Sooners ready for NCAA charge in Hybl’s final week as head coach
By Staff and OU Sports Information
The Oklahoma Sooners will find out if two head coaches are better than one when the program begins pursuit of its third national championship Friday.
With last week’s announcement that ultra successful head coach Ryan Hybl will be coaching the Sooners for the final time after taking the same position at Georgia Tech and will be replaced by assistant coach Jonathan Moore, the Sooners will in effect have two men leading the charge as play begins at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa.
Moore said today that he will remain fully vested in his assistant role through the championship and thinks the Sooners, coming off a victory last week in the NCAA Corvallis Regional, are primed to compete for a third title. The Sooners previously won NCAA championships in 1989 and 2017.
The championship runs May 29-June 3 at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa North Course in Carlsbad, Calif., with all 30 teams beginning stroke play on Friday. Oklahoma is scheduled to tee off at 1:40 p.m. CT on Friday and 8:20 a.m. CT on Saturday.
After 54 holes, the field will be trimmed from 30 teams to 15. Monday’s final round of stroke play will determine the eight teams advancing to match play, with quarterfinals, semifinals and the national championship match set for Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Sooners earned the No. 15 seed at La Costa and are making their 15th straight NCAA Championship appearance, the second-longest active streak in the country. Since the NCAA adopted match play in 2009, OU has advanced to the quarterfinals seven times, including last season.
Oklahoma brings one of the most experienced lineups to La Costa, with all five players having competed on the course before. First-team All-SEC selections Jase Summy and Ryder Cowan lead the lineup in the top two spots, followed by Clark Van Gaalen at No. 3. PJ Maybank III and Matthew Troutman round out the starting five, while Cameron Cheek will serve as the substitute.
Cowan, the junior from Edmond, has been playing brilliant golf this spring and was one difficult pin that led to a five-putt from likely winning the Corvallis Regional. Even with two triple bogeys on his final nine holes he finished at 8-under, four shots behind the winner Michael Lugiano of Liberty and one shot behind teammates Summy and Van Gaalen. The two triples led to a final round of 72, his others were 67-66 with nine birdies and no bogeys.
“Ryder has turned into a really consistent performer,” Moore said. “He’s tenacious and has that competitive spirit he’s had since Day 1. His game continues to get more solid and he’s really been working hard on his putting and starting to have some really good putting rounds. What happened on that hole at regionals was a fluke.
“It’s special when someone who has grown up his entire life being a Sooner fan can represent the university on this stage.”
LAST TIME OUT
Oklahoma’s 15 straight NCAA Championship appearances mark the second-longest active streak in the country and leave the Sooners one shy of the program record of 16 consecutive berths from 1981-96.
The Sooners dominated the field at Trysting Tree Golf Club, setting a NCAA Regional program record at 34-under par across 54 holes. OU’s 20-shot victory matched the largest regional win margin in program history, tying its win at the 2015 NCAA Stanford Regional. Oklahoma was one of five teams to advance from Corvallis to the NCAA Championships, set for May 29-June 3 at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.
Three Sooners finished inside the top five individually, led by Jase Summy and Clark Van Gaalen, who tied for second at 9-under par, while Ryder Cowan finished fourth at 8-under.
THE FIELD BY SEED
1. Auburn
2. Florida
3. Texas
4. Virginia
5. Oklahoma State
6. Arkansas
7. LSU
8. Ole Miss
9. North Carolina
10. Vanderbilt
11. Arizona
12. Arizona State
13. Pepperdine
14. Stanford
15. Oklahoma
16. Tennessee
17. Texas A&M
18. BYU
19. Georgia
20. Florida State
21. USC
22. Duke
23. UCLA
24. Louisville
25. Mississippi State
26. Arkansas State
27. Purdue
28. San Diego
29. Chattanooga
30. Memphis
THE COURSE
For the third consecutive year, the par-72 North Course at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa will host the NCAA Championship. Located just north of San Diego in Carlsbad, the North Course was ranked among Golf Digest’s top 100 courses in America in 2020.
Redesigned by Gil Hanse specifically for the NCAA Championships, the North Course has become the home of college golf through at least 2026. Originally opened in 1965, the venue previously hosted the PGA TOUR’s Mercedes Championships from 1969-98 and has also welcomed the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship eight times.
Hanse and his team made sweeping design changes with the NCAA’s match-play format in mind, creating a layout built to challenge the game’s top collegiate players. The redesign emphasizes risk-reward decision-making throughout the course, highlighted by a drivable par-4 11th hole, a repositioned green on the par-3 16th inspired by Augusta National’s iconic 12th, and a demanding finishing hole in the par-5 18th. Stretching beyond 600 yards from the back tees, the closing hole features water lining both sides of the fairway and provides a dramatic finish to the championship.
FORMAT
The NCAA Championships feature 72 holes of stroke play, with the field cut from 30 to 15 teams after 54 holes. Following Monday’s final round, the top eight teams advance to match play, and the individual champion is crowned. Match play on Tuesday and Wednesday will decide the team national champion.
OKLAHOMA’S TEE TIMES
Friday – R1 – 1:40 p.m. CT
Saturday – R2 – 8:20 a.m. CT
Sunday-Monday – R3/4 – Tee times determined by leaderboard
Tuesday – Match Play Quarterfinals – 8:50 a.m. CT
Tuesday – Match Play Semifinals – 2:15 p.m. CT
Wednesday – NCAA Final Match – 4:25 p.m. CT
LIVE SCORING
Live scoring will be available on Clippd.
TV SCHEDULE
Babygrande Golf TV will offer free live streaming of the first three days of the championship from 2:30-9:30 p.m. CT. Golf Channel will provide live coverage of the final three days of the championship, showcasing the best collegiate golf in the country. The NCAA will crown an individual champion on Monday and a team champion on Wednesday.
Friday, May 29: 2:30-9:30 p.m. CT (Babygrande – Stroke Play)
Saturday, May 30: 2:30-9:30 p.m. CT (Babygrande – Stroke Play)
Sunday, May 31: 2:30-9:30 p.m. CT (Babygrande – Stroke Play)
Monday, June 1: 5-9 p.m. CT (Individual National Championship)
Tuesday, June 2: 12-2:30 p.m. CT / 5-9 p.m. CT (Match Play)
Wednesday, June 3: 5-9 p.m. CT (Match Play)