TULSA, Okla. (Aug. 16, 2021) – With arguably the best round of his life, former Oklahoma Christian golf standout Preston Wilkins qualified on Monday for the prestigious U.S. Golf Association Mid-Amateur Championship.

Wilkins tied a course record with a bogey-free, 10-under-par 61 in a U.S. Mid-Am qualifying tournament at MeadowBrook Golf Club. He earned one of 264 spots in the prestigious national event, which will be played Sept. 25-30 at Sankaty Head Golf Club in Siasconset, Mass., and Miacomet Golf Course in nearby Nantucket, Mass.

Wilkins, who played at OC from 2008 to 2012 and now lives in Bixby, became the third OC alumnus to qualify to play in the U.S. Mid-Am Championship, which is for amateur players who are at least 25 years old as of Sept. 25. He joins Danny Lovell (1999-2002) and Noah Lawson (2006-09).

A four-time NAIA All-American for the Eagles, Wilkins started on OC teams that won national titles in 2009 and 2011.

On the 6,741-yard layout at MeadowBrook, Wilkins recorded a birdie on the par-4 No. 2 and followed with an eagle on the par-5 No. 3, setting the stage for his memorable round. He finished the front nine with a score of 29 (7-under) after subsequent birdies on the par-5 No. 5, the par-4 No. 7, the par-3 No. 8 and the par-4 No. 9.

He recorded his fourth straight birdie at the par-4 No. 10, then later birdied the par-5 No. 13 and the par-3 No. 17. Wilkins finished six shots ahead of the runner-up in the 78-man qualifier, Chris Noel of Broken Arrow, who also qualified for the U.S. Mid-Am, along with third-place Mike Hearne, a former Southern Nazarene player.

Lovell, from Dallas, tied for 11th with an even-par 71 while former OC player Kyle Hudelson of Edmond (a two-time Oklahoma Golf Association Mid-Amateur champion) tied for 32nd at 74. A former OC baseball player, Chase Kuwitzky of Norman, tied for 36th at 75.