CARLSBAD, Calif. – Despite a tough back nine in gusty conditions at the par-72 North Course at Omni La Costa on Sunday, No. 6 Oklahoma sits in third place and 15 shots above Monday’s eight-team cut to match play at the NCAA Championships.
The Sooners (3, -3) entered the day in second but dropped one spot after top-ranked Auburn surged past both OU and Arizona State to take the 54-hole lead. The top eight teams after Monday’s final round will advance to match play, which begins Tuesday and concludes Wednesday with a national champion crowned.
For the second day in a row, Oklahoma State improved its position after posting a 291 during the third round. The second-ranked Cowboys moved into a tie for fifth place at 869, 5-over par, with Texas at the par-72, 7,480-yard layout. The 30-team field will be trimmed in half Monday after a playoff to determine the No. 15 spot between Georgia Tech and Wake Forest.
Monday’s fourth round will determine the eight teams who will advance to the tournament’s match play bracket to determine the national champion.
“We certainly weren’t our best today, but we’re in a really good spot heading into tomorrow’s round,” OUcoach Ryan Hybl said. “It’s such a long week out here, and we played well enough on Friday and Saturday to put ourselves in a position to lock up a match play spot tomorrow. Clark (Van Gaalen) was great again today and is proving that he can play with some of the top guys in the nation, so it’ll be fun to see him compete tomorrow. Overall, we feel good about where we’re at and look forward to another day together tomorrow.”
Led by true freshman Clark Van Gaalen, who is tied for fourth at 5-under, Hybl’s team will look to make match play for the seventh time since 2016, the most in the country during that span. OU last appeared in match play in 2022 after qualifying every year from 2016-22.
Van Gaalen (4, -5) was the only Sooner under par on Sunday, using an eagle on the par-4 15th to get back to 1-under for the round, where he stayed through the finish. He’ll try to chase down Ole Miss’ Michael La Sasso, who leads at 11-under, and become OU’s first individual champion since Jimmy Vickers in 1952. The Turlock, Calif., native would be the seventh Sooner of the Hybl era (2009–present) to post a top-15 national finish.
Ryder Cowan and Drew Goodman are tied for 18th at even par. Cowan carded an even-par 72 Sunday, while Goodman shot 75 (+3). Both birdied the 18th to help the Sooners reclaim third place.
Jase Summy (T47, +4) and PJ Maybank III (T83, +8) each posted a 77 (+5) in round three.
For OSU, Preston Stout continued his impressive play, moving into a tie for fourth place at 211 after signing his second consecutive 70. The sophomore went out in 2-under 34 with birdies at the first and seventh. He would move to 3-under on the day with a birdie at the 10th. After posting bogeys at the 12th and 14th before closing with his fourth birdie at the 18th.
Stout will begin play tomorrow six shots off the pace of leader Michael La Sasso of Ole Miss. He will be looking to become the program’s 10th individual NCAA champion.
Sophomore Ethan Fang posted his low round of the event, a 71, to move up eight spots into a tie for 36th place at 219.
Sophomores Gaven Lane and Eric Lee finished the day tied for 46th place at 220 after posting rounds of 76 and 75, respectively.
Freshman Filip Fahlberg-Johnsson carded his third consecutive 75 to stand at 225 and tied for 86th place.
The Cowboys will begin their final round tomorrow at 1:25 p.m. (CST) and will be grouped with Florida and Texas.
Live scoring for the event is available at scoreboard.clippd.com and Golf Channel coverage will begin at 5 p.m. (CST).
Top 15 Team Scores
1. Auburn—286-282-286=854
2. Arizona State—286-277-295=858
3. Oklahoma—280-286-295=861
4. Florida—285-286-292=863
T5 Oklahoma State—293-285-291=869
T5. Texas—285-291-293=869
7. Florida State—285-290-298=873
T8. Texas Tech—292-298-286=876
T8. Ole Miss—293-287-296=876
T8. Texas A&M—297-291-288=876
11. Virginia—299-287-291=299
12. BYU—289-300-289=878
T13. Pepperdine—293-294-292=879
T13. Vanderbilt—294-294-291=879
T15. Georgia Tech—293-294-294=881
T15. Wake Forest—296-292-293=881
