EDMOND, Okla. (Aug. 12, 2020) – Oklahoma Christian's already strong representation in the Oklahoma Open field grew on Wednesday as
Alex Motes finished tied for fifth in a qualifier for the Oklahoma Golf Association's top event.
On an overcast morning, Motes shot an even-par 70 at Oak Tree Country Club's West Course to become the sixth current OC player to make the field for the Open, which will be played Aug. 21-23 on Oak Tree's East Course.
Another OC player,
Abigail Rigsby – who was attempting to become the first female ever to qualify for the Open – posted a 79 and missed the qualifying cutoff, which was 70. Ten players advanced into the Open field.
Motes, a junior from Sulphur Springs, Texas, was 1-over-par on the 6,752-yard course before rolling in a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-4 No. 9 and a 40-foot birdie putt on the par-3 No. 10. Bogeys at No. 11 and No. 17 put him back at 1-over, but he hit his approach shot on No. 18 from 150 yards to within inches of the hole. He tapped in for a birdie.
OC men's players who already had been accepted into the Open field include two-time NCAA Division II All-American
Trevor Norby,
Alejandro Armijo,
Said Powers,
Ransen Turner and
Reese Gorman. Norby made the cut in last year's Open.
OC alumnus Rhein Gibson, who currently plays on the PGA Tour, also is scheduled to compete, along with another forrmer OC standout, four-time NAIA All-American Preston Wilkins, who also qualified Wednesday.
It's been a solid summer for Motes, who tied for 12th in the OGA's Stroke Play Championship at The Territory Golf and Country Club in Duncan and also qualified for the Texas State Open, one of only 32 amateurs to do so.
Rigsby, a senior from Courtenay, British Columbia, made her second attempt at Oklahoma Open qualification after missing by only two shots in 2019. She bogeyed her first three holes, though, and never quite recovered. Her only birdie came at the par-3 No. 6, when she drained a 10-foot putt after an outstanding tee shot. She tied for 33rd in the 53-player field.
Wilkins was one of three players who finished atop the leaderboard in the qualifying round at 2-under 68. Wilkins, from Tulsa, was a NAIA All-America selection each year from 2009 to 2012 and was a part of two OC squads that won NAIA championships.
