Sooners solid but not flashy
STILLWATER — Oklahoma golf coach Ryan Hybl wasn’t overly disappointed with his team’s performance in the third round of the NCAA men’s golf championships, but he wasn’t wildly excited about it, either.
Based on where the Sooners sit in the team standings, that seems like the proper emotion.
With three players at even par or better in Sunday’s trip around Karsten Creek Golf Club, the Sooners dropped one spot to fifth place with a 54-hole total of 4-over-par 868. That put defending champion OU well inside the 15-team cut line to get to Monday’s fourth and final round of stroke play, but with little cushion to secure a topeight spot for the match play bracket.
“It’s a little frustrating that we had to take a 5-over,” Hybl said of the Sooners’ final counting score on Sunday. “That’s one of the things we’ve done a nice job of this spring, is not having to take rounds like that. But I know those guys are more disappointed than I am, so they’ll be ready to go tomorrow.”
With a 2-under-par 70 on Sunday, junior Brad Dalke led the way for OU. After Blaine Hale carded a 72, he and Dalke were tied for 14th overall at 2-under for the tournament.
Quade Cummins, who shot 77 on Sunday, is the third Sooner in the standings, tied for 34th at 2-over par. Grant Hirschman provided a spark on Sunday with a round of 71 and is 6-over for the week.
After Monday’s round, the field will be cut to the eight teams for match play, so Hybl didn’t expect to have to give his team much of a pep talk after Sunday’s play.
“We always do a little bit of talking, but overall, these guys know what’s on the line tomorrow,” he said.
Oklahoma will tee off starting at 11:50 a.m. Monday. Oklahoma State's tee times will begin at 12:50 p.m.
Clemson’s Nimmer takes lead into final round
No golfer has played Karsten Creek better than Clemson’s Bryson Nimmer through the first three rounds.
Nimmer, a junior who is 19th in the Golfstat rankings, holds a two-stroke advantage heading to Monday’s final round of stroke play at the men’s NCAA championships.
His first round of 8-under 64 was the best competitive round in Karsten Creek history. After a 75 on Saturday, he had six birdies Sunday, shooting a 4-under 68 to remain the solo leader at 9-under.
“I’ve just got to keep doing what I’m doing,” Nimmer said. “Keep driving the ball well, keep putting the ball well. Having good numbers on the greens and knowing where to hit it to and what side to hit it to.”
Field cut to 15 teams, 9 individuals
Northwestern, the firstround leader after setting a course record for team score Friday, and Stanford were the first two teams outside of the 15-team cut line for Monday’s final round of stroke play, tied for 16th at 20-over par.
Alabama broke Northwestern’s team record Saturday before Duke bested that mark Sunday.
BYU, which was 9-over after its first two rounds, missed the cut after shooting a 24-over in its third round, which it completed Friday morning.
Because the Cougars don’t participate in athletic events on Sunday, they played most of the round Thursday, facing faster greens and windier conditions than Sunday offered.
Augusta’s Broc Everett was the top individual qualifier to advance, tied for third at 6-under.