SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Despite a late comeback attempt from the youngest members of the OU lineup, the Oklahoma men's golf fell to Pepperdine 3-2 in the national championship on Wednesday at Grayhawk Golf Club.
Logan McAllister and
Jonathan Brightwell delivered points for head coach
Ryan Hybl's team, and freshman
Ben Lorenz battled until the final hole with Pepperdine's most experienced golfer, but
Quade Cummins and
Garett Reband both fell in their matches, giving the Waves the title.
"I'm so, so proud of our guys, especially our young guys," Hybl said. "We put up a really strong fight today against a great team. Hats off to Pepperdine – they're tough from top to bottom and don't make mistakes."
McAllister, a junior, went 3-0 in match play, including a come-from-behind win in the championship match to keep Oklahoma's hopes alive. Lorenz, a Phoenix native, put on his best showing of the week, battling with Clay Feagler all afternoon. The freshman held multiple one-hole leads but was outdone by Feagler at the end, and Lorenz's 35-foot birdie putt on the 18th to extend the match came up just short.
"Today was really a passing of the torch from our old guys to the younger ones," Hybl explained. "
Logan McAllister is the new leader of our team, and
Ben Lorenz came out and showed the nation that he can play with the best of him. I'm so excited for the future of this program, and I'm just proud of our guys.
The Sooners close the year with the third-lowest scoring average in program history and the continued success of the Hybl era has put the nation on notice. Oklahoma is the only school in the country to appear in the last five match-play championships, accumulating a national championship and national runner-up in that time.
This season, three OU golfers in
Garett Reband,
Quade Cummins and
Jonathan Brightwell all finished inside the top 10 of the inaugural PGA Tour U rankings, earning professional status starting next week - no other school had more than one inside the top 15.
"The seniors mean everything to me," Hybl said, fighting back tears. "It's sad that they're moving on, but I'm just really excited for their futures."
The future is bright for the Sooners as they look into next season. Juniors
Logan McAllister and
Patrick Welch will look to lead the team after strong 2020-21 campaigns that saw both rise into the top 30 nationally. The upcoming seniors, alongside a cast of young talent including three signees, will give Oklahoma chance to make another deep run in 2022.