Sooners surge into lead with record round in Corvallis, Cowboys solid second in Marana

CORVALLIS, Ore. — Powered by four rounds in the 60s, No. 17 Oklahoma men’s golf surged into the lead Tuesday at the NCAA Corvallis Regional, firing a program NCAA Regional-record 19-under 265 at Trysting Tree Golf Club. The Sooners shattered their previous NCAA Regional low round by six strokes and set the program record for lowest 36-hole total in regional play.

Oklahoma (1, -28) entered the day in second place and five shots clear of the 54-hole, five-team cut line before posting the lowest round of the tournament to separate from the field. The Sooners now hold an eight-shot lead entering Wednesday’s final round and sit 22 shots above the cut line as they look to secure a 15th consecutive NCAA Championships appearance, which would extend the nation’s second-longest active streak.

All four of Oklahoma’s counting scores Tuesday were 67 or better at the par-71 course, with each of those Sooners positioned inside the top 10 individually. Junior Ryder Cowan (1, -9) leads the field, while sophomore Clark Van Gaalen (2, -8) sits one shot back in second.

Cowan carded a bogey-free 5-under 66, his second blemish-free round in as many days, to move into solo first. The junior All-American is seeking the third victory of his career, which would move him into the program’s all-time top five in career wins. His 36-hole total of 133 (-9) ranks as the third-lowest 36-hole regional score in school history.

Van Gaalen matched Cowan with a 5-under 66 to remain firmly in contention for his first career victory. The Turlock, Calif., native is also on pace for his first top-five finish of the season and third of his career.

PJ Maybank III (T4, -6) vaulted 18 spots up the leaderboard after firing a 5-under 66, one shot shy of his career low. The junior enters Wednesday in contention for his first career top-five finish.

All-American Jase Summy (T9, -5) climbed 13 spots with a second-round 67 (-4). A par-or-better round Wednesday would tie Drew Goodman’s program record of 96 career par-or-better rounds.

Matthew Troutman rounded out the OU lineup Tuesday with an 80 as the senior shares 75th.

Oklahoma is seeking its ninth NCAA Regional title and sixth under head coach Ryan Hybl. A victory Wednesday would mark the first time in program history the Sooners have won three consecutive NCAA Regional championships.

Behind Oklahoma, unranked Purdue sits second at 20-under, followed by host Oregon State at 13-under, UCLA at 9-under and top-seeded No. 6 Arkansas at 8-under to round out the top five. Georgia Southern and Liberty are tied for sixth at 6-under entering the final round, with second-seeded No. 7 Texas Tech in eighth at 3-under.

The 13-team regional is one of six NCAA Championship qualifying sites. The top five teams and the top individual not on an advancing team will earn spots at the NCAA Championship, set for May 29-June 3 at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad.

Cowboys chasing Arizona in Marana Regional, Lee shoots 9-under 63

MARANA, Ariz. – Oklahoma State’s men’s golf team posted a 14-under 274 on Tuesday during its second round at the NCAA Marana Regional to stand in second place through 36 holes at The Gallery Golf Club.

OSU’s 25-under total of 551 put the Pokes 10 shots off the pace of Arizona, which fired a 264 on Tuesday to jump into sole possession of the lead at the par-72, 7,317-yard layout. Arkansas State is in third place at 555, while LSU is at 558 and Duke rounds out the top five at 562.

Cowboy junior Eric Lee had a career day to move into a share of first place, firing a 9-under 63 to finish at 132 and tied with Alabama’s William Jennings.

Lee’s tally was one shot shy of matching the school’s 18-hole scoring record. Additionally, he was a stroke short of matching Jordan Niebrugge’s low score by a Cowboy at a regional. Niebrugge fired a 62 at the 2015 New Haven Regional.

On Tuesday, Lee played bogey-free golf and got the first of his nine birdies at the second. He would make two more birdies on the front nine to turn in 3-under 33. After carding birdies at the 11th and 12th, he would close his round with four birdies in a row to move into the top spot on the leaderboard.

Junior Preston Stout finished the day in the top 10 with his 1-under 71, tying him for ninth place at 138.

Junior Gaven Lane carded his second consecutive 70 to stand at 140 and tied for 17th place, while classmate Ethan Fang bounced back from an opening 75 with a 70 to finish at 145 and tied for 34th.

Sophomore Filip Fahlberg-Johnsson signed for a 75 to finish the day tied for 39th place at 146.

The Cowboys will look to secure their spot in the field at the NCAA Championship field tomorrow. OSU will begin its final round at 9:00 a.m. (CST) and will be grouped with Arizona and Arkansas State.

Team Scores

1. Arizona—277-264=541

2. Oklahoma State—277-274=551

3. Arkansas State—281-274=555

4. LSU—279-279=558

5. Duke—282-280=562

6. Alabama—286-278=564

7. Clemson—292-277=589

8. West Virginia—294-282=576

9. St. Mary’s—292-290=582

10. Tarleton State—291-292=583

11. Iona —302-283=585

12. Florida Gulf Coast—297-289=586

13. San Diego State—299-289=588

14. North Dakota State—303-289=592

Individual Scores

T1. Eric Lee, OSU—69-63=132

T1. William Jennings, Alabama—67-65=132

T9. Preston Stout, OSU—67-71=138

T17. Gaven Lane, OSU—70-70=140

T34. Ethan Fang, OSU—75-70=145

T39. Filip Fahlberg-Johnsson, OSU—71-75=146