WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.—Oklahoma State’s men’s golf team turned in a 305 on Saturday during the fourth round at the NCAA Championship at Birck Boilermaker Complex’s Kampen Course to finish in fourth place.
The Cowboys wrapped up the event with a 48-over total of 1,200 to come in one shot ahead of Clemson and four strokes behind Southern California for third place.
The top three spots on the leaderboard were separated by just two shots as UCLA claimed the team title with a 1,194 total to sneak past defending champion Stanford by one shot.
OSU’s fourth-place showing marked the 48th time in the program’s 62-year history the Cowboys have finished in the top five at the event.
OSU freshman Rickie Fowler came in as the squad’s top individual at fourth place, posting a 1-over 73 on Saturday for a 72-hole total of 294, 6-over par.
The Murrieta, Calif., native had eight pars and one bogey on his outward nine before suffering bogeys on Nos. 11 and 14 to stand at 3-over with four holes remaining. However, Fowler posted back-to-back birdies on the Nos. 15 and 16 before closing with consecutive pars to wrap up play.
The fourth-place finish wrapped up a remarkable rookie year for Fowler that saw him finish in the top 10 in 10 of his 12 starts. The 2008 Ben Hogan Award winner also won twice on the year and was the nation’s top-ranked player for the majority of the season.
On Tuesday, the Golf Coaches Association of America named Fowler a PING First-Team All-American as well as the recipient of the Phil Mickelson Award.
“We had a bunch of young guys this year and it was nice to be able to come out and help lead our team,” Fowler said. “To be on the first team was what I was shooting for and I am happy I achieved that goal. Hopefully, we can keep it going into next season.”
Fowler became the 51st Cowboy to earn first-team honors and the first OSU freshman to receive the distinction since Jonathan Moore in 2006.
Fowler is also the third Cowboy in the last four years to receive the Mickelson Award, joining Pablo Martin (2005) and Moore (2006). The award is presented annually by the Phil and Amy Mickelson Foundation to the most outstanding freshman in Division I golf.
“It is awesome to win an award that is named after him (Mickelson),” Fowler said. “I haven’t met him yet, but I obviously know all about him and everything he has accomplished.”
At the NCAA Championship, sophomore Trent Whitekiller improved his score Saturday for the fourth consecutive day, firing an even-par 72 to move into the top 10, tying for seventh place at 296, the best finish of his career.
The top 10 was just the second of Whitekiller’s career, but the second in his last three outings. Earlier this month, he tied for ninth place at The Maxwell.
Freshman Kevin Tway tied for 60th in his first career NCAA, posting an 84 on his way to a 311 total.
Junior Trent Leon carded a 78 on Saturday to finish tied for 64th at 313, while freshman Mark Johnson came in a stroke back at 314. Johnson carded his second consecutive 82 to tie for 69th place.
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