OKLAHOMA CITY (Sept. 8, 2017) – Two impressive streaks ended for Oklahoma Christian's men's golf program in 2016-17.
The Eagles didn't qualify for a national postseason tournament for the first time since 1997, ending a 20-year run of making the field in an NAIA, NCCAA or NCAA Division II championship event. OC failed to win a tournament of any kind, the first time the Eagles had failed to do so during an academic year since the 1998-99 campaign. Also, OC had no all-conference selections for the first time anyone can remember.
While a tradition built on two decades of success won't be erased by one subpar year, coach
David Lynn knows "you certainly can damage it," so his goal with his rebuilt roster for 2017-18 is not just to limit that damage, but to begin to restore the luster to the OC program.
The Eagles will open their fall season on Monday and Tuesday at the Great American Conference Preview tournament at Lake Hefner Golf Club's North Course in northwest Oklahoma City.
"We lost a lot of guys from last year and didn't have a typical year of qualifying for postseason," Lynn said. "I worked really hard in the spring recruiting … and I think we've got a good group of both experience and fresh talent."
Only five players return from last year's roster, and all of them have considerable tournament experience. Leading that group are juniors
Ethan Smith and
Juan Pallach, the last two remaining players who started on the OC squad that qualified for the NCAA Division II Championship in 2016. Not surprisingly, the two tied for top honors in preseason intrasquad qualifying.
"They both have gotten a little bit better every semester," Lynn said. "Both of those guys are ready to step up and shoulder a little bit more of the load than they have in the past. They're certainly both leaders by example. They're both quiet but extremely hard-working."
The other three returnees are juniors
Ryan Trousdale and
Grady Neal and senior
Chris Karlovich. All three have had shining moments during their OC careers. Neal fired a 69 last spring in the Las Vegas Desert Classic, Trousdale started every tournament but one last spring and Karlovich qualified for the Eagles' starting lineup for the GAC Preview.
In
Cameron Brown and
Garrett White, Lynn signed two junior-college players from one of the nation's top juco programs, Tyler (Texas). Brown and his father took top honors in the Texas Father-Son Championship this summer and he had five top-10 finishes as a sophomore, while White had six top-10 finishes for a squad that placed fourth in NJCAA Division I. Lynn expects both will regularly compete for starting spots.
From the international ranks, Lynn brought in
Andres Brictson of Mexico and
Pablo Duster of Argentina, two countries from which he's enjoyed recruiting success in past years. Both players have posted stroke averages in the 74s the past two years.
Two other freshmen,
Reese Gorman and
Jackson Phillips, will have opportunities to play while developing their games and have bright futures, Lynn said. Another freshman,
Ranger Downs, will redshirt during the 2017-18 campaign, and former OC player
Casey Rebmann will transition into a role as a student assistant coach for Lynn.
All 11 active players will compete in the GAC Preview, with OC's No. 1 team consisting of Smith, Pallach, Karlovich, Brown and White.
As always, the ultimate goal for the Eagles is to compete for championships. Lynn thinks the talent is there for the Eagles to regain their spot among the elite in the small-college ranks.
"I was careful with the group that we have, that they all have very high expectations of themselves," Lynn said. "They understand the history of OC golf and they know we want to compete for championships. They know that they're capable. I'll be very interested to see what happens.
"I think it will take a little bit of time for us. … It won't surprise me if we've got guys who will play some good rounds but will be up and down early in the season. But it also won't surprise me if we play really well, with four guys who have 50-plus tournament rounds each under their belts."
