OKLAHOMA CITY (Sept. 13, 2021) – Oklahoma Christian's B team in men's golf still can be pretty salty, as the Eagles showed at times on Monday on the opening day of the Great American Conference Preview on Lake Hefner Golf Club's North Course.
The young Eagles – four of whom were playing in their first collegiate tournament – combined for 30 birdies and held their own for most of the day against more experienced squads before settling into sixth place after two rounds.
On a sunny, breezy day on which the south wind gusted as high as 26 mph, OC shot team rounds of 294 and 295 for an overall total of 589 (13-over-par). The Eagles, who fielded a squad of two sophomores and three freshmen, were 15 shots behind the leader, Harding (Ark.), and 12 shots behind tournament host Southern Nazarene.
The Eagles will enter Tuesday's final round – which will start at 7:30 a.m. – within striking distance of third-place Southeastern Oklahoma State (580), Harding's B team (583) and Arkansas-Monticello (586). OC finished Monday ahead of Northwestern Oklahoma State's A team (603) and B team (627).
All six OC players – starters
Ransen Turner,
Chase Gardner,
Nicholas Gimotty,
Dominic Wade and
Joey Lewis and
Asher Clift, who competed as an individual – had at least one round in which they recorded at least three birdies.
In the first round – after which the Eagles stood fourth – the starters combined for 15 birdies and an eagle (by Wade, on the par-5 No. 18). Turner used a run of three straight birdies (on the par-4 No. 10, the par-5 No. 11 and the par-4 No. 12) to move into the individual lead and held that lead through the end of the round, finishing with a 4-under 68 on the 6,970-yard course.
Unfortunately for Turner (who joined Gardner as the only OC players with previous collegiate tournament experience), he played the first five holes of the second round in 4-over and finished that round with a 78. The sophomore from Edmond still was tied for 12th at 146, seven shots behind the leader, Jordan Holifield of Southeastern.
Wade, a freshman from Scottsdale, Ariz., closed the opening round with a birdie on the par-3 No. 17 and the eagle at No. 18 for a 75, then put together a steady 73 (with three birdies) in the second round. At 148, he was tied for 18th in the 47-man field.
Gardner, a sophomore from Snohomish, Wash., improved from 76 in the first round to a 73 (with four birdies) in the second round and was tied for 22nd at 149. Gimotty, a freshman from Overland Park, Kan., was tied for 25th at 150 after posting a 75 in both rounds, with four birdies in the first round. Lewis, a freshman from Oklahoma City, had five second-round birdies en route to a 74, a seven-shot improvement over his first-round 81. He was tied for 35th at 155.
Clift, a freshman from Edmond, posted rounds of 78 (with four birdies) and 83 and was 44th at 161.
