Sooners Earn NCAA Championships Bid With Second Place Regional Finish

The No. 20 Oklahoma men’s golf team qualified for its sixth consecutive NCAA Championships after claiming second place at the NCAA Stillwater Regional. The three-day, 54-hole tournament took place at the par-72, 7,418-yard Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Okla.

The Sooners, who competed as the No. 3 seed, shot a 302 (+7) on Wednesday, bringing their three-round total to 890 (+26) and maintaining their hold on second place for the third round in a row.

“I am so proud of our guys,” seventh-year OU head coach Ryan Hybl said. “We do not take regionals lightly, and to get throughout here this week was great for us. All of our guys did their job at some point, and we needed all of them. We can’t wait for the opportunity in Eugene.”

The NCAA Stillwater Regional was one of six 54-hole preliminary events for the NCAA Championships finals. The low five teams and low individual not on those teams from each regional advanced to the finals in Eugene, Ore.  

OU joins Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, USC and Texas as the only programs to have qualified for the NCAA Championships each of the last six years.

“Six in a row is pretty special,” said Hybl, who has led the Sooners to each of the last six championships. “Not too many programs can say that.”

Joining the Sooners from the Stillwater regional at NCAAs will be No. 1 seed Oklahoma State, No. 2 seed Clemson, No. 10 seed Louisville and No. 6 seed Purdue. Antoine Rozner of Missouri-Kansas City qualified individually. Oklahoma State took the regional title at 871 (+7), and Clemson claimed third at 901 (+37). Louisville and Purdue shot 907 (+43) and 910 (+46), respectively.

Individually, three Sooners finished in the top 20 among 75 competitors. Junior Max McGreevy led OU, claiming fourth with a three-round 219 (+3) after firing a 75 (+3) Wednesday. This placing marks McGreevy’s fourth top-five finish of the season, the most top-five showings in a year by any Sooner since Anthony Kim recorded five during the 2004-2005 season.

Sophomore Grant Hirschman also placed in the top 10, claiming a tie for eighth with a three-round 222 (+6), earning his fourth top-10 finish of the season and ninth of his career. He pocketed three birdies in the third round en route to a 73 (+1)

Freshman Brad Dalke claimed his fifth career top-20 finish with a share of 15th place. He ended the regional with an overall 225 (+9) after carding an 81 (+9) Wednesday.

Classmate Blaine Hale finished in a tie for 27th with a three-round 229 (+13), posting a 78 (+6) in the third round. Senior Luke Kwon claimed a tie of 44th after shooting his best round of the tournament on Wednesday, a 76 (+4), and bringing his total to 236 (+20).

The 30-team NCAA Championships will take place May 27-June 1 at the Eugene Country Club in Eugene, Ore. Last year, the Sooners took 28th place at the national tournament.