SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — If the first three rounds of the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship is any indication of what fans will see down the stretch at Grayhawk Golf Club, it’ll be Bedlam in the desert on Wednesday.
The lone team under par, Oklahoma State holds a commanding lead at 12 under following Sunday’s second-consecutive round of 6-under 274. In-state rival Oklahoma is in second at 1 over, followed by host Arizona State in third at 2 over. Illinois (4 over) and Florida State (9 over) round out the top five.
Oklahoma State freshman Bo Jin fired a 1-under 69 on the challenging Raptor course and sits atop the individual leaderboard at 9 under. Clemson’s Turk Pettit is second at 7 under, with Wake Forest’s Parker Gillam and Oklahoma’s Quade Cummins T-3 at 5 under.
“We wanted to win the day today,” said Cowboys head coach Alan Bratton. “We did our job today and then the job will be the same tomorrow. Go stay focused and just keep trying to win every day. That’s been our mindset every single day, just take care of what’s right in front of you stay in the moment and just be yourself.”
Player breaks coach’s Pepperdine record
Michael Beard isn’t just the head coach for Pepperdine men’s golf. He’s a former player, too.
Now in his ninth year at the helm of his alma mater, Beard played for the Waves from 1999-2002, where he earned medalist honors at the 2000 NCAA West Regional and 2002 WCC Championship. He was first-team All-WCC all four years, and until Sunday held the record for most rounds played in school history.
Redshirt senior Clay Feagler passed his coach on the all-time list for rounds played during Sunday’s third round, where he shot a 3-over 73.
New Record!
— Pepperdine Men’s Golf (@PeppGolf) May 30, 2021
“Gives me goosebumps, really. I love that little guy,” said Beard with a smile when he heard the news. “I remember when he was barely above my chin when I recruited him. It’s been so neat to see him just grow as a person. I mean, his game obviously has gotten better and better, but he’s really like our leader now on our team. He’s our guy.”
“No one would have thought when he was as a junior that Clay would be as good as a college player as he is now,” continued Beard. “He’s won four times. I don’t know if he was just overlooked or maybe he just didn’t play as much as a junior but he should be proud and we’re proud of him.”
Sam Houston keeps inspiring
If you’re not familiar with Sam Houston State’s road to the NCAA Championship, it was a bumpy one.
The Bearkats were forced to complete the Stillwater Regional without its leader and star player, William Holcomb, due to COVID-19 contact tracing. His teammates rallied without him to punch their ticket to this week’s NCAA Championship, their first in program history.
Three rounds later the ‘Kats are still clawing their way through the desert. Sam Houston is in 11th place, inside the 15-team cut for Monday’s final round of stroke play. The crew from Huntsville, Texas, will need to make up a five-shot deficit to climb into the top eight on Monday to qualify for match play.
“I’m just trying to look forward. We want to focus on what we have to do. We just need to play a solid round tomorrow, and we know how to do that,” said head coach Brandt Kieschnick. “It’s a tough golf course that challenges you mentally, physically, discipline-wise, so we’ll talk about what we’ve got to do tomorrow, and just everyone execute, and just give yourself the best chance.”
“I want people to see this is a team that’s been solid all year,” added Kieschnick. “I say this humbly, it’s not a surprise. We’ve played solid every year. These guys are great players. They play the game the right way and that leads to good scores and that leads to them getting to the top. We love that we can inspire a nation through the tough thing we went through. If you can play golf and have other people watch you and follow you and be inspired, there’s nothing better than that.”