Saxon on top, Cowboys stand second, Sooners third in Southern Highlands Collegiate
LAS VEGAS — Oklahoma State’s men’s golf team opened play at the Southern Highlands Collegiate Masters on Monday with a 280 total to stand alone in second place at Southern Highlands Golf Club.
The Cowboys’ 8-under score put them a shot ahead of Oklahoma at the par-72, 7,374-yard layout. Texas found its way to the top spot in the team race with a 12-under 276 total.
A pair of players shared the individual lead at 7-under 65 with UNLV’s Redford Bobbitt and OU’s Charlie Saxon finishing the day two shots clear of the field.
Three Cowboys finished the day in the top 10 with Wyndham Clark leading the way. The sophomore posted a 68 to stand in a tie for fifth place. Starting his round on the back nine, Clark birdied two of his first four holes and tallied birdies at Nos. 16, 17 and 18 to turn at 4-under 32. After carding birdies at the third and fifth to move to 6-under for the day, he closed with his lone blemish on his inward nine, a double bogey at the ninth, to finish at 4-under.
Freshman Kristoffer Ventura was a stroke back of Clark, finishing with a 69 to tie for eighth place, while sophomore Zachary Olsen carded a 70 to come in tied for 10th place.
Junior Jordan Niebrugge signed for a 73 to stand in a tie for 38th place.
Redshirt freshman Brendon Jelley rounded out the starting five with a 74 to finish in a tie for 50th place.
The Cowboys will get their second round underway tomorrow at 10:40 a.m. (PST) and will be grouped with Oklahoma and Texas. Live scoring for the event is available at golfstat.com.
Led by Saxon’s career-low-tying 65, the Sooners, who began the day on hole No. 10, tallied a season-low-matching 281 (-7) in the first round.
OU senior Saxon fired a bogey-free round to tie with Redford Bobbitt of host UNLV for the individual lead. Saxon is playing in just his third event of the season after missing the entire fall with an injury.
The 65 is the Saxon’s career best in relation to par, the previous being a 5-under-par 65 at the Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kan., in the 2014 NCAA Championships. It also ties a school record for second-best score in relation to par, the best being 9 under.
With a 1-under-par 71, senior Michael Gellerman holds a share of 16th place. Gellerman pocketed three birdies on the day, including back-to-back ones on holes No. 16 and 17.
Freshman Grant Hirschman recorded an even-par 72 on Monday, counteracting two bogeys with two birdies on holes No. 5 and 12. He is tied for 27th place.
Junior Luke Kwon shot a 73 (+1) to share 37th place, while freshman Max McGreevy tallied a 2-over-par 74 and is tied for 50th out of 81 competitors.
"We got off to a nice start today, and the guys are fired up for tomorrow," sixth-year OU head coach Ryan Hybl said. "Our two captains (Saxon and Gellerman) showed great leadership today. Charles had one of the best rounds I’ve had of any of my guys since I have been here at OU. This golf course demands patience, and we will need to keep displaying that all week."
Team Standings
1. Texas 276
2. Oklahoma State 280
3. Oklahoma 281
4. Illinois 283
5. Arizona State 286
6. USC 287
T7. California 288
T7. UNLV 288
T7. Alabama 288
10. Texas Tech 290
11. Texas A&M 292
T12. TCU 293
T12. Georgia 293
14. UCLA 294
15. SMU 299
Top Individuals
T1. Charlie Saxon (Oklahoma) 65
T1. Redford Bobbitt (UNLV, individual) 65
T3. Robby Shelton (Alabama) 67
T3. Scottie Scheffler (Texas) 67
T5. Wyndham Clark (Oklahoma State) 68
T5. Brian Campbell (Illinois) 68
T5. Kramer Hickok (Texas) 68
OU Players
T1. Charlie Saxon 65
T16. Michael Gellerman 71
T27. Grant Hirschman 72
T38. Luke Kwon 73
T50. Max McGreevy 74
OSU Players
Wyndham Clark 68
Kristoffer Ventura 69
Zachary Olsen 70
Jordan Niebrugge 73
Brendon Jelley 74