Eagles rise to second place

May 19, 2008 10:23 pm

— PLYMOUTH, Ind. — Oklahoma Christian University used a hot start and a steady finish Friday to rally for runnerup honors at the 57th NAIA Men’s Golf Championship.
OC junior Fernando Gonzales tied for third in the individual competition, shooting even-par Friday to finish -2 for the tournament.
It is the third time the Eagles have placed second at the national tournament (2001, 2005) and marks the ninth straight year Oklahoma Christian has finished in the top four at nationals.
OC shot a four-over-par 292 Friday, tying national champion British Columbia for the best final-round score. The Eagles finished +16 (1168) for the tournament, 12 strokes behind British Columbia (+4, 1156). Oklahoma City (+20) placed third.
“Going into the tournament, I hoped to come away with the win so it’s disappointing from that perspective. But on Thursday morning, we were in eighth and nobody gave us a chance. To come back and shoot the low round two days in a row shows that these guys won’t quit no matter what,” OC head coach David Lynn said. “I’ll take a lot of positives away from the way we finished. It shows a lot of character.”
Gonzales’ finish ties four-time All-American Juan Lizarralde for the highest individual finish in OC history. Lizarralde, a four-time All-American at Oklahoma Christian, placed third in both 2003 and 2004.
“It’s absolutely fantastic that Fernando was able to tie the lowest finish ever for an OC player at the national tournament,” Lynn said. “He played the best golf I’ve ever seen him play and he’s capable of playing even better. He’s going to take a wonderful finish to his junior year and roll it into his senior year. He proved he can do it on the biggest stage and I couldn’t be more proud of him.”
Senior Bruno Buccolo also shot even-par in the final round to climb into a tie for 23rd at +8 overall. Fellow OC senior Rhein Gibson was three-over for the day and four-over for the tournament to place ninth.
Freshmen Axel Ochoa (+10, tied for 30th) and Oscar Stark (+18, tied for 58th) rounded out OC’s runnerup effort.
Stark birdied the first four holes Friday to fuel an early OC surge. The Eagles were -6 as a team through the first three holes before making the turn at -1 on the day.
Fast greens and tricky hole placements on the back nine took their toll as every team finished over par, but the ground OC made up on the front side propelled them past Johnson & Wales and Oklahoma City into second place.
By placing in the top 15, Gonzales and Gibson made the all-tournament team. Ochoa was one of five players named to the tournament’s all-freshman team.
“I haven’t been able to experience a national championship yet, but what I’ve experienced with these guys is really special,” Lynn said. “What Bruno and Rhein have been able to accomplish in their four years here is astounding and I’m lucky they’ve allowed me to be their coach.”