephens Cup highlights