Sooners Post 4-1 Record at Big 12 Match Play Championship

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Sooners Post 4-1 Record at Big 12 Match Play Championship

October 11, 2023 | Men's Golf

Results

By: OU Athletics Communications

HOCKLEY, Texas – The Oklahoma men's golf team closed play Tuesday at the Big 12 Match Play Championship by posting the tournament's best hole differential for the second year in a row and securing a 4-1 record.

The Sooners dropped their opening match to Houston but then rattled off dominant wins over No. 1 Texas, No. 7 BYU, No. 6 TCU and No. 4 Texas Tech to close the week on a strong note. OU's +34 hole differential after five matches was five holes better than any other team in the field.

"I thought that it was a really good week for us overall," head coach Ryan Hybl said. "We had some cobwebs in our heads during that first match and that cost us a chance at the championship, but honestly we played so well in the other matches that I leave here pretty happy."

Oklahoma trailed early in the No. 2-seeded Sooners' opening match vs. Houston but battled back down the stretch. Jaxon Dowell defeated Chi Chun Chen 4&3 to put OU's first point on the board. Jase Summy and Ryder Cowan fought back in their matches to tie their opponents in the final three holes, meaning that OU just needed to flip one of the remaining two matches to win. However, Stephen Campbell Jr. was knocked off 2&1 and Drew Goodman, 4&3, to deliver the Cougars a victory and drop OU out of the title race.

In Monday's afternoon match, the Sooners took on No. 1 Texas in a non-pool play battle between the championship's top seeds. The Sooners won four of the match's five individual contests and routed Texas, 4-1, to secure the team's first victory of the week. Luke Kluver (5&4) and Stephen Campbell Jr. (5&3) signed for dominant victories over the Longhorns, while Goodman and Cowan secured 3&1 wins over their opponents.

Back in pool play on Tuesday morning, the Sooners dispatched BYU, 4-1, in convincing fashion. Wins from Kluver (6&5), Summy (4&3), Goodman (4&3) and Cowan (2&1) were good enough to power Oklahoma into the fifth-place bracket.

In bracket play, the Sooners faced No. 6-seeded TCU on Tuesday afternoon, holding off a late charge from the Horned Frogs to advance. Kluver was again dominant with a 5&4 win, while points from Cowan (3&1) and Summy (3&2) pushed Hybl's team across the finish line and into the fifth-place match vs. Texas Tech.

On Wednesday morning, the Sooners took on the fourth-seeded Red Raider in a battle for fifth. The Sooners prevailed late in a tight contest between two of the Big 12's highest-ranked teams. Kluver was once again the first on the board, using a 4&3 win to give Oklahoma its first point. Then the Sooners got 1-up wins from Goodman, Campbell Jr. and Cowan to finish off the Red Raiders, 4-1.

"What I learned this week is that Ryder (Cowan) has a chance to be elite," Hybl added. "He played big-time golf all week long and was as good as his record says. Kluver was sensational against everyone he played and did what we expected him to do. Really, all of our guys played well and had huge moments for us out there."

The Sooners will close their fall slate at the Ka'anapali Classic in Lahaina, Hawai'i, on Oct. 26-28.