BULLARD, Texas (March 28, 2022) – Oklahoma Christian's first attempt at competing in a tournament using a match/medal-play format turned out well on the opening day for the Eagles.
Top-seeded OC downed No. 8 seed Lubbock Christian (Texas) 4.5-0.5 and fourth-seeded Texas A&M-Commerce 3-2 on Monday in the King-Alfred Spring Invitational at Eagles Bluff Golf Club. OC, ranked seventh in the most recent NCAA Division II coaches' poll, will face tournament host and sixth-seeded Texas-Tyler in the title match beginning at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.
The tournament is using the same format used by the NCAA during the final two days of its national golf championships, when the eight teams that have advanced through stroke play meet in match-play competition to determine the team champion. In those matches, stroke totals for each player determines the result of his individual match. A team must win at least three individual matches to earn the team win.
In the Texas-Tyler tournament, traditional stroke-play results still are being recorded for use in season scoring averages and to determine an individual champion, but the team champion will be the winner of the OC-Tyler match.
OC swept to the win in its morning match over Lubbock Christian, with
Mateo Pulcini,
Alejandro Armijo,
Oskari Nikku and
Andres Brictson winning at the one, two, three and five positions, respectively. Pulcini's even-par 71 just edged LCU's Jeffrey Maciejewski's 72 and Armijo's 72 was just one shot better than the Chaparrals' Braxton Floyd. Armijo's match provided the Eagles with the decisive point.
Playing at No. 4, freshman
Exequiel Rodriguez earned a split of his match with LCU's Jake Bowen, with each shooting a 74.
The afternoon match against TAMUC was much tighter. Brictson started off OC strong with a 72 to earn a point, as TAMUC's Tripp Wallace posted a 74. Rodriguez (75) beat Simon Haas (78) to put OC up 2-0, but the Lions' Zach Burch (72) outdueled Nikku (77). Armijo again provided the clinching point, hanging on for a 75 that was one shot better than TAMUC's Nathan McCullough. At No. 1, TAMUC's Kittiphong Phaithuncharoensuk posted a 71 to down Pulcini (74).
Despite winning their two matches, the Eagles stood only third in the stroke-play standings. OC had team scores of 290 and 296 for an overall total of 586, eight shots behind Midwestern State (Texas) and three behind Texas-Tyler. The Patriots knocked off third-seeded St. Mary's (Texas) and second-seeded Midwestern State to advance to the title match.
Midwestern State's Jake Doggett and Maciejewski were tied for the individual lead at 140 (2-under-par). Pulcini and Brictson led OC, with both tied for fifth in the 44-man field at 145. OC's only individual player in the event, freshman
Santiago Villareal, was tied for 16th with Armijo at 147, having shot rounds of 70 and 77 on the 6,826-yard course.
RESULTS
