Sooners begin 2022-23 season against stout field at Frederica Cup
NORMAN — The Oklahoma men’s golf team is set to open its 2022-23 campaign at the Frederica Cup this week in St. Simons Island, Ga.
The eight-team tournament, which will showcase five ranked squads with three in the top 10, will provide a tough test for head coach Ryan Hybl’s team out of the gate. The No. 9 Sooners finished last season with the nation’s toughest strength of schedule and won a school-record tying seven tournaments.
“A new journey begins for us this week and we’re ready to get going,” Hybl said after Tuesday’s practice round. “College golf season hits us very quickly but we’ve got guys that are chomping at the bit. Frederica is a great golf course and the field is first class. We can’t wait to get going.”
The two-day, 54-hole tournament features a six-count-five format, breaking from most tournaments the Sooners have played in over the last few seasons. The Oklahoma lineup boasts a pair of All-America honorees in Patrick Welch and Drew Goodman, as well as experienced golfers Stephen Campbell Jr. and Jaxon Dowell. In addition, redshirt junior and 2022 U.S. Amateur match play qualifier Jake Holbrook makes his first appearance in the lineup since 2019-20, and freshman Jase Summy makes his college debut.
THE FIELD WITH GOLFWEEK RANKING
No. 1 Vanderbilt
No. 6 Texas Tech
No. 9 Oklahoma
No. 15 Arkansas
No. 19 Georgia
Mississippi State
Ohio State
TCU
OKLAHOMA LINEUP
Drew Goodman, So., Norman, Okla. – Broke Oklahoma freshman scoring record in 2022, firing a 71.29 (-0.23) average … 2022 All-America honorable mention … 2022 National All-Freshman selection … Finished last season as the No. 3 freshman in the country … Played in all 13 events for the Sooners last season … Posted 10 top-20 finishes with four top 10s in career … 11 rounds in the 60s as a freshman … Posted a runner-up finish at 2022 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 – 36 | Golfweek/Sagarin – 62 | WAGR – 93
Stephen Campbell Jr., R-So., Richmond, Texas – Played in 11 events for OU in first season in lineup last year … Posted season-best finish of T5 at the East Lake Cup … 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 … Finished in top 10 at the 2020 Dustin Johnson Junior World Championship.
RANK: Golfstat – 167 | Golfweek/Sagarin – 141 | WAGR – 305
Jaxon Dowell, R-So., Edmond, Okla. – Played in five events for the Sooners last season … Made collegiate debut at the Colonial Collegiate where he finished tied for 7th … Went 3-1-1 at Big Match Play … Went 2-0 in East Lake Cup matches, including semifinal win over Eugenio Chacarra-Lopez … No. 8 golfer in the country in 2020 recruiting class … Grabbed fourth at the Oklahoma Stroke Play Championship (June 2021) … Third place at the Silver State Amateur (June 2021) … Finished third at the 2020 Oklahoma State Amateur … Won the 2019 Oklahoma Junior Boys Championship.
RANK: Golfstat – NR| Golfweek/Sagarin – 15* | WAGR – 448
Patrick Welch, R-Sr., Aliso Viejo, Calif. – Three-time All-American (2019, 2021, 2022) … 2022 Big 12 All-Tournament Team … Ranked No. 9 in PGA TOUR U ranking … Two career wins, including one at Southern Highlands in 2022 … Owns school record for low round of 62 (-10) at Puerto Rico Classic … Career average of 71.60 is fourth lowest in program history … Swings crosshanded … Won the 2014 Drive, Chip and Putt championship at Augusta.
RANK: Golfstat – 40 | Golfweek/Sagarin – 42 | WAGR – 51 | PGA Tour U: 9
Jase Summy, Fr., Keller, Texas – Making collegiate debut … Two-time Rolex junior All-American … Member of 2020 and 2022 Wyndham Cup teams … Posted eight top-five finishes at AJGA events … 2021 Jordan Spieth Under Armour Champion … Runner-up at the 2021 Junior Byron Nelson Championship, finished 5th in 2022 … Two-time TAPPS 5A state runner-up and finished third in 2022.
RANK: Golfstat – NR | Golfweek/Sagarin – NR | WAGR – 960
Jake Holbrook, R-Jr., Granbury, Texas – Making first appearance in the OU lineup since 2019-20 … Played in three tournaments in 2019-20 … Finished T9 at 2020 Puerto Rico Classic after a career-low 69 in the opening round … Played unattached at 2022 Indy Collegiate tournament and finished T12 … 2022 U.S. Amateur Match Play qualifier … 2021 Oklahoma Stroke Play champion … Runner-up at the GCAA Amateur Series event at Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club in 2020.
RANK: Golfstat – NR | Golfweek/Sagarin – NR | WAGR – 418
*indicates player has not participated in the minimum number of events needed to be ranked
THE COURSE
Frederica Golf Club is one of the premier courses in St. Simons Island, Ga. Designed by Tom Fazio in collaboration with Sir Michael Bonallack of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, the course has been called one of Fazio’s finest. The 7,309-yard, par-72 course opened in 2005 and is known as one of Georgia’s top golf courses.
FORMAT
The eight-team, 54-hole tournament will use a six-count-five format where six play, but only five scores are counted toward the team leaderboard. Golfers will play 36 holes on Wednesday before concluding with Thursday’s final round.
TEE TIMES AND PAIRINGS
The Sooners tee off at 7:24 a.m. CT Wednesday with Jake Holbrook getting things started. Oklahoma is paired with Arkansas for day one. Pairings for the final round will be determined based on the leaderboard.
LIVE STATS
Live scoring will be available on Golfstat.com.