USAO’s men’s golf team competed in six tournaments for their fall season which saw a trip to Iowa and their classic Battle at Winter Creek.
The team began with the U.C. Ferguson Classic at Lincoln Park West (6600-yard, par 71) in Oklahoma City where they finished seventh of 13 teams. Junior Jaeden Ellis led the pack with a tied 11th-place finish after rounds of 68, 68, and 74 for a total of 210. Junior Conner Cryer also tied for 11th place with an identical 210 final card. Sophomore Cooper Hardison finished at 33rd place, senior Luke O’Dell finished at 48th, senior Tucker McDonald finished at 54th, freshman Parker Pogue earned a 58th finish, senior Tate Trotter finished 59th, and junior Luca Gisler finished 67th.
The Texas Intercollegiate hosted at Hawk’s Creek Golf Course (6898-yard, par 72) was their second tournament and saw eight teams. USAO finished fourth with a total of 873 (289, 291, 293). The highlight of the tournament was when Cryer was in a three-way tie for the title of champion leading to two playoff holes, in which he won for his third career win. His final score was 210 (66, 70, 74). Ellis was next with 221 (75, 74, 72) for a 19th finish. Gisler, Hardison, McDonald, and Trotter all placed within the top 30.
USAO’s third tournament took them up north for the Northwest Iowa Invitational, where the team placed 12th of 14 teams. Hardison was the first Drover on the list with a tied 44th finish. The next tournament brought them slightly closer home as the crew loaded up for the Pioneer Prairie Classic in Wichita, KS. The Drovers placed 6th of ten teams with a card of 915 (313, 294, 320). The lone freshman Pogue led with a 9th-place finish and a card of 222 (76, 72, 74). Cryer followed at 17th. McDonald, O’Dell, and Trotter were all in the top 30.
The Drovers brought their second to last tournament to their home course for the Battle at Winter Creek, where USAO took home a first-place finish as a team. The team’s card had a final score of 861 (288, 282, 291). Cryer led with a 2nd place finish and rounds of 70, 68, and 69 for a total of 207 (-9). Hardison tied for 3rd with a final of 217 (73, 72, 72), and Ellis followed in 8th with scores of 71, 73, and 75 to total 219. Gisler finished at 14th, Pogue at 19th, McDonald at 26th, O’Dell at 29th, and Trotter at 32nd.
For their final fall tournament, the Drovers stayed close to home as they played in The Hrnciar at the Territory Golf Club in Duncan (7110-yard, par 72), which invited a challenging field of teams including a pair of teams ranked in the Top 25 of NCAA DII. USAO placed 3rd overall with a three-round total of 896 (298, 291, 307). Ellis and Hardison tied for 14th with identical totals of 225. Ellis carded scores of 74, 73, and 78 while Hardison similarly fired scores of 77, 73, and 75. Gisler trailed in 21st with a total of 226 (72, 73, 81). Trotter and Cryer earned themselves a top 30 spot as well at 26th and 29th respectively. Pogue ended at 38th with a total of 231 (75, 76, 80), and McDonald finished at 49th and O’Dell at 52nd.
“The best moment from the season was the team winning on our home soil against the #1 ranked team in the nation,” Cryer said. “We just need to build off the momentum we left off with this fall.”
The Drovers battled hard throughout their six tournaments and will be back in the spring.
Emily Loughridge is a fourth-year communication major at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
