JONESBORO, Ark. (Oct. 11, 2021) – The level of its opponents seemingly doesn't matter to Oklahoma Christian's men's golf team.
OC, the only NCAA Division II team in an otherwise all-Division I field in Arkansas State's Bubba Barnett Intercollegiate, held the team and individual lead for a time on Monday and finished the day at RidgePointe Country Club tied for third among 17 teams after two rounds.
The 11th-ranked Eagles, who won their first two fall tournaments this season against primarily Division II competition, posted team rounds of 296 and 298 on Monday for an overall score of 594. That put them in a tie with Creighton, Valparaiso and Oral Roberts, two shots behind second-place Loyola-Chicago and 13 behind Arkansas State. Trailing OC were 11 Division I programs.
OC led the tournament during the first round and was a solid second behind Arkansas State for most of the second round, in good part because of a slew of birdies. Freshman
Santiago Villareal of Cordoba, Argentina, had nine birdies and an eagle, while his teammates
Exequiel Rodriguez,
Mateo Pulcini and
Alejandro Armijo each had six birdies.
Pulcini, a sophomore from Rio Cuarto, Argentina, was OC's top individual, tied for 11th in the 95-man field at 147 after rounds of 75 and 72. Five of his six birdies came in his second round, during which he rose as high as second on the leaderboard at one point.
Villareal had a roller-coaster of a day. In the first round, he had six birdies and an eagle, the latter on the par-5 No. 10, and held the overall lead at 4-under-par. Despite four bogeys and a double bogey during the round, he still held a share of the lead at the end with a 2-under-par 70 on the 6,565-yard course. He had three more birdies in the second round but finished with a 79, putting him at 149, tied for 22nd.
Armijo, a junior from Rio Rancho, N.M., who earned his first career win last week in the NCAA Division II South Central-West Regional Preview in Pueblo, Colo., had rounds of 74 and 76 and was at 150, tied for 30th. Another shot behind was Rodriguez, a freshman from Buenos Aires, Argentina, who shot 77-74—151 and was tied for 36th.
Senior
Andres Brictson of Merida, Mexico, improved from 77 in the first round to 76 in the second round and was tied for 47th at 153. Competing as an individual, OC sophomore
Chase Gardner of Snohomish, Wash., followed a first-round 84 with a 73 and was tied for 65th at 157.
Another player competing as an individual, Jack Madden of Arkansas State, led the field at 142 (2-under).
OC will be grouped with Arkansas State, Loyola and Creighton during the final round and will tee off starting at 8:30 a.m.
