No. 1 Sooners Start Spring Slate in Puerto Rico

NORMAN – The No. 1 Oklahoma men's golf team travels to Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, to open the spring season at the Puerto Rico Classic. The three-day, 54-hole tournament will take place Sunday-Tuesday at the par-72, 6,902-yard River Course at the Rio Mar Country Club.

The 15-team field features five ranked teams in the Golfweek Top 25, including No. 3 Georgia Tech. The Sooners start the spring at No. 1 in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings.

OU opens 2020 after posting the best round in program history at the Ka'anapali Collegiate Classic to close out their fall schedule. The team carded a 21-under 263 in the final round at the Ka'anapali Collegiate Classic to set the program for the lowest team round in school history. Three members of the Sooner's squad finished in the top 12 while competing in Hawaii.

Senior Quade Cummins is leading the team into the spring season after being named Big 12 Golfer of the Month for November for the second year in a row. Cummins finished second at the Ka'anapali Collegiate Classic after posting 62 (-9), marking his lowest career round score and matching the schools record. The Weatherford, Okla. native is coming off a busy off season competing in four tournaments including the Master of Amateurs in Australia where he posted a 66 (-6) in the opening round.

Fellow standout senior Garett Reband is another weapon in the Sooner lineup. Reband finished in the top 10 or better in each tournament during the fall season. The Fort Worth, Texas, native finished in third at the Nike Invitational in October after posting a 9-under, 204 on the tournament. The senior also had a successful offseason finishing second at the South Beach International Amateur after a two-hole playoff.

Oklahoma's lineup will include Cummins, Reband, Sophomore Patrick Welch, Senior Thomas Johnson and Freshman Jake Holbrook.

OU finished in third last year at the Puerto Rico Classic. The team posted a 280 (-8) led by Cummins and Reband's strong finishes. The duo tied for seventh at 212 (-4).

The Sooners begin their round Sunday with an 6 a.m. CT shotgun start.

THE FIELD (GOLFSTAT RANKINGS)

Oklahoma (1)
Georgia Tech (3)
Georgia (20)
Clemson (21)
Tennessee (25)
Alabama
Ohio State University
College of Charleston
Purdue
Marquette
East Carolina
Ole Miss
NC State
Iowa
Maryland

OU LINEUP

Quade Cummins, Redshirt Senior: Posted a 62 in the third round to finish in 2nd at the Ka'anapali Classic ... Finished tied for 15th at the Nike Collegiate Invitational, posted best tournament round of the season ... Tied for 11th at both the Carmel Cup and Gopher Invitational … 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: Coolected four top-10 finishes in the fall ... Finished in third place at the Nike Collegiate Invitational Placed seventh at the Carmel Cup shooting a 65 in the opening round … Tied for eighth place at the Gopher Invitational … Leads the team with a 69.83 scoring average 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

Thomas Johnson, Redshirt Senior: Competed in all fall events ... Earned another top-25 finish at the Nike Collegiate Invitational ... Had best career finish at the Gopher Invitational tying for sixth … 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

Patrick Welch, Sophomore: Tied for 25th at the Ka'anapali Classic ... Tied for 36th at the Nike Collegiate Invitational … Tied for 31st at the Gopher InvitationalTied for 31st at the Gopher Invitational … 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

Jake Holbrook, Freshman: Second time competing for the Sooners ... Finished in the top-25 at the Carmel Cup ... AJGA Champion ... Texas Student Athlete award winner.

THE COURSE

The Puerto Rico Classic will be played at the par-72, 6,902-yard River Course at the Rio Mar Country Club in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico.

FORMAT

Fifty-four holes will be played over three days. The starting round will begin at 6:00 p.m. CT with a shotgun start. The Sooners are paired with Georgia and Georgia Tech for the first round.

WEATHER FORECAST

Sunday: Showers with a high of 82 degrees and wind out of the east at 13 mph.
Monday: Partly cloudy with a high of 83 degrees and wind out of the east at 14 mph.
Tuesday: Mostly Sunny with a high of 83 degrees and wind out of the east at 16 mph.

LIVE STATS

Live scoring will be available on Golfstat.com.