OSU Golf Coach Not Worried About Motivating Cowboys Entering NCAA Regionals

The Oklahoma State Cowboys will be the No. 1 seed in their region as they being their quest to defend their NCAA championship.

Oklahoma State's Ethan Fang. | Grace Smith-Imagn Images

The quest for another national championship now begins in earnest for the Oklahoma State men’s golf team with the NCAA Tournament field revealed.

The NCAA revealed the Cowboys will be the No. 1 seed in the Marana Regional, named for the site that will host the tournament on May 18-20. The Gallery Golf Club in Marana, Ariz., will host the event. LSU, Arizona, Alabama and Duke are the other top five seeds.

They’ll be chasing the Cowboys, who are one of the true powers in men’s golf. Last year’s national championship was the program’s 12th all-time.

That’s part of the reason why OSU men’s golf coach Alan Bratton isn’t too worried about motivating his players, as he told the Golf Channel when the field was revealed.

Alan Bratton on Motivating the Cowboys

During the interview, which was part of the show dedicated to revealing the field, Bratton said that motivating his players just isn’t that difficult.

“The group of guys that I've got are highly motivated, so it’s pretty easy to get them going every day,” he said. “It’s easy to get inspired with all the good programs out there. … It’s great to see the position that college golf is in and all the opportunities for these young guys. So, it’s pretty easy to get motivated and definitely a tall task [to repeat]. But I've got a group of guys that don't have to wonder if they're capable of getting it done. We just got to go do the work.”

Oklahoma State just won for the fourth time as a team this season as the Cowboys won the Big 12 Tournament for the 13th time, which is a conference record. OSU was led by junior Preston Stout, who became the first person in Big 12 history to win three straight individual titles as he shot an 11-under 267 at Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kan.

Ethan Fang also finished in the Top 10 as an individual with a four-round total of 1-under 279. He was one of eight players in the field that finished under par for the tournament. Gaven Lee finished in a tie for 14th with a 2-over 282, Eric Lee finished in a tie for 19th with a 3-over 283 and Filip Fahlberg-Johnsson finished in a tie for 29th with a 6-over 286.

That’s the team that will lead the Cowboys forward in their quest to repeat as national champions. The rest of the field in Manara includes Clemson, San Diego State, Arkansas State, West Virginia, FGCU, Saint Mary’s, Tarleton State, North Dakota State and Iona.

The top five teams and lone individual not on those teams from each regional will advance to the NCAA Championship at Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, Calif., which will be played May 29-June 3.