Top-Ranked Sooners Set For Title Run at Grayhawk

NCAA Men's Golf National Championship

May 27-June 1 / 72 Holes and Match Play / Scottsdale, Ariz. / Grayhawk Golf Club / Live Scoring / OU Notes

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — For the 11th straight season, the Oklahoma men's golf team will play for a national championship.

Top-ranked Oklahoma is set to tee off Thursday in round one of the NCAA Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. The championship will be contested over 72 holes of stroke play, with the field being cut from 30 to 15 teams after 54 holes. Following 72 cumulative holes, the field will be narrowed down to eight teams who will square off in a quarterfinal, semifinal and final match to determine a national champion.

The Sooners are the nation's No. 1 overall seed for the second consecutive season and are one of the nation's six top-seeded teams for the fourth straight year. In addition, Oklahoma is the consensus No. 1 team, appearing atop the Golfweek/Sagarin, Golfstat and GCAA polls. A pair of Sooners appear in Golfstat's top five, as No. 1 Chris Gotterup and No. 3 Logan McAllister lead head coach Ryan Hybl's team as the captains. The two are both finalists for the Haskins Award, awarded annually to the nation's top golfer.

Oklahoma has won seven events this year, including the program's 18th conference championship. OU found victory five times in the regular season, tying the 1989 (NCAA champion) and 2021 (NCAA runner-up) teams for the most in program history. The Sooners then won the NCAA Norman Regional to match the 1989 team with seven overall wins, and a national title would deliver the eighth and tie-breaking win.

NOTABLES

HOW WE GOT HERE

Oklahoma dominated the NCAA Norman Regional, erasing a six-shot deficit in the final round to beat the field by 10 shots, punching the program's ticket to its 11th consecutive NCAA Championship. The Sooners streak of 11 straight appearances is the second longest in the nation, trailing only Texas' 15 consecutive.

SUPER SENIORS

The OU lineup is anchored by its trio of All-American seniors in Chris Gotterup, Logan McAllister and Patrick Welch.

The three have combined for nine career wins and 47 top-10 finishes in their collegiate careers. All three sit inside the school's record book for single-season scoring average in 2021-22. McAllister holds the program record for career scoring average (70.93) and score vs. par (-0.51), while Welch is fourth all-time at 71.60 (0.13). McAllister's 70.93 career mark is the 12th lowest in NCAA history.

#CHAMPU TAKES OVER PGA TOUR U

PGA Tour U presented by Velocity Global was debuted in the 2020-21 season to provide a pathway for graduating seniors to earn professional status immediately following the conclusion of their college careers. At the conclusion of stroke play at the 2022 NCAA D-I Men's National Championship, the top-15 eligible players in the final 2022 Velocity Global Ranking will earn status on the Korn Ferry Tour or a PGA TOUR international tour. The top five players earn spots on the Korn Ferry Tour, while Nos. 6-15 earn membership on international tours.

Oklahoma has landed a national-best five players inside the PGA Tour U rankings, including three in 2020-21 and two this season. After the 2021 championship, Garett Reband (No. 5) earned KFT status while Quade Cummins (No. 6) and Jonathan Brightwell (No. 10) found homes on international tours. In 2022, Logan McAllister (No. 2) is in line for membership on the Korn Ferry Tour, while Chris Gotterup (No. 10) is fighting to move into the top five.

RUN IT BACK

In 2021, as the nation's top seed, Oklahoma advanced to its nation-leading fifth consecutive match play at NCAAs, knocking off Illinois and Arizona State to earn a title match with Pepperdine in the final. However, the Sooners dropped the championship match 3-2 to the Wave. OU earned the No. 4 seed in the stroke-play portion by signing for an 1130 (+10).

THE NEW STANDARD

Since head coach Ryan Hybl arrived in 2009, Oklahoma has reemerged as a national powerhouse in men's golf. The Sooners are one of two schools that have appeared in every NCAA Championship since 2011 and are the only program in the country to advance to match play at the championship every year since 2016, winning the national championship in 2017 and finishing as the runner-up in 2021.

THE FIELD

1. Oklahoma
2. Oklahoma State
3. Vanderbilt
4. Arizona State
5. North Carolina
6. Pepperdine
7. Texas
8. Texas Tech
9. Florida
10. Georgia Tech
11. Texas A&M
12. Stanford
13. Arkansas
14. Georgia
15. Wake Forest
16. Auburn
17. Florida State
18. Ole Miss
19. Kansas
20. Arizona
21. Oregon
22. East Tennessee State
23. South Florida
24. Ohio State
25. North Florida
26. Liberty
27. BYU
28. Georgia Southern
29. Utah
30. College of Charleston

OU LINEUP

Chris Gotterup, R-SR, Little Silver, N.J. - Transferred to Oklahoma from Rutgers for final season ... Consensus No. 1 player in the country (Golfstat and Golfweek) ... 2020 All-American ... 2020 Big Ten Player of the Year ... 2022 Big 12 conference runner-up ... Finalist for Haskins Award ... First NCAA appearance ... Posted nine top-10 finishes in 2021-22, including a win at the East Lake Cup and Puerto Rico Classic ... 69.77 scoring average this season is third lowest in program history ... Score vs. par of -1.94 in 21-22 is third best in OU history ... Made professional debut at Puerto Rico Open on PGA Tour, finishing T7 ... 14 rounds in 60s in 21-22 ... 5-2 in match play this season.

