Sooners, Goodman lead at Shady Oaks, Cowboys in 10th
FORT WORTH – Oklahoma fired the tournament’s lowest round in the afternoon wave and sits atop the leaderboard against the toughest field in college golf at the Ben Hogan Collegiate after 36 holes.
The 10th-ranked Sooners (1, -18), led by two golfers on top of the leaderboard, signed for a 265 after a 277 in the morning on the 36-hole day at the 54-hole event to take the lead into Tuesday’s final round. Oklahoma State is tied for 10th, 25 shots behind at 7 over.
“That afternoon round was really our first high-level round of the year,” head coach Ryan Hybl said. “That type of golf is what we’ve been seeing from the guys back at home, so it was very refreshing to see us execute here on the road like we know we’re capable of. Overall, we putted the ball so much better than we have and it came at a great time for us.”
The Sooners’ 265 (-15) was 10 shots better than anyone else in the star-studded 15-team field that features 12 of the nation’s top-20 teams, including six of the top 10. Drew Goodman (1, -9) holds the individual lead at 9-under as he looks for his first career win, while Stephen Campbell Jr. (T2, -6) trails him by three strokes and is in second.
Goodman carded a 68 (-2) at the par-70 Shady Oaks Country Club in the morning but caught fire in the afternoon to surge up the leaderboard. He opened his second round with five straight birdies before closing his day with three more birdies and one bogey over his final 18 holes to post a career-low and course record 63 (-7) and grab a stranglehold of the individual lead at 9-under par. The All-America selection a year ago has finished as the runner-up at two tournaments in his college career, including a second-place finish to Ludvig Aberg at the 2023 Norman NCAA Regional. The junior owns seven top-five finishes as a Sooner.
“Drew tied the course record (63, -7) today and it was really special,” Hybl added. “He hit it great all day and then capitalized when he needed to with his putting.”
Campbell Jr. is hot on Goodman’s trail as the redshirt junior posted rounds of 66 and 68 to claim a share of second on the leaderboard after 36 holes, three back of Goodman. The Richmond, Texas, product, looking to improve his career-best finish of T4 (2023 Men’s NIT), was nearly perfect as he carded eight birdies and just two bogeys.
Jaxon Dowell (T9, -3), who made his lineup debut for the season on Monday, fired a bogey-free 65 (-5) in the afternoon after signing for a 72 (+2) in the morning. The redshirt junior is tied for ninth with 18 holes to play and will look to improve on his career-best finish of T7 at the 2021 Colonial Collegiate.
Luke Kluver (T25, +1) struggled late in his first round to close his morning with a 72 (+2) but bounced back in the afternoon, carding a 69 (-1) to get into the red and a tie for 25th.
Ben Lorenz posted back-to-back 71s (+1) on the day and shares 34th.
“We got strong performances from all the guys today,” Hybl said. “Outside of Drew, who was great, Stephen (Campbell Jr.) putted great in the afternoon and is in a great spot. Jaxon (Dowell) finished his round super strong and moved up the leaderboard. I thought that Luke (Kluver) hung in there all day. Just a really good day for us as team. But we know what these teams are capable of and we’ll need to have another strong round tomorrow.”
OU’s 265 (-15) on Monday was the team’s lowest round of the season by five strokes vs. par and 13 shots overall. In program history, the 265 was the third-lowest score in a single round ever for an Oklahoma team and ranked just outside the top 20 all-time in score vs. par for the Crimson and Cream.
The Sooners will look for their first win of the season when they tee off on Tuesday morning. Oklahoma will be paired with No. 2 Arizona State (2, -12) and No. 3 Vanderbilt (3, -10) for the final round, which tees off at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Oklahoma State’s men’s golf team wrapped up the first day of action at the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational on Monday in ninth place with a 567 total at Shady Oaks Country Club.
Through two rounds at the par-70, 6,885-yard layout, the Cowboys’ 7-over total is one shot behind Texas. Oklahoma finished the day at 542 and five shots clear of the field.
The Cowboys opened play with a 7-over 287 during their first round to stand in a tie for 10th place. OSU used an even-par 280 during the afternoon session to move into a tie with Wake Forest.
Jonas Baumgartner followed an opening 72 with a 69 to climb 14 spots into a tie for 26th place at 1-over 141. The Cowboy senior carded five birdies during his second round to move up the board.
Sophomore John Wild also made a big move during his second round, climbing 18 spots into a tie for 34th place. After opening with a 73, Wild put together a 1-under 69 round as well that featured 15 pars and two birdies.
Freshman Gaven Lane bounced back from an opening 74 with a 69 as well to rise 21 spots into a tie for 40th place. Lane’s second round included a birdie and an eagle to go with 14 pars.
Fifth year Rayhan Thomas posted an opening 72 before following with a 73 to stand at 145 and tied for 54th place.
Fifth year Hazen Newman opened with a 70 to stand in 17th place through 18 holes. He followed with a 75 to finish at 145 and among the group at 54th place.