From OCU Sports
Rich Tortorelli, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
INNISBROOK, Fla. – No. 1-ranked Oklahoma City University secured the victory in the South Carolina Beaufort’s Sand Shark Innisbrook Invitational on Tuesday at Innisbrook Golf Resort.
The Stars’ Rupert Kaminski took the individual title. OCU, top-ranked in NAIA men’s golf, collected its third consecutive win this season and sixth in a row dating back to 2015-16.
Oklahoma City produced a 290-296-295–881 to beat out a field that included eight ranked teams on the par-71, 7,015-yard course. Seventh-ranked Dalton State (Ga.) and 20th-ranked Southeastern (Fla.) tied for second in the tournament at five shots back of OCU.
“I’m excited about the future of the Oklahoma City University golf team,” OCU coach Kyle Blaser said. “Matthew Cheung, one of the best players in the country, has not played in our last two events, and we have found success. We have played with three freshmen, a sophomore and a junior and have been able to compete and win.
“I think these guys are a very special group who will continue to push each other and make us better. I think we will have a strong year with the chance to do great things in May.”
Kaminski posted the two-stroke win over Valentin Haack of Savannah Art & Design (Ga.) and S.M. Lee of Dalton State with a 70-73-70–213. Kaminski, a sophomore from Johannesburg, South Africa, entered the day trailing a group that included teammate David Meyers by a shot.
Meyers, a freshman from Johannesburg, South Africa, took fifth, shooting 70-72-75–217. The Stars’ Garrison Mendoza, a junior from Clinton, Okla., fired a 76-73-74–223 to tie for 13th.
Peri’Don Castille, a freshman from Dallas, contributed a 74-78-77–229, while Blake Murray, a freshman from Mooreland, Okla., had a 78-78-76–232 for the Stars.
Cheung, a senior from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, will compete in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship on Thursday through Sunday at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club in Songdo, Incheon, South Korea. Cheung of Hong Kong finished 39th in last year’s event. One hundred and twenty amateurs from 37 countries will play for a spot in The Masters. Watch the tournament live.
The Stars wrap up the fall season with the Southern Plains Intercollegiate on Oct. 31-Nov. 1 at Gaillardia Country Club in Oklahoma City.