Oklahoma takes 2-shot Nike Invitational lead at Colonial; TCU 13th
Oklahoma, ranked No. 11 in the Golfweek Coaches Poll, ran out to a two-shot lead Sunday morning over Vanderbilt at the third annual Nike Collegiate Invitational at Colonial Country Club.
The second round will be Monday and the final round Tuesday. Oklahoma is seeking its second straight win this fall.
Ten of the 15 teams are in the Golfweek top 20, making the Colonial field perhaps the deepest and most revealing of the fall season.
“There are so many great teams and you really just never know how things are going to turn out,” Stanford coach Conrad Ray said. “I think now, any time you can get out and make a run at it is a big thing, but in a field like this, with a lot of good teams here, you get a sense of how you’re team might look come spring.”
For OU, it’s looking pretty good with a 7-under 273 total.
Blaine Hale, a sophomore from Richardson Lake Highlands, fired a 4-under 66 along with Vanderbilt’s John Augenstein to share the individual lead by one shot over six players.
That group included two of Hale’s teammates, Grant Hirschman and Brad Dalke, and the trio recorded 15 birdies on the day.
Fifteen players were under par in round one. Among those were Texas’ Gavin Hall and Stanford’s Maverick McNealy, who each shot 2-under 68.
McNealy is the No. 7 amateur in the world in the Golfweek rankings and won the Nicklaus award in 2015 as well as being a finalist for the Ben Hogan Award presented annually in Fort Worth.
TCU, fielding what coach Bill Montigel called “a very young team,” shook off a rough start to come home at 10- over 290 and 13th of 15 teams, 17 shots back of OU.
Senior Chelso Barrett shot a 2-under 68 and sophomore Stefano Mazzoli shot even par, 70, to lead the way for the Horned Frogs. Sophomore Triston Fisher of Southlake shot 74.
“We’ve got an interesting group, very young, but several guys with opportunities to be very good players,” Montigel said. “This is a great test for us out here this week, playing against some of the best teams in the country, and you get a good idea of where we’re at as a team.
“A couple of years ago, we had this same tournament and finished 14th among a very strong field, and now we’re coming off a 10th-place finish at the NCAAs, so we feel good about where we’re at.”
This story was originally published October 2, 2016 at 7:24 PM with the headline "Oklahoma takes 2-shot Nike Invitational lead at Colonial; TCU 13th."