Sooners, Gellerman prevail in final tournament before Big 12 Championship
With a three-round 831 (-9) at the Wyoming Cowboy Classic, the 16th-ranked Oklahoma men’s golf team secured its third victory of the season, while Michael Gellerman grabbed his first career win. The two-day, 54-hole tournament was played at the 7,133-yard, par-70 North Course at the Talking Stick Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.
The Sooners shot a 9-under-par 271 against the 21-team field in Tuesday’s final round to beat No. 44 BYU and Colorado, who had three-round scores of 838 (-2), by seven strokes. Utah finished fourth with a 9-over 849, while UC Davis took fifth place with an 857 (+17).
The team win is the seventh for OU under head coach Ryan Hybl and the third this season. The Sooners also won the Golfweek Conference Challenge and the UTSA/Oak Hills Invitational, their first tournaments of the fall and spring, respectively.
"We came out here to win, and we did," Hybl said. "I am excited for the boys, and I am really proud of Michael (Gellerman) for getting the job done this week individually. The guys fought really hard all week, and it is great to have success."
After recording a 2-under 68 for the final 18 holes, Gellerman claimed the top spot on the leaderboard out of 115 individuals with a 204 (-6), edging Cole Ogden of BYU and David Oraee of Colorado by a stroke. The junior, who pocketed four birdies in the round, including on three of the first six holes, is OU’s first individual tournament winner since 2011.
"It’s a great feeling," Gellerman said. "It is a huge confidence booster for me. I have been waiting for this day for a couple of years, and I could not be happier that it happened this week."
Also placing within the top five for the Sooners was junior Charlie Saxon, who finished in a four-way tie for fourth, a career best for team events. On Tuesday, Saxon logged his lowest round of the tournament with a 4-under 66, bringing his three-round total to 206 (-4). For the final 18 holes he carded five birdies to just one bogey.
Freshman Max McGreevy fired a 3-under 67 in the third round en route to a 4-over 214, good for a tie for 26th place. McGreevy played a nearly bogey-free round on Tuesday, recording just one in contrast to four birdies, to recover from a rough second round in which he shot a 78 (+8).
Tying for 43rd place with 7-over 217s were senior Michael Schoolcraft and sophomore Beau Titsworth. Schoolcraft shot a 74 (+4) for the final 18 holes, while Titsworth tallied an even-par 70.
The tournament was OU’s last of the regular season, and it will return to the course for the Big 12 Championship at the Whispering Pines Golf Club in Trinity, Texas, on April 25-27.