OU Looks To Defend Title at Gopher Invitational

NORMAN — The No. 7 Oklahoma men's golf team looks to defend its Gopher Invitational title starting Sunday in Hopkins, Minn. The two-day, 54-hole tournament will take place at the par-71, 7,368-yard Windsong Farm Golf Course.

The Sooners are returning to competition after placing second at the Carmel Cup in Pebble Beach, Calif. OU fired a score of 1051 (-29) at the event to finish in second place behind Texas Tech. Freshman Turner Hosch carded an 11-under 205 to tie for third in his first collegiate tournament.

The Sooners posted a five-under 847 in last season's Gopher Invitational to win the event by three strokes.

OU's lineup will feature Hosch, senior Garett Reband, redshirt seniors Quade Cummins and Thomas Johnson and sophomore Patrick Welch.

Reband is coming off a seventh-place finish at the Carmel Cup with a 206 (-10), posting a 65 in his opening round while Cummins tied for 11th place at 210 (-6).

Welch will be making his season debut in the Sooner lineup after competing in nine events last season. Welch picked up two top-10 finishes including an eighth-place showing at the 2018 Big 12 Championship.

THE FIELD

(BUSHNELL GOLFWEEK RANKINGS IN PARENTHESES)
Oklahoma (7)
Baylor (20)
Iowa
Kent State
Marquette
Michigan State
Minnesota
NC State
Arkansas
Purdue
Texas A&M
Utah
West Virginia

OU LINEUP

Quade Cummins, Redshirt Senior: Tied for 11th at the Carmel Cup … Took home the title at the Pacific Coast Amateur this summer ... Competed in the 2019 U.S. Palmer Cup ... 2019 Division I PING All-America honorable mention selection ... Finished the 2018-19 season with five top-10 finishes ... Shot the third-lowest three-round score in program history at the Ka'anapali Classic with a 198 (-15) ... 2018 Division I PING All-America honorable mention selection and GCAA All-Region Pick
Garett Reband, Senior: Placed seventh at the Carmel Cup shooting a 65 in the opening round … 2019 Division I PING All-America honorable mention selection ... Four top-10 and seven top-20 finishes in the 2018-19 season ... Competed in 12 team events last season ... Took 11th at the NCAA Pullman Regional at 202 (-8) … Named to All-Tournament Team at Big 12 Championship, tying for eighth at 210 (-2) ... Finished second in the Carmel Cup posting a 200 (-16) including two rounds in the 60s
Turner Hosch, Freshman: Carded a 54-hole, 205 (-11), to tie for third in his first collegiate tournament … AJGA Rolex Junior All American ... Junior Presidents Cup team member
Patrick Welch, Sophomore: Competed in nine events his freshman season … Four top-20 finishes last season … Tied for eighth place at Big 12 Championship with a 54-hole 210 (-2), earning all-tournament team honors … Tied for sixth in his first individual collegiate appearance at the Ka'anapali Collegiate Classic … Plays crossed-handed.
Thomas Johnson, Redshirt Senior: Tied for 37th at the Carmel Cup … Competed in four events in the 2018-19 season ... Took home second in the Puerto Rico Individual Classic ... Earned eighth place at the Southern Highland Collegiate

THE COURSE

The par-71, 7,368-yard Windsong Farm Golf Course serves as the site for The Gopher Invitational, hosted by University of Minnesota.

FORMAT

The three-day, 54-hole tournament will be played at Windsong Farm Golf Club. The teams will play 36 holes Sunday and with the final round of 18 Monday. The Sooners will tee off from hole No. 1 at 8:00 p.m. CT. OU is paired with Arkansas and Minnesota in the first two rounds.

WEATHER FORECAST

Sunday: Raining with a high of 59 degrees and wind from the east at 10 mph.
Monday: Scattered thunderstorms with a high of 67 degrees and wind from the east-southeast at 16 mph.

LIVE SCORING

Live scoring is available on GolfStat.com.