OU in Third Behind Saxon's Career Round

Team Standings
		1	2	3	Total
1.	Texas	276	-	-	276
2.	Oklahoma State	280	-	-	280
3.	Oklahoma	281	-	-	281
4.	Illinois	283	-	-	283
5.	Arizona State	286	-	-	286

OU Players
		1	2	3	Total
T1.	C. Saxon	65	-	-	65
T16.	M. Gellerman	71	-	-	71
T27.	G. Hirschman	72	-	-	72
T38.	L. Kwon	73	-	-	73
T50.	M. McGreevy	74	-	-	74

NORMAN — Led by Charlie Saxon's career-low-tying 65 (-7), the No. 23 Oklahoma men's golf team sits in third place at the prestigious Southern Highlands Collegiate Masters. The three-day, 54-hole tournament is being played at the 7,510-yard, par-72 Southern Highlands Golf Club in Las Vegas, Nev.

All 15 teams in the field are ranked within the top 50 of the latest Golfweek/Sagarin poll, including 10 of the top 25 squads. The Sooners, who began the day on hole No. 10, tallied a season-low-matching 281 (-7) in the first round.

OU is one of a trio of Big 12 teams at the top of the leaderboard. The Sooners are five strokes behind No. 3 Texas and just one off of No. 22 Oklahoma State. No. 1 Illinois is in fourth with a 283 (-5), while No. 15 Arizona State rounds out the top five with a 2-under-par 286.

OU senior Saxon fired a bogey-free round to tie with Redford Bobbitt of host UNLV for the individual lead. Saxon is playing in just his third event of the season after missing the entire fall with an injury.

The 65 is the Saxon's career best in relation to par, the previous being a 5-under-par 65 at the Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kan., in the 2014 NCAA Championships. It also ties a school record for second-best score in relation to par, the best being 9 under.

With a 1-under-par 71, senior Michael Gellerman holds a share of 16th place. Gellerman pocketed three birdies on the day, including back-to-back ones on holes No. 16 and 17.

Freshman Grant Hirschman recorded an even-par 72 on Monday, counteracting two bogeys with two birdies on holes No. 5 and 12. He is tied for 27th place.

Junior Luke Kwon shot a 73 (+1) to share 37th place, while freshman Max McGreevy tallied a 2-over-par 74 and is tied for 50th out of 81 competitors.

"We got off to a nice start today, and the guys are fired up for tomorrow," sixth-year OU head coach Ryan Hybl said. "Our two captains (Saxon and Gellerman) showed great leadership today. Charles had one of the best rounds I've had of any of my guys since I have been here at OU. This golf course demands patience, and we will need to keep displaying that all week."

The second round of the Southern Highlands Collegiate Masters is scheduled for Tuesday. The Sooners will be paired with Texas and Oklahoma State and tee off from hole No. 1 beginning at 12:40 p.m. CT. Live results (updated every three holes) will be available on Golfstat.com.