Goodman Paces Sooners on Day One at Grayhawk

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – After round one at the 2023 NCAA Men's Golf National Championships, No. 10 Oklahoma sits in a tie for 12th after firing a 287 (+7) to open the week at the par-70 Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.

The Sooners (T12, +7) will enter day two of the 72-hole championship three shots back of the Monday cut to eight teams but three strokes above the 15-team cut that follows Sunday's round. The Sooners' 287 matched the program's first-round score from the 2022 championship.

"Overall we had a little bit of firepower today I thought," head coach Ryan Hybl said. "We made birdies which is nice and we took care of the easier holes, which is something we talk a lot about. Unfortunately for us, we didn't play the tougher holes very well at all today. Overall, we're in a fine spot but we know there is some work to do."

Sophomore golfer Drew Goodman paced the Crimson and Cream on Friday morning. The Norman product posted seven birdies on his day and signed for a 68 (-2) to share sixth after round one. The 2022 Freshman All-American selection finished T20 at last year's championship and will enter round two four back of the individual leader, Georgia Tech's Ross Steelman (1, -6).

"Drew's been playing great over the last month," Hybl said after the round. "I know he'll be disappointed with how he finished on 17 and 18, but any time you can get under par here at Grayhawk in championship conditions, it's really impressive."

Jase Summy struggled early, posting a 4-over par mark through seven holes, but the freshman flipped his round on the back of the course. Birdies on the 10th, 13th and 16th moved him to 1-over for the day before a bogey on No. 18, the hardest hole on the golf course Friday, bumped him into a tie for 47th at 2-over par.

Outside of the top 50, Ben Lorenz carded a 73 (+3) and owns a share of 70th. Patrick Welch was in the hunt after a birdie on the 14th got him to 1-over, but trouble on the 18th dropped him to 74 (+4) on the day and 87th on the leaderboard. Stephen Campbell Jr. posted a 76 (+6).

The championship is 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 to eight teams who will square off in a quarterfinal, semifinal and final match to determine a national champion. Oklahoma has made match play at the last six championships, the nation's longest active streak.

The Sooners tee off at 1:52 p.m. CT on Saturday and are paired again with Georgia Tech and Auburn.

"We're gonna have to fight super hard tomorrow," Hybl added. "We know how difficult this golf course gets in the afternoon, so we need to come out here with a game plan and have an awesome attitude. At the end of the day, our guys can do it. We're still in a fine spot and we have a lot of golf in front of us."

After the dust settled on day one, No. 11 Georgia Tech (1, E) led the field, powered by Steelman, who leads the individual race by two shots.

Live scoring is available on Golfstat, and the Golf Channel will broadcast the individual championship round on Monday and the match-play rounds on Tuesday and Wednesday.