Sooners Set for Puerto Rico Classic

NORMAN — The No. 14 Oklahoma men's golf team travels to Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, this weekend for the Puerto Rico Classic. The three-day, 54-hole tournament will take place Sunday-Tuesday (Feb. 21-23) at the par-72, 6,945-yard River Course at the Rio Mar Beach Resort and Spa.

The event features a competitive 15-team field with nine squads ranked in the Golfweek/Sagarin top 50 and six in the top 20.

“Puerto Rico is always one of our best trips of the year, and this is a great field,” OU head coach Ryan Hybl said. “We have been way more competitive in practice this week, and I like where our guys are at right now heading into this tournament.”

The Sooners are returning to competition after finishing second at the UTSA/Oak Hills Invitational in San Antonio, Texas. Sophomore Grant Hirschman, freshman Blaine Hale and senior Luke Kwon all finished in the top 10, with Hirschman and Hale tying for sixth and Kwon claiming a share of 10th.

OU's lineup for the Puerto Rico Classic will include senior Beau Titsworth, junior Max McGreevy, Hirschman, Hale and freshman Brad Dalke. Kwon will compete in the 13-player individual tournament at the Ocean Course and be unattached from team scoring.

THE FIELD (GOLFWEEK/SAGARIN RANKINGS IN PARENTHESES)
Alabama (7)
North Carolina (8)
Clemson (12)
Oklahoma (14)
Georgia (16)
Purdue (17)
Kentucky (33)
Georgia Tech (35)
NC State (41)
Maryland
Michigan
Minnesota
Northwestern
UNC Greensboro
Virginia Tech

OU LINEUP
1. Grant Hirschman, Sophomore: Claimed a share of sixth place at the UTSA/Oak Hills Invitational, his seventh career top-10 finish … Collected his second career top-five placing at the Ka'anapali Classic Collegiate Invitational with a fourth-place finish after firing a 208 (-5), his career-low 54-hole score … Holds 13 career top-20 finishes, tallying four this season at the UTSA/Oak Hills Invitational, the Ka'anapali Classic, the U.S. Collegiate (T-13th) and the Carmel Cup (T16th) … Named a 2015 Division I PING All-America Honorable Mention selection.

2. Blaine Hale, Freshman: Tied for sixth place at the UTSA/Oak Hills Invitational, his first collegiate event … Pre-collegiate tournament wins include 2014 Bart Granger Memorial, 2014 AJGA David Toms Foundation Classic and 2013 Lanny Wadkins Junior … Four year member of the Jackie Burke Cup … Named to the Texas UIL 6A All-State first team during his senior year of high school and the Texas UIL 5A All-State first team during his sophomore year.

3. Max McGreevy, Junior: Claimed his first career tournament win with a 206 (-7) and a career-low 66 third round at the Gopher Invitational … Recorded two top-10 finishes in the fall with his Gopher Invitational win and a tie for 10th at the Carmel Cup … Collected his 11th and 12th career top-20 placings with a tie for 11th at the Ka'anapali Classic Collegiate Invitational and a tie for 14th at the UTSA/Oak Hills Invitational.

4. Beau Titsworth, Senior: Has played in two tournaments this season, tying for 39th place at the Gopher Invitational and tying for 85th at the U.S. Collegiate as an individual competitor … Earned a share of first place at last season's Liberty Spring Invitational with an overall score of 213 (-3) … Has 16 career top-20 showings, including earning a share of 20th place at the 2015 Big 12 Championship.

5. Brad Dalke, Freshman: Led the Sooners at the Ka'anapali Classic Collegiate Invitational at second place overall, his first career top-five finish, with his lowest 54-hole score, 206 (-7) … Earned three top-20 finishes during the fall season with his Ka'anapali Classic showing, a tie for sixth at the Gopher Invitational and a tie for 18th at the U.S. Collegiate … Most recently, finished in a tie for 27th at the UTSA/Oak Hills Invitational … Named Big 12 Golfer of the Month for November … Won the 2015 Junior PGA Championship.

Individual: Luke Kwon, Senior: Finished in a career-best second place at the Gopher Invitational, his first career top-five finish, with an overall 209 (-4), his career-low 54-hole score … Coming off a tie for 10th place at the UTSA/Oak Hills Invitational, his third career top-10 finish … Led the Sooners at the Nike Golf Collegiate Invitational with a tie for 28th place.

THE COURSE
The par-72, 6,945-yard River Course at the Rio Mar Beach Resort and Spa serves as the course for the Puerto Rico Classic.

FORMAT
Fifty-four holes will be played over three days. Rounds one and two are scheduled to begin at 6 a.m. CT on Sunday and Monday with a shotgun start, and the final round is slated for 5:30 a.m. CT on Tuesday.

WEATHER FORECAST
Sunday: Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of rain, a high of 80 degrees and wind from the northeast at 12 mph.

Monday: Cloudy with a 30 percent chance of rain, a high of 83 degrees and wind from the east at 10 mph.

Tuesday: Cloudy with a 50 percent chance of rain, a high of 84 degrees and wind from the east, southeast at 14 mph.

OU'S PUERTO RICO CLASSIC HISTORY
With a three-round 865 (+1), the Sooners tied for third place at last season's Puerto Rico Classic. This year marks OU's seventh straight appearance at the tournament and its 12th overall.

LIVE STATS
Live stats will be available on BirdieFire.com.

Players Mentioned

Brad Dalke

Brad Dalke

Blaine Hale

Blaine Hale

Blaine Hale

Grant Hirschman

Grant Hirschman

Grant Hirschman

Luke Kwon

Luke Kwon

Max McGreevy

Max McGreevy

Beau Titsworth

Beau Titsworth

Beau Titsworth

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