Pepperdine Bounces OSU, OU En Route to Men’s Golf NCAA Championship

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – The Oklahoma Sooners men’s golf team advanced last week to its fifth straight NCAA match-play championship, the nation’s longest streak and one that produced a national championship in 2017.

But this season belonged to the Pepperdine Waves from sunny Southern California.

Pepperdine defeated OU 3-2 in the national championship round on Wednesday, June 2 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale. Joe Highsmith, William Mouw and Clay Feagler won their head-to-head matchups against the OU squad, while Logan McAllister and Jonathan Brightwell delivered points for the Sooners.

Just one day earlier, the Waves finished off Oklahoma State in similar fashion.

The Cowboys, who also appeared in the semifinals in 2019 and won the national championship the year before, fell 3-0-2 to Pepperdine on Monday, June 1. Highsmith and Feagler again took their one-on-one matches against the Cowboys that day, as did Dylan Menante. OSU golfers Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra and freshman Bo Jin tied their matches.

Pepperdine ended a remarkable season for both the Sooners and Cowboys, who entered the NCAA postseason both ranked among the top three programs in the nation, including a No. 1 ranking for Oklahoma.

OU needed a big comeback just to advance past the Albuquerque Regional, where the team erased a fourshot deficit over the final six holes to qualify for OU’s 10th straight NCAA National Championship. Once there, OU finished fourth in the stroke-play portion to advance to match play.

Oklahoma State finished second in stroke play, shooting an even-par 1120 over 72 holes compared to OU’s +10 1130. Arizona State won the stroke-play portion, but was bounced by the Sooners in the semifinals.

Both OU and OSU were well-represented in the Big 12 Conference men’s golf awards, announced after the NCAA Championship. Oklahoma’s Ryan Hybl was voted the conference Coach of the Year.

Seniors Brightwell and Quade Cummins, and juniors McAllister and Patrick Welch were Oklahoma’s All-Big 12 golfers. OSU was represented in the all-conference list by Jin, sophomore Lopez-Chacarra, and junior Austin Eckroat.

Lopez-Chacarra was also named the conference’s newcomer of the year.

The golf All-Big 12 team is selected based on final season Golfweek/Sagarin individual rankings, and coach of the year is voted on by the conference’s head coaches, the conference explained.

OU finished the season with four tournament wins and posted the third-lowest scoring average in program history.

2020-21 Big 12 Men’s Golf Awards

Player of the Year: Pierceson Coody, Texas

Newcomer of the Year: Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra, Oklahoma State

Coach of the Year: Ryan Hybl, Oklahoma

All-Big 12 Team

Jonathan Brightwell, Oklahoma, Sr.

Quade Cummins, Oklahoma, Sr.

Logan McAllister, Oklahoma, Jr.

Patrick Welch, Oklahoma, Jr.

Austin Eckroat, Oklahoma State, Jr.

Bo Jin, Oklahoma State, Fr.

Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra, Oklahoma State, So.

Pierceson Coody, Texas, Jr.

Cole Hammer, Texas, Jr.

Travis Vick, Texas, So.

Ludvig Aberg, Texas Tech, So.