Sooners, Cowboys take the lead
Defending NCAA champion Oklahoma and top-ranked Oklahoma State both were atop the leaderboards Monday at NCAA regionals in Norman and Columbus, Ohio.
NORMAN — Blaine Hale is just fine being the No. 5 golfer in Oklahoma’s lineup this week at the NCAA Regional at Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club.
Hale is one of the Sooners’ top golfers, but OU coach Ryan Hybl placed the junior from Dallas in that spot in order to play to Hale’s strengths.
It worked perfectly Monday, as Hale carded a 5-under 67 to take a two-stroke lead after one round.
Hale is ahead of teammate Quade Cummins and Arkansas’ Williams Buhl.
The Sooners, the defending NCAA champions, lead a trio of teams — Auburn, Arkansas and North Florida — by five strokes in the 54-hole event.
Hale likes playing fast, and being with the first group out Monday played to his strengths.
“There’s something about it,” he said. “I like getting out early. I’ve got a fresh golf course, no one else out in front of me. It’s kinda the way I like it. I don’t have to wait on anyone. I can just kinda do my own thing and go.”
Hybl knew that when he called Hale on Thursday to tell him of his decision.
“I want him to get out and blaze the trail for us,” Hybl said. “When he gets momentum going in the right direction, he can look really, really good. That’s what happened today.”
Hale got off to a quick start with four birdies on the front nine, kick-starting a bogey-free round.
No shot was bigger than his approach on the par-4 seventh.
Sitting a little more than 140 yards from the pin, Hale had to trust his instincts in what felt like a still area of the course.
“You get a little low over there and you can’t really feel the wind as much,” Hale said. “I knew once I got the ball above the tree line, the wind was going to push it so I just kind of trusted it off of that.”
Hale watched as his playing partners skied their shots over the green.
Hale’s landed five feet short of the pin to set up a birdie putt.
He also had birdied on three, five, eight and 16.
Hale didn’t finish better than sixth in any tournament this year, but was a big piece of the Sooners’ national-title team, going 2-1 in match play and finishing 11th in the individual rounds.
Even with the lead, Hybl said things could’ve been much better.
“Overall, it looks good on paper,” Hybl said. “Obviously our leaders are in the back, they didn’t play very good today. We’ve gotta clean up some stuff. A little disappointed we couldn’t pick up a couple here on 18, but overall it was a good, solid day.”
A big part of that was thanks to the momentum Hale provided.
“When guys behind me are asking, ‘Hey, how are we doing?’ I like being the guy they can look at and say, ‘Oh, Blaine’s playing good,’” Hale said. “I think it kinda gets the other guys fired up, and kinda my position to go out there and do the best I can, and get the rest of the guys to fall in line.”