Hybl: Sooners healthy, rested, ready for pairing with OSU, Vanderbilt
From the opening tee shot, No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 2 Oklahoma State will be taking each other’s full measure when the NCAA Championships begin Friday at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale.
Along with No. 3 Vanderbilt, the Sooners and Cowboys will be paired together for the first two rounds. If both are among the top three teams at that point, they could be paired together for the full 72 holes of stroke play.
The top eight teams at the end of the stroke play portion advance to match play, with the first round and quarterfinals Tuesday and semifinals and finals on Wednesday.
“We don’t think about any particular teams until Tuesday, because none of it matters,” said OU head coach Ryan Hybl. “It’s all about getting to match play. But obviously Oklahoma State, Vanderbilt, Texas, Pepperdine are all very good. There’s a good solid 10-15 teams that can all win this championship. If we’re lucky enough to get one of those match play spots.”
Unlike 2021, when OU took two players to the finals who were either injured or out of sorts and still made it to the final match against Pepperdine. Hybl said his five starters are all healthy and playing good golf. Those five would be Logan McAllister, Chris Gotterup, Drew Goodman, Patrick Welch and Stephen Campbell Jr.
The Sooners enter the NCAA Championship fresh off a 10-shot victory in the Norman Regional at their home course Jimmie Austin OU Golf Course. It was a record-tying seventh victory this season for OU, a victory in the NCAA Championship would break the record.
The Sooners have previously won NCAA titles in 1989 and 2017. Hybl has guided it to the 10 best single-season scoring averages in school history and to the NCAA Championships each of the last 10 years. Oklahoma is one of three schools to appear in the last 10 championships and the only program in the country to make the last five NCAA match play championships.
Gary Putnick from NCAA.com predicts the Sooners over the Cowboys in the championship match next Wednesday. Despite the great success of both programs, they have yet to meet in match play in the NCAA Championship. Will this be the year? The entire state will be waiting to find out.
SENIORS
The OU lineup is anchored by its trio of All-American seniors in Chris Gotterup, Logan McAllisterand Patrick Welch.
The three have combined for nine career wins and 47 top-10 finishes in their collegiate careers. All three sit inside the school’s record book for single-season scoring average in 2021-22. McAllister holds the program record for career scoring average (70.93) and score vs. par (-0.51), while Welch is fourth all-time at 71.60 (0.13). McAllister’s 70.93 career mark is the 12th lowest in NCAA history.
#CHAMPU TAKES OVER PGA TOUR U
PGA Tour U presented by Velocity Global was debuted in the 2020-21 season to provide a pathway for graduating seniors to earn professional status immediately following the conclusion of their college careers. At the conclusion of stroke play at the 2022 NCAA D-I Men’s National Championship, the top-15 eligible players in the final 2022 Velocity Global Ranking will earn status on the Korn Ferry Tour or a PGA TOUR international tour. The top five players earn spots on the Korn Ferry Tour, while Nos. 6-15 earn membership on international tours.
Oklahoma has landed a national-best five players inside the PGA Tour U rankings, including three in 2020-21 and two this season. After the 2021 championship, Garett Reband (No. 5) earned KFT status while Quade Cummins (No. 6) and Jonathan Brightwell (No. 10) found homes on international tours. In 2022, Logan McAllister (No. 2) is in line for membership on the Korn Ferry Tour, while Chris Gotterup (No. 10) is fighting to move into the top five.
RUN IT BACK
In 2021, as the nation’s top seed, Oklahoma advanced to its nation-leading fifth consecutive match play at NCAAs, knocking off Illinois and Arizona State to earn a title match with Pepperdine in the final. However, the Sooners dropped the championship match 3-2 to the Wave. OU earned the No. 4 seed in the stroke-play portion by signing for an 1130 (+10).
THE NEW STANDARD
Since head coach Ryan Hybl arrived in 2009, Oklahoma has reemerged as a national powerhouse in men’s golf. The Sooners are one of two schools that have appeared in every NCAA Championship since 2011 and are the only program in the country to advance to match play at the championship every year since 2016, winning the national championship in 2017 and finishing as the runner-up in 2021.
THE FIELD
1. Oklahoma
2. Oklahoma State
3. Vanderbilt
4. Arizona State
5. North Carolina
6. Pepperdine
7. Texas
8. Texas Tech
9. Florida
10. Georgia Tech
11. Texas A&M
12. Stanford
13. Arkansas
14. Georgia
15. Wake Forest
16. Auburn
17. Florida State
18. Ole Miss
19. Kansas
20. Arizona
21. Oregon
22. East Tennessee State
23. South Florida
24. Ohio State
25. North Florida
26. Liberty
27. BYU
28. Georgia Southern
29. Utah
30. College of Charleston
OU LINEUP
Chris Gotterup, R-SR, Little Silver, N.J. – Transferred to Oklahoma from Rutgers for final season … Consensus No. 1 player in the country (Golfstat and Golfweek) … 2020 All-American … 2020 Big Ten Player of the Year … 2022 Big 12 conference runner-up … Finalist for Haskins Award … First NCAA appearance … Posted nine top-10 finishes in 2021-22, including a win at the East Lake Cup and Puerto Rico Classic … 69.77 scoring average this season is third lowest in program history … Score vs. par of -1.94 in 21-22 is third best in OU history … Made professional debut at Puerto Rico Open on PGA Tour, finishing T7 … 14 rounds in 60s in 21-22.
