OU Golf: Oklahoma in Second Halfway Through NCAA Championships

By OU Media Relations

CARLSBAD, CA – At the halfway mark of the NCAA Championships, Oklahoma sits alone in second place, 22 shots above Sunday's 54-hole cut and 14 clear of the match play cut to eight teams.

The sixth-ranked Sooners (10-under) trail leader Arizona State by three after the Sun Devils fired an 11-under 269 on Saturday at the North Course at Omni La Costa. True freshman Clark Van Gaalen is tied for fifth and one of four Sooners inside the top 25.

"Overall it was another pretty good day for us," head coach Ryan Hybl said. "For us to have all five guys give us solid rounds and be in it all day was big. It's important to get morning tee times, and we've played well enough over the first two days to do that. We'll get going tomorrow morning and keep the pedal down."

The NCAA Championships feature 72 holes of stroke play, with the 30-team field cut to 15 after 54 holes. Monday's final round determines the top eight teams that move on to match play, and the individual champion is crowned. Match play on Tuesday and Wednesday will decide the team national champion.

Oklahoma battled strong winds Saturday but used a solid start on its first nine to offset an even finish after starting on No. 10. Drew Goodman and Ryder Cowan delivered red numbers, while Van Gaalen and P.J. Maybank III added counting even-par rounds.

Goodman (T8, -3) posted a 71 (-1), bouncing back from a double bogey on 18 with an eagle on the par-5 fifth. The senior, one of four Sooners named to the PING All-Region team Saturday, sits tied for eighth.

Cowan carded a 71 (-1) and is tied for 25th, getting back to even par for the week. He tallied four birdies, including one on his final hole to finish under par for the round.

Van Gaalen (T4, -4) remains inside the top five and trails the lead by five after an even-par 72. The freshman, also an All-Region pick, led OU with 15 pars on the day.

Maybank (T55, +3) climbed into the top 60 with a 72 (E), providing a key counting score.

Jase Summy (T18, -1) is tied for 18th overall despite a 2-over 73 to close out the OU lineup.

Oklahoma tees off first Sunday morning alongside Arizona State (-13) and top-ranked Auburn (-6) at 8:30 a.m. CT.

Arizona State's Connor Williams and Ole Miss' Michael La Sasso share the individual lead at 9-under.

 Live scoring is available on Clippd for the duration of the championship.

NCAA Championships Team Top-20 Leaderboard

1. Arizona State (-13)
2. Oklahoma (-10)
3. Auburn (-6)
4. Florida (-5)
5. Florida State (-1)
6. Florida (E)
7. Oklahoma State (+2)
8. Ole Miss (+4)
9. Illinois (+7)
10. Cal (+8)
11. Virginia (+10)
t-12. Pepperdine (+11)
t-12. Colorado (+11)
t-12. Georgia Tech (+11)
t-15. Vanderbilt (+12)
t-15. Wake Forest (+12)
t-15. Texas A&M (+12)
18. BYU (+13)
19. Texas Tech (+14)
20. South Carolina (+19)