Sooners lead Big 12 Championship by 11 at Prairie Dunes, Cowboys in fourth
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Battling through wind, cold and rain, the Oklahoma men’s golf team posted a third-round score of 284 (-4) on Tuesday and will take an 11-shot lead into the final round of the Big 12 Championship. Oklahoma and Texas Tech (2, +9) are paired in Wednesday’s final round as the Red Raiders are led by reigning Big 12 individual champion Ludvig Aberg (1, -14), who holds a 7-shot lead entering Wednesday. Texas Tech trails the Sooners by 11 shots, third-place Texas is 14 strokes back and Oklahoma State, in fourth, is 18 shots behind.
When teams tee off in Wednesday’s final round at the 72-hole championship, four Sooner golfers will be inside the top 10. Oklahoma (1, -2) is the only team under par after three rounds and is looking to win back-to-back conference championships for the first time since 1956-57.
The Sooners teed off in the final group on Tuesday morning and took advantage of the light wind early in the day. OU’s four counting scores went a combined 7-under par on the front nine, highlighted by eagles from Drew Goodman (5, -1) and Patrick Welch (T3, -2). However, as Oklahoma made the turn, conditions deteriorated as winds picked up. The Crimson and Cream managed just three birdies over the final nine holes as a four-over back nine saw OU’s advantage fall from 15 shots to 11.
“We’re not happy with how we finished today,” Hybl added. “We gave some shots away and at a course like Prairie Dunes, you just can’t do that. We’ll be ready for tomorrow and ready to attack the golf course.”
Welch leads the way at the 54-hole mark as the three-time All-America honoree carded an even-par 70 on Tuesday to grab a share of third. Goodman birdied the 18th hole to get in with a 72 in round three as he holds fifth place. Freshman Jase Summy is solo sixth at 1-over for the week after a 70 (E) in the third round. Ben Lorenz struggled on the back nine but still shares eighth at 3-over for the week after a 75 today. Jake Holbrook was inserted into the lineup on Tuesday morning and fired a 2-over 72, but is not eligible to appear on the leaderboard or All-Tournament team.
The Sooners pace the field in par-3 scoring (3.10, +6) and birdies (50) for the week. The 11-shot lead puts Oklahoma in a prime position to win its 19th conference championship and fourth of the Big 12 era, including the third under Hybl. At 2-under par through 54 holes, OU is trying to notch the first under-par 72-hole score in program history as the team’s 1,130 (+10) in 2021 at Prairie Dunes is the program record for a 72-hole event which are typically held in the postseason.
The Sooners go off of the first hole at 9:30 a.m. CT on Wednesday. Live scoring will be available via Golfstat, and for the first time, fans can enjoy a live broadcast of the championship round as ESPN+ will go live at 10:30 a.m. CT.
The Cowboys, in second place much of the day, carded a 290 during the third round to dip into into fourth place.
The Cowboys stand at 16-over 856 and four shots behind Texas at the par-70, 7,025-yard layout.
OSU’s Jonas Baumgartner grabbed sole possession of second place at 203 after carding a 72 during his third round.
The low round of the day for the Cowboys came from fifth year Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, who posted a 71 to get in with a 213 total and tied for eighth place. Neergaard-Petersen’s day included a 3-under 32 on his outward nine with a birdie at the third and an eagle at the par-5 seventh.
Fifth year Leo Oyo remained in a tie for 23rd place after carding a 72 to stand at 9-over 219.
Junior Bo Jin posted a 75 during his third round to finish the day in a tie for 37th place at 225.
Senior Hazen Newman carded his second consecutive 76 to finish at 230 and tied for 44th place.
Tomorrow’s final round will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ with coverage set to begin at 10:30 a.m. (CST).
Top Team Scores
1. Oklahoma—275-279-284=838
2. Texas Tech—286-284-279=849
3. Texas—289-288-275=852
4. Oklahoma State—288-278-290=856
5. TCU—292-284-282=858