RANK: Golfstat – 1 | Golfweek/Sagarin – 1 | WAGR – 27 | PGA Tour U – 10
Logan McAllister, SR, Oklahoma City, Okla. – 2021 All-American … 2022 Big 12 All-Tournament Team … Finalist for Haskins Award … Second NCAA Championship ( T17, 2021) … Hasn’t finished outside top 20 all season … School record 70.93 (-0.51) career scoring average … Four career medalist honors are second most in OU history … 69.79 (-1.89) scoring average this season is fourth lowest in OU history … In career: 20 top 20s, 12 top 10s, four wins, 32 rounds in the 60s … Made pro debut this spring at the Valero Texas Open.
RANK: Golfstat – 3 | Golfweek/Sagarin – 10 | WAGR – 1 | PGA Tour U – 2
Stephen Campbell Jr., R-FR, Richmond, Texas – First NCAA appearance… Played in 11 events for OU in first season in lineup … Posted season-best finish of T5 at the East Lake Cup … Entered postseason off back-to-back top-20 placements at Thunderbird Collegiate and Big 12 Championship … Finished T23 at Norman Regional … Five rounds in the 60s … Won 2019 TAPPS 5A State Championship and set state scoring record (131) … Represented Team USA at the 2019 Junior President’s Cup … Mom, Elissa, played basketball at Oklahoma.
RANK: Golfstat – 150 | Golfweek/Sagarin – 145 | WAGR – 372
Drew Goodman, FR, Norman, Okla. – First NCAA appearance … No. 5 freshman in the country per Golfstat … Played in all 12 events for the Sooners this season … Nine top-20 finishes with four top 10s, including T5 at Norman Regional … 11 rounds in the 60s in 2021-22 are third most on roster … Posted a runner-up finish at Southern Highlands by signing for a OU freshman record 205 (-11) … Two-time AJGA All-American … Medalist of 2018 Under Armour Jordan Spieth Championship … No. 16 recruit in 2021 class per Golfweek and No. 1 in state of Oklahoma.
RANK: Golfstat – 47 | Golfweek/Sagarin – 70 | WAGR – 167
Patrick Welch, SR, Aliso Viejo, Calif. – Second NCAA Appearance (subbed in at 2021 champ) … Two-time All-American (2019 and 2021) … 2022 Big 12 All-Tournament Team … Two career wins, including one at Southern Highlands this season … Scoring average of 71.17 (-0.53) in 2021-22 is seventh best in school history … Owns school record for low round of 62 (-10) at Puerto Rico Classic … Career average of 71.60 is fourth among all Sooners historically … Swings crosshanded … Won the 2014 Drive, Chip and Putt championship at Augusta … Returning to OU next year.
RANK: Golfstat – 57 | Golfweek/Sagarin – 50 | WAGR – 68 | PGA Tour U: WD
Ben Lorenz, SO, Peoria, Ariz. (SUB) – Alternate for 2022 NCAA Championship, would be second championship appearance (2021) if he plays … Played in six events in 2021-22, with three showings as an individual … Season-best T19 finish as Calusa Cup … Career scoring average of 72.78 (+1.17) over 36 rounds played … Finished T57 in the 2021 championship as a freshman and went 0-3 in match play.
RANK: Golfstat – 170 | Golfweek/Sagarin – 177 | WAGR – 460
THE COURSE
The NCAA Championship returns to Grayhawk for the second consecutive year. The Raptor Course at Grayhawk Golf Club will be played at 7,289 yards and as a par-70 for the championship. The course, designed by Tom Fazio, opened in 1994 and is listed among the best public golf courses in Arizona by Golfweek and Golf Magazine. Raptor is one of only two Scottsdale golf courses to host a PGA TOUR event – the Frys.com Open 2007-2009. Other tour-sanctioned tournaments include the inaugural Williams World Challenge, Andersen Consulting World Championship of Golf and Waste Management Phoenix Open pro ams.
FORMAT
The NCAA Men’s Golf Championship consist of three days of stroke play on Friday thru Sunday (54 holes) with the top 15 teams and nine individuals not on an advancing team moving on. That is followed by a final day of 18 holes of stroke play on Monday to determine the top eight teams that will advance to match play and the 72-hole individual champion. The team national champion will be determined by match play. The Golf Channel will broadcast the individual championship round on Monday, and the match-play rounds on Tuesday and Wednesday.
TEE TIMES AND PAIRINGS
Top-seeded Oklahoma tees off at 1:30 p.m. CT in Friday’s opening round with No. 2 Oklahoma State and No. 3 Vanderbilt off the No. 10 tee. On Saturday, the Sooners go off No. 1 at 8:10 a.m. CT with the same groups.