Sooners to defend titles in Minnesota
The Oklahoma men’s golf team heads to Independence, Minn., this weekend for the Gopher Invitational. The two-day, 54-hole tournament will be played Saturday-Sunday (Sept. 10-11) at the par-71, 7,152-yard Windsong Farm Golf Club.
The Sooners took the title at the 2015 Gopher Invitational, and then-junior Max McGreevy claimed individual medalist honors, earning his first tournament win.
“We’re excited to get back up to Minnesota,” OU assistant coach Jim Garren said. “It’s always nice to try and defend a title, and we can do that two times this week: we’ll defend as team champions, and Max gets a chance to defend on his own.
“The golf course is big and it’s tough, but that’s something we like,” Garren continued. “We like the challenge of hard courses, and we’re certainly excited to get up there and try.”
The team is back in action after a fifth-place showing at the Carmel Cup last weekend. McGreevy was the best finisher for OU, claiming a share of eighth place.
OU’s lineup for the Gopher Invitational will include McGreevy, junior Grant Hirschman, sophomores Brad Dalke and Blaine Hale and redshirt freshman Quade Cummins.
Freshmen Riley Casey and Garett Reband will be competing in the separate Gopher Individual tournament, played at the par-72, 6,953-yard Pioneer Creek Golf Course in Maple Plain, Minn.
THE FIELD (BUSHNELL GOLFWEEK COACHES POLL RANKINGS IN PARENTHESES)
Oklahoma (10)
California (11)
Arkansas (20)
Charlotte
Iowa
Kent State
Michigan State
Minnesota
New Mexico
Pepperdine
San Diego State
SMU
St. John’s (Minn.)
Washington
OU LINEUP
1. Max McGreevy, Senior: Coming off an eighth-place finish in the season-opening Carmel Cup, shooting two bogey-free rounds in the 60s … Named to the 2016 Division I PING All-America Third Team for his junior campaign … Claimed his first career win at the 2015 Gopher Invitational, setting a career-low 54-hole score, 206 (-7) … Earned four top-five finishes in the 2015-16 season, the most in one season by any Sooner since 2004-05.
2. Brad Dalke, Sophomore: Earned his sixth top-20 placing after tying for 20th in the Carmel Cup … Runner-up at the 2016 U.S. Amateur … Named to the 2016 All-Central Region team … Led the Sooners at the 2015 Ka’anapali Classic Collegiate Invitational with a second-place finish, his first career top-five placing, after carding a 206 (-7), his low 54-hole score.
3. Grant Hirschman, Junior: Finished with a share of 22nd in the Carmel Cup … Shot a 63 (-9) in the third round of the 2016 Big 12 Championship, setting a record for both the championship and the Whispering Pines Golf Club and matching the OU single-round record … Named to the 2016 All-Central Region team.
4. Blaine Hale, Sophomore: Tied for 25th place in the Carmel Cup … Opened his OU career with a tie for sixth place at the 2016 UTSA/Oak Hills Invitational, his best finish of his freshman season … Competed in all eight spring events of the 2015-16 season, including the NCAA Championships.
5. Quade Cummins, Redshirt Freshman: In his OU debut at the Carmel Cup, took 41st place … Won the 2016 Oklahoma Amateur Championship … Two-time Oklahoma Class 4A State Golf Champion at Weatherford High School (2013, 2015).
Individual: Riley Casey, Freshman: Earned a share of 25th place in his collegiate debut at the Carmel Cup … Named a 2014 Rolex Junior All-American … Two-time member of the Texas 5A All-State Team and a four-year letterman at Abilene Cooper High School.
Individual: Garett Reband, Freshman: Making his collegiate debut as a true freshman … Named a 2015 Rolex Junior All-America honorable mention selection … Tournament wins include the 2015 Bart Granger High School Tournament and the 2015 AJGA Valero Texas Open.
THE COURSE
The 7,152-yard, par-71 Windsong Golf Club will serve as the course for the Gopher Invitational.
FORMAT
Fifty-four holes will be played over two days. The first round is slated to begin Saturday at 7:30 a.m. CT, and the second round will follow that afternoon. The final round will be played Sunday starting at 7:20 a.m. CT.
WEATHER FORECAST
Saturday: Sunny with a high of 70 degrees, wind from the northwest at 10-15 mph and a 10 percent chance of rain.
Sunday: Sunny with a high of 76 degrees and wind from the south at 10-20 mph.
OU’S GOPHER INVITATIONAL HISTORY
In their first appearance in the tournament, the Sooners took the team title at the 2015 Gopher Invitational with a three-round 854 (+2), 21 strokes ahead of runner-up California. Additionally, then-junior Max McGreevy claimed the individual medalist honors.
LIVE STATS
Live scoring will be available on GolfStat.com.