Three in a row for the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Pebble Beach
(Oklahoma State Twitter photo)
PEBBLE BEACH, CA (September 3, 2017) - Oklahoma State University, the
preseason #1 men's college golf team, validated their ranking on Sunday by winning the Carmel Cup at Pebble Beach Golf Links, their third straight win in the event.
Scores were amazingly low all three days at the U.S. Open venue, with the Cowboys shooting 52 under par in the best 5-of-6 format to win by 14 shots over Texas Tech University. For the tournament, all of Oklahoma State's 18 rounds were par or better.
In all, there were 46 rounds in the 60s, and 31 of the 48 players in the field finished the tournament under par.
Related: 61 at Pebble Beach: Long Sets Course Record at Carmel Cup
Texas Tech was just three shots behind starting the round and actually took the lead after a hot start that saw them go 11 under over their first five holes. But Oklahoma State pulled ahead on the strength of three bogey-free rounds and going 12 under par on the back nine.
Hayden Wood (Oklahoma State), the
medalist in the U.S. Amateur three weeks ago, and
Hurly Long (Texas Tech), who on day two shot a
course record 11-under 61, were paired in the final group and had a thrilling duel for the individual title. When Long started out par-eagle-birdie, he had played his last 21 holes in 14 under par and had a four shot lead over Wood. But Wood birdied four of the next five holes and took a two-shot lead of his own when Long bogeyed the 8th and 9th.
Long tied it up with birdies at 11 and 13, only to see Wood retake the lead with a birdie at the 14th. Long struck back at the very next hole to tie it up again, and it remained tied until the 18th. With Wood in close for birdie, Long had to make a matching birdie putt from 15 feet, which he did to force a playoff. Wood shot 66, Long a 67, and the two players finished at 19 under, six shots ahead of everyone else.
Hurly Long's birdie putt on #18 to force a playoff
On the first playoff hole, Wood went long and made bogey, which allowed Long to tap in for par and win the individual title.
Garett Reband of the University of Oklahoma finished alone in third at 13-under 203, with
Patrick Martin of Vanderbilt and
Kristoffer Ventura of Oklahoma State tied for fourth at 12-under 204.
The reigning
national champion Oklahoma Sooners finished third as a team, followed by Vanderbilt, TCU, Arkansas, Georgia and Ohio State.
ABOUT THE Carmel Cup
Started in 2011, the Carmel Cup is a 54-hole men's
college
event hosted by Vanderbilt University and played at
the
Number 1 ranked public golf course in the United
States, Pebble Beach Golf Links. Its field comprised
mostly of
top teams from the Big 12 and SEC. There are team
(best five scores out of six
players each round) and individual competitions.
View Complete Tournament Information