Elite 15-team field awaits Sooners in San Juan for three-day tournament.
NORMAN, Okla. -- The 35th-ranked University of Oklahoma men’s golf team will travel to San Juan, P. R., this week to compete in the Puerto Rico Classic, hosted by Purdue University. The 15-team, 54-hole tournament will be held at the par-72, 6,902-yard Rio Mar Country Club from Sunday through Tuesday (Feb. 19-21).
"We love the golf course," said OU head coach Ryan Hybl. "I feel like all of the boys are ready to go this week.I predict the scores will be low, so we will need to make a bunch of birdies."
The field for the 12th-annual event is more competitive than ever, featuring eight teams, including the Sooners, in the Golfweek/Sagarin top 50. OU will be competing against top-ranked Texas, No. 7 Georgia Tech, No. 8 Alabama, No. 16 Clemson, No. 24 Oklahoma State, No. 26 Georgia and No. 40 Purdue. East Tennessee State, Michigan, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Ohio State, University of North Carolina Greensboro and Virginia Tech round out the field in San Juan.
OU’s lineup features junior Abraham Ancer, senior Riley Pumphrey, junior Will Kropp, freshman Michael Gellerman and senior Ben Klaus.
The Sooners will look to rebound from a disappointing second-place finish Feb. 14 at the UTSA/Oak Hills Invitational, where the team squandered its lead by shooting 10 over par in the final round.
Pumphrey finished in a tie for eighth place at Oak Hills, and Kropp shot a third-round 67 to finish in a tie for 12th place.
In December, Klaus tied for 10th place at the 84-man Patriot All-America event. The Puerto Rico Classic marks his first team event of his senior campaign.
"This is one of the best fields in the country," Hybl said. "I am looking forward to seeing how we react tomorrow and for the entire week."
Live scoring for the Puerto Rico Classic will be available at Golfstat.com. Final results from each round will be posted on SoonerSports.com.
