Stamper claims second Oklahoma Open title in record fashion
By Ken MacLeod
With nine holes to play and a top 100 player on the PGA Tour breathing down his neck, Owen Stamper peeled away like a Mario Cart on star power, making five birdies for a back-nine 30 and setting what is believed to be an Oklahoma Open tournament record of 19-under-par.
Stamper’s final round of 65 to go with opening rounds of 64-62 gave him a five-shot cushion over Brian Stark of Kingsburg, Calif., and six shots over Exequiel Rodriguez Barri of Edmond and Zach Bauchou of Edmond. It was the second Oklahoma Open victory in as many tries for Stamper of Scotsville, Ky., as he won in 2024 at 14-under.
Playing on a dry Oak Tree Country Club East Course, Stamper pulled away from Stark and Bauchou with birdies on holes 10, 12, 13, 17 and 18 to break open what had been a tightly contested affair.
Bauchou, the former OSU All-America who just completed a successful first year on the PGA Tour ranking 88th in the FedEx Cup standings, had a short birdie putt to tie for the lead on the par-4 ninth hole. He missed but came back to match Stamper’s birdie on the 10th hole to stay a shot back. However he lost pace when he made par at the par-5 13th, then three-putted for bogey on the par-4 14th. Stamper rolled in a 22-footer there for birdie, making it a three-shot swing in two holes. Bauchou, one of the leaders on the PGA Tour in proximity with his wedges, continued to hit it close but managed just one more birdie, that on the 16th hole.
Stamper collected the $10,000 winner’s check and will be hoping it’s his last appearance in the tournament that has been great for him. He will try to earn his DP World Tour card this fall and also go back to PGA Tour School to try to move up to the Korn Ferry Tour, where he had but failed to keep status in 2025.
“It was a comfortable pairing with Zach because I knew him from last year (when both were Korn Ferry Tour members). I thought one of us would make a charge but on the front nine we were both treading water. Then finally I hit some close and took off.
“This course just really fits my eye. IF you hit your driver well, and that’s probably the best club in my bag, and hit your wedges good you’re going to have some birdie opportunities.”
With the distance today’s players drive the ball, every par-4 was a wedge second shot for all three players in the final group on the 7,126-yard Pete Dye design. The only stress was on some of the long par-3s such as the 207-yard 17th. Even there Bauchou hit it to about 10 feet with a 5-iron before missing the putt while Stamper hit it to 8 feet below the hole and rolled in the birdie to end what little suspense remained.
Bauchou, who lives nearby and is one of the bevy of young pros playing out of Oak Tree National, said he entered because the Oklahoma Open was a good tournament for him when he had no status and wanted to give back. It’s good to see some of the local pros playing in an event with a proud history and a trophy adorned with the names of most of the best players to come out of Oklahoma.
Bauchou plans to play all seven events on the PGA Tour’s fall schedule to try to move up into the top 60 and be exempt for the first two signature events in 2027 which are at Riviera and Pebble Beach. Watching him play Saturday was his former OSU 2018 national championship teammate and fellow PGA Tour member Sam Stevens, who drove down from Wichita with his wife and four children who are good friends with Bauchou’s wife and two young children. Stevens had his foot in a boot from a broken bone suffered while attempting to show his kids the proper way to do a backflip off a diving board. He said it would be six to eight weeks before he’ll be back playing.