RANK: Golfstat - 1 | Golfweek/Sagarin - 1 | WAGR - 27 | PGA Tour U - 10

Logan McAllister, SR, Oklahoma City, Okla. - 2021 All-American ... 2022 Big 12 All-Tournament Team ... Finalist for Haskins Award ... Second NCAA Championship ( T17, 2021) ... Hasn't finished outside top 20 all season ... School record 70.93 (-0.51) career scoring average ... Four career medalist honors are second most in OU history ... 69.79 (-1.89) scoring average this season is fourth lowest in OU history ... In career: 20 top 20s, 12 top 10s, four wins, 32 rounds in the 60s ... Made pro debut this spring at the Valero Texas Open ... 14-3 in match play all-time including perfect 3-0 at the 2021 championship.

RANK: Golfstat - 3 | Golfweek/Sagarin - 10 | WAGR - 1 | PGA Tour U - 2

Ben Lorenz, SO, Peoria, Ariz. (SUB) - Second NCAA appearance ... Played in six events in 2021-22, with three showings as an individual ... Season-best T19 finish as Calusa Cup ... Career scoring average of 72.78 (+1.17) over 36 rounds played ... Finished T57 in the 2021 championship as a freshman and went 0-3 in match play ... 0-4-1 career record in match play.

RANK: Golfstat - 170 | Golfweek/Sagarin - 177 | WAGR - 460

Drew Goodman, FR, Norman, Okla. - First NCAA appearance ... No. 5 freshman in the country per Golfstat ... Played in all 12 events for the Sooners this season ... Nine top-20 finishes with four top 10s, including T5 at Norman Regional ... 11 rounds in the 60s in 2021-22 are third most on roster ... Posted a runner-up finish at Southern Highlands by signing for a OU freshman record 205 (-11) ... Two-time AJGA All-American ... Medalist of 2018 Under Armour Jordan Spieth Championship ... No. 16 recruit in 2021 class per Golfweek and No. 1 in state of Oklahoma ... 3-4 match play record in 2021-22.

RANK: Golfstat - 47 | Golfweek/Sagarin - 70 | WAGR - 167

Patrick Welch, SR, Aliso Viejo, Calif. - Second NCAA Appearance (subbed in at 2021 champ) ... Two-time All-American (2019 and 2021) ... 2022 Big 12 All-Tournament Team ... Two career wins, including one at Southern Highlands this season ... Scoring average of 71.17 (-0.53) in 2021-22 is seventh best in school history ... Owns school record for low round of 62 (-10) at Puerto Rico Classic ... Career average of 71.60 is fourth among all Sooners historically ... Swings crosshanded ... Won the 2014 Drive, Chip and Putt championship at Augusta ... Returning to OU next year ... 4-5-2 in match play career.

RANK: Golfstat - 57 | Golfweek/Sagarin - 50 | WAGR - 68 | PGA Tour U: WD

Stephen Campbell Jr., R-FR, Richmond, Texas (SUB): Would be first NCAA appearance if subbed in ... Played in 11 events for OU in first season in lineup ... Posted season-best finish of T5 at the East Lake Cup ... Entered postseason off back-to-back top-20 placements at Thunderbird Collegiate and Big 12 Championship ... Finished T23 at Norman Regional ... Five rounds in the 60s ... Won 2019 TAPPS 5A State Championship and set state scoring record (131) ... Represented Team USA at the 2019 Junior President's Cup ... 2-3 career record in match play ... Mom, Elissa, played basketball at Oklahoma.

RANK: Golfstat - 150 | Golfweek/Sagarin - 145 | WAGR - 372

THE COURSE

The NCAA Championship returns to Grayhawk for the second consecutive year. The Raptor Course at Grayhawk Golf Club will be played at 7,289 yards and as a par-70 for the championship. The course, designed by Tom Fazio, opened in 1994 and is listed among the best public golf courses in Arizona by Golfweek and Golf Magazine. Raptor is one of only two Scottsdale golf courses to host a PGA TOUR event – the Frys.com Open 2007-2009. Other tour-sanctioned tournaments include the inaugural Williams World Challenge, Andersen Consulting World Championship of Golf and Waste Management Phoenix Open pro ams.

FORMAT

The NCAA Men's Golf Championship consist of three days of stroke play on Friday thru Sunday (54 holes) with the top 15 teams and nine individuals not on an advancing team moving on. That is followed by a final day of 18 holes of stroke play on Monday to determine the top eight teams that will advance to match play and the 72-hole individual champion. The team national champion will be determined by match play. The Golf Channel will broadcast the individual championship round on Monday, and the match-play rounds on Tuesday and Wednesday.

TEE TIMES AND PAIRINGS

Top-seeded Oklahoma tees off at 1:30 p.m. CT in Friday's opening round with No. 2 Oklahoma State and No. 3 Vanderbilt off the No. 10 tee. On Saturday, the Sooners go off No. 1 at 8:10 a.m. CT with the same groups.

LIVE SCORING

Live scoring will be available on Golfstat.com.

TV SCHEDULE

Golf Channel will provide live coverage at the final three days of the championship, showcasing the best collegiate golf in the country as the NCAA will crown and individual champion on Monday and a team champion on Wednesday.

Monday, May 30: 4-8 p.m. CT (Individual National Championship)
Tuesday, May 31: 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. CT (Quarterfinals); 4-8 p.m. CT (Semifinals)
Wednesday, June 1: 4-8 p.m. CT (National Championship)

Top-Ranked Sooners Set For Title Run at Grayhawk