MARANA, Ariz. (July 18, 2019) – Incoming Oklahoma Christian golfer Alex Motes qualified on Thursday to play in the Arizona Open.

Motes, a rising junior from Sulphur Springs, Texas, shot an even-par 72 on The Gallery Golf Club's South Course, putting him in a tie for ninth in the one-round qualifier. The top 11 finishers Thursday advanced into the 156-player field for the Arizona Open, to be played Aug. 5-7 at Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club in Gold Canyon, Ariz.

Motes was 2-over-par through five holes, but moved back to even par with birdies at the par-4 No. 7 and the par-4 No. 9. He bogeyed No. 10 and No. 11, but rallied to birdie the par-3 No. 16 and par-5 No. 17, ultimately avoiding a playoff.

The Arizona Open is administered by the Southwest PGA and first was played in 1937. It's been held annually since 1953.

A transfer from Midland (Texas) Community College, Motes has had a successful summer of golf. Earlier this month, he qualified as the No. 6 seed for the Oklahoma State Amateur Championship, which will begin Monday morning at Oak Tree Country Club's East Course in Edmond. He'll face Andrew Lehman of Bartlesville, who just finished his collegiate career at Oklahoma Wesleyan, in the first round.

At Midland, Motes earned National Junior College Athletic Association All-America first-team honors as a freshman, then posted three top-10 finishes and a stroke average of 75.17 as a sophomore. He signed with OC last November.