Luke Kluver subs again in, helps energy Oklahoma again into NCAA competition

CARLSBAD, Calif. – Oklahoma head coach Ryan Hybl didn’t sleep nicely Saturday evening. His Sooners had counted a pair of 78s on Friday after which an 81 from freshman PJ Maybank, who subbed in for senior Luke Kluver following Kluver’s opening 86. And with Oklahoma needing to make up 5 photographs on Sunday simply to make the 54-hole reduce at this NCAA Championship, Hybl wrestled with the choice to maintain rolling with Maybank or throw Kluver again in.

So, on Sunday morning, hours earlier than the Sooners’ afternoon tee time, Hybl referred to as Kluver for a one-on-one assembly. He requested him two, pointblank questions:

Are you reset mentally?

Are you able to go on the market and shoot beneath par at the moment?

“You possibly can by no means assure a outcome,” Kluver stated, “however I simply advised him I’d combat for the fellows and play as exhausting as I might.”

Boy, did he ever. Kluver was 15 photographs higher on Sunday at Omni La Costa, firing a 1-under 71, one among three under-par rounds by Sooners (Ben Lorenz, 72, and Drew Goodman, 71, had been the others). Oklahoma’s 4 counters shot 5 beneath (together with a mixed 9 birdies from Lorenz and Goodman) on the entrance 9, their again aspect, to put up a 2-under 286 that rocketed the Sooners up six spots on the leaderboard.

At 25 over, not solely is Oklahoma enjoying Monday, however the Sooners are simply 5 photographs again of eighth-place Florida.

The highest eight groups after 72 holes advance to match play, and all seven groups exterior the present reduce line enter Monday inside seven photographs. Thrice since 2015 has a staff made up seven or extra photographs within the last spherical; a type of squads was Oklahoma, which made up 9 photographs in 2016 to start out a run of Hybl-coached groups making match play seven occasions in eight tries.

“We’re simply getting began,” stated Hybl, whose Sooners went from fifth to first after an 11-under last spherical two weeks in the past on the NCAA Santa Fe Regional. “We haven’t executed very nicely, executed what I really feel this group can do. However we’ve seen moments. We noticed it within the last spherical of regionals. We noticed it at the moment. That is who we will be. These guys have gotten some guts. They’ve received some guts.”

That features Kluver. The fifth-year senior performed simply three occasions for Oklahoma final season after transferring in from Kansas. He had his moments earlier this season, opening the autumn with back-to-back top-6 finishes, gong 4-0 on the Large 12 Match Play after which capping final semester with a win on the Ka’anapali Traditional in Hawaii. The spring, nonetheless, yielded only a pair of top-25s, and Kluver didn’t make the beginning 5 for convention.

However after Lorenz shot 12 over in 54 holes, Hybl referred to as Kluver in from the bullpen, and Kluver counted with a stable 1-over 73.

“I really went via loads that week,” stated Kluver, who declined to disclose specifics, “and I used to be in a position to share with coach, and I believe that sort of opened his eyes a bit of bit, that perhaps I’m loads more durable than I present at occasions.”

On the bench Saturday at La Costa, Kluver didn’t sit; he erased the 86 from his reminiscence, adopted his teammates and took psychological notes on each gap. His new gameplan could be discover the center of greens and lean on his lag-putting.

“Mentally, perhaps it’s exhausting to bounce again from an 86,” Kluver stated. “There’s nowhere to cover on the market. … However I didn’t have many irritating par putts at the moment.”

Hybl figures to have a neater sleep Sunday evening, however Monday will nonetheless be a dogfight.

“I consider in our guys and belief that they will go get the job executed,” Hybl stated. “Tomorrow it’s going to require all people. But in addition, there’s going to must be somebody that’s going to must rise to the event.”

Like Kluver simply did.