Sooners Travel to Gopher Invitational

NORMAN — The No. 3 Oklahoma men's golf team returns to action this weekend as it heads to Independence, Minn., for the Gopher Invitational. The two-day, 54-hole tournament will be played Sunday-Monday (Sept. 9-10) at the par 71, 7,368-yard Windsong Farm Golf Club.

The Sooners took third at the Gopher Invitational last year in their second event of the 2017 season. OU took home the team title in 2015 and 2016.

Last weekend, the Sooners started the season with a first-place finish at the Carmel Cup. Garett Reband was OU's best finisher, taking second place with a 200 (-16).

OU's lineup for the Gopher Invitational will include seniors Brad Dalke and Blaine Hale, juniors Garrett Reband and Riley Casey along with freshman Logan McAllister.

The Sooners are paired with host Minnesota and Texas in the first round and will tee off at 8:05 a.m. CT. Sunday's action will feature 36 holes. The tournament will conclude on Monday with the final round.

THE FIELD

(BUSHNELL GOLFWEEK COACHES POLL RANKINGS IN PARENTHESES)

Oklahoma (3)
Texas (10)
Arkansas (17)
Michigan State
San Diego State
Minnesota
Purdue
North Carolina State
New Mexico
Iowa
Washington
Minnesota (Team B)
Utah
Coastal Carolina
Charlotte

OU LINEUP

Garrett Reband, Junior: Finished second in the Carmel Cup posting a 200 (-16) including two rounds in the 60's…Competed in 10 team events ... Had career-best weekend at the Carmel Cup, taking third place at 203 (-13), his best 54-hole total as a Sooner and first top-5 finish at OU ... Recorded four birdies during the final round of the Nike Collegiate Invitational ... Competed as an individual at the Puerto Rico Classic, tying for third at 215 (-1) ... Carded a par-72 after making par on every hole in the first round of the NCAA Norman Regional finishing the tournament in 11th place.

Riley Casey, Junior: Carded a 65 to finish in the top five at the Carmel Cup at 204 (-12)… Shot 213 (-3) at the Carmel Cup, tying for 23rd in 2017 … Competed in seven events as a freshman … Posted season-low round (68) at the Prestige at PGA West … Earned first career Top-10 finish with a 10th-place showing at the Gopher Individual.

Blaine Hale, Senior: Shot a 65 in the opening round at the Carmel Cup, tying for 13th at 210 (-6)… Named a 2017 Division I PING All-America honorable mention selection ... Competed in 13 team events last season … Helped the Sooners secure the 2017 national championship by going 2-1 in NCAA Championships match play, earning wins in the semifinal and final matches ... Tied for 11th at the NCAA Championships to mark the Sooners' best individual finish at the national tournament since 2012.

Brad Dalke, Senior: Carded a 69 at the Carmel Cup, finishing in 18th at 211 (-5) … Named a 2017 Division I PING All-America honorable mention selection ... Competed in 13 team events last season … Helped the Sooners secure the 2017 NCAA Championship by going 2-1 in NCAA Championships match play, including the title-clinching putt in the final match against Oregon … Earned his first career win at the NCAA Stanford Regional to lead his team to its seventh straight championships berth.

Logan McAllister, Freshman: Tied for 22nd place with a three-day 213 (-3) at the Carmel Cup … Won the 2016 and 2017 Oklahoma Junior Boys Stroke Play Championship … 2017 Second Team Rolex Junior All-American … Set the course record with a 63 in the second round of the Junior Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass … Finished in a tie for second at the 2017 Junior Players Championship … Won the 2016 AJGA Oak Tree Championship.

THE COURSE

The 7,368-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 Sunday at 7:15 a.m. CT. The second round will follow in the afternoon. Monday's final round will begin at 7:15 a.m. CT.

WEATHER FORECAST

Sunday: Partly cloudy with a high of 72 degrees and wind out of the south, southeast at 8 mph. Ten percent chance of rain.

Monday: Sunny with a high of 79 degrees and wind out of the south, southeast at 8 mph. Ten percent chance of rain.

OU'S GOPHER INVITATIONAL HISTORY

The Sooners have won the team title twice in three appearances at the Gopher Invitational. In 2016, OU's team total of 860 (+8) won the event as Grant Hirschman claimed the individual medalist title with a three-round score of 210 (-3). In 2015, the Sooners shot 854 (+2), winning the event by 21 strokes ahead of runner-up California.

Last year, the Sooner's carded an 859 (+7) to finish in third. OU'S Brad Dalke finished in eighth place with an even-par 213.