HUTCHINSON, Kan. – Anything can happen during a one-day, 18-hole match, but it’s still fun to dig into the numbers – especially when this NCAA Championship features the Nos. 1 and 2 teams in the country, Alabama and Oklahoma State, respectively.
An interesting note: The combined match-play record (including this week) for Alabama players is 28-12-1, while Oklahoma State players have a career mark of 60-21-2.
Here is a statistical breakdown of the five matches Wednesday at Prairie Dunes:
Match 1
Bobby Wyatt (Alabama)
National ranking: 11
Wins this season: 1
Top-10s this season: 9
Career match-play record (includes all college and amateur competitions): 10-4-1
Talor Gooch (Oklahoma State)
National ranking: 20
Wins this season: 0
Top-10s this season: 7
Career match-play record: 11-8-2
Match 2
Robby Shelton (Alabama)
National ranking: 3
Wins this season: 2
Top-10s this season: 8
Career match-play record: 4-3
Zachary Olsen (Oklahoma State)
National ranking: 109
Wins this season: 0
Top-10s this season: 3
Career match-play record: 7-1
Match 3
Tom Lovelady (Alabama)
National ranking: 96
Wins this season: 0
Top-10s this season: 3
Career match-play record: 1-1
Wyndham Clark (Oklahoma State, pictured above)
National ranking: 9
Wins this season: 0
Top-10s this season: 8
Career match-play record: 2-1
Match 4
Trey Mullinax (Alabama)
National ranking: 12
Wins this season: 1
Top-10s this season: 7
Career match-play record: 4-1
Ian Davis (Oklahoma State)
National ranking: 57
Wins this season: 0
Top-10s this season: 4
Career match-play record: 18-8
Match 5
Cory Whitsett (Alabama)
National ranking: 33
Wins this season: 0
Top-10s this season: 6
Career match-play record: 9-3
Jordan Niebrugge (Oklahoma State)
National ranking: 24
Wins this season: 1
Top-10s this season: 5
Career match-play record: 22-3
Note: Career match-play records were provided by BirdieFire, a company that offers statistical analysis, performance training and tournament scoring services to all levels of golf from amateur to the pros.