No. 1 Oklahoma Set for Big 12 Championship

Big 12 Championship

April 26-28 / 72 Holes / Hutchinson, Kan., / Prairie Dunes CC / Live Scoring / OU Notes

HUTCHINSON, Kan., — No. 1 Oklahoma is set to compete in the Big 12 Championship, hosted for the 13th time at Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kan., on April 26-28. The conference championship, which is contested over 72 holes of play, has been won by the Sooners 17 times. Head coach Ryan Hybl's team won the tournament in 2018 and has finished inside the top five at the last three championships.

"Our guys have so much respect for Prairie Dunes and understand how important of a course it is, and they're excited to play it," Hybl said. "We've put in the work all season with our focus and ultimate goals on the postseason, and it's finally here. We'll be ready to compete and have fun out there."

The Sooners enter the week ranked as the consensus No. 1 team in the country, boasting four All-Americans and the four lowest scorers in program history. The six potential starters have amassed 46 top-10 individual finishes over their careers. Hybl's team has earned a top-five finish in 23 of its last 24 finishes, including four wins this season in just eight 54-hole tournaments.

On the individual front, the Sooners' roster features three medalists in McAllister, Reband and Welch this season, while Cummins owns a pair of runner-up finishes, Brightwell has two T4s and Lorenz has a T13. Oklahoma is the only team in the country to have four All-Americans and three players inside the PGA Tour U's top 15 rankings. Five of Oklahoma's potential six starters sit inside the top 85 in the world, powered by No. 6 Reband and No. 19 Cummins.

Spectators are permitted based on local/state guidelines, which are subject to change. It is requested that spectators wear masks and follow physical distancing protocols, including remaining at least 15 yards away from student-athletes, coaches and other team personnel. Spectators must also keep distanced from tee boxes and greens. The event is free of charge.

THE FIELD

Baylor
Iowa State
Kansas
Kansas State
No. 1/1 Oklahoma
No. 3/3 Oklahoma State
TCU
No. 6/7 Texas
No. 22/17 Texas Tech
West Virginia

Golfstat/Golfweek

OU LINEUP

Jonathan Brightwell, R-Sr, Charlotte, N.C. - Transfer from UNC-Greensboro, thus making the first appearance in Big 12 Championship ... Tied for second lowest-scoring average this season on team with 71.56 ... Team-high four top-five finishes, paired with six top 10s and eight top 20s in nine events ... Has not finished outside of the top 15 while playing in the OU lineup ... Member of the United States Palmer Cup team ... 2020 PING second-team All-American ... Haskins Watch List Honoree in the fall of 2020 ... 2017 SoCon champion.

RANK: Golfstat - 23 | Golfweek/Sagarin - 15 | WAGR - 58 | PGA Tour U - 14

Quade Cummins, R-SR, Weatherford, Okla. - Third appearance at Big 12 Championship, finishing T23 in 2019 and T7 in 2018 ... Three-time All-American ... Second-lowest career scoring average in Oklahoma history of 71.43 ... Career versus par of 0.24 is third best at OU ... 29 top-20 finishes, 20 top 10s and 9 top fives ... Enters Big 12s coming off a T9 and T6 finish at the Calusa Cup and Aggie Inv ... Member of United States Walker Cup and Palmer Cup teams.

RANK: Golfstat - 43 | Golfweek/Sagarin - 24 | WAGR - 19 | PGA Tour U - 7

Ben Lorenz, FR, Peoria, Ariz. - First appearance at Big 12 Championship ... Best finish at Maridoe Collegiate in first collegiate event, shot 222 to finish T13 ... Made first showing in lineup at Calusa Cup, where his second-round score of 71 helped pace the Sooners to a win ... Was No. 1 prospect out of Arizona and No. 16 nationally, earning AJGA Player of the Year honors.

RANK: Golfstat - 238 | Golfweek/Sagarin - 210 | WAGR - 923

Logan McAllister, JR, Oklahoma City, Okla. - First appearance at Big 12 Championship ... Putting together the best season of his career, amassing a win at the Colonial Preview and two runner-up finishes this spring ... Career-scoring average of 71.56 is fourth-lowest in Oklahoma history, and his career score versus par of 0.02 is second-best all-time in Norman ... Seven rounds in the 60s this year are second-most on the team and his low round of 65 in the best among all Sooners in 2020-21 ... September 2020 Big 12 Golfer of the Month.

RANK: Golfstat - 31 | Golfweek/Sagarin - 22 | WAGR - 41

Garett Reband, R-SR, York, S.C. - Second appearance at the Big 12 Championship, finishing T8 in 2019 as a junior ... Two-time All-American ... Semifinalist for Ben Hogan Award and member of United States Palmer Cup team ... Owns the lowest scoring average (71.24) and vs. par (-0.27) in Oklahoma history ... Has not finished outside of the top 15 at a 54-hole tournament since 2019 ... 25 top 20s, 16 top 10s, eight top fives and two wins, including at the 2021 Men's NIT.

RANK: Golfstat - 7 | Golfweek/Sagarin - 16 | WAGR - 6 | PGA Tour U - 2

Patrick Welch, JR, Aliso Viejo, Calif. - Second appearance at Big 12 Championship, finishing T8 in 2019 ... Haskins Watch List honoree for spring 2021 ... Won the East Lake Cup in October 2020, firing a career-low 66 ... Career-scoring average of 71.48 is the third-best in program history ... Honorable mention All-American as a freshman in 2019 ... Won the drive, chip and putt competition at Augusta National in 2014.

RANK: Golfstat - 57 | Golfweek/Sagarin - 29 | WAGR - 85

HISTORY

The Sooners own 17 conference championships, most recently taking home the title in 2018. An Oklahoma golfer has won the individual crown twice, as Hunter Haas won the championship in 2000 and Anthony Kim took home medalist honors in 2005. Current OU assistant coach Bill Allcorn, who played at Baylor in college, finished as the runner-up at the 2009 championship, also hosted at Prairie Dunes.

THE COURSE

Prairie Dunes has hosted the Big 12 Championship 13 times since 1997, more than any other course in the country. Designed by the "Father of Oklahoma Golf" Perry Maxwell, the course opened in 1937 and has hosted the U.S. Women's Am three times, the 2002 U.S. Women's Open, the 2006 U.S. Senior Open and the 2014 NCAA Championship, among other tournaments. The par-70, 6,947-yard course was named the 27th greatest course in America by Golf Digest in 2019 and 25th best in the world by Golf Magazine in 2017.

FORMAT

Seventy-two holes will be played over three days, with teams playing 36 holes on Monday, followed by 18 on Tuesday and Wednesday.

TEE TIMES AND PAIRINGS

Pairings will consist of twosomes with play opening off the No. 1 and No. 10 tees in each of the four rounds. The top-ranked Sooners are matched up with No. 3 Oklahoma State on Monday, giving fans a Bedlam showdown at the conference championship.

Pairings for the first round are based off the most recent Sagarin ratings. The second round, also played on the opening day, will remain with the same pairings, with the starting tees will be switched. Pairings for the second and third days will be based on team results from the previous rounds.

LIVE STATS

Live scoring will be available on Golfstat.com.