Tech is at its highest ranking of the season at No. 5 in the Golfstat rankings after finishing third last weekend at the Thunderbird Collegiate following a third-place showing at the Aggie Invitational. The Red Raiders played in nine stroke play events in the regular season, finishing second at the Amer Ari and Cabo Collegiate and in the top-5 in seven tournaments. Tech is looking to win its first Big 12 Championship title in program in history, while Chris Ward is the lone Red Raider to win the individual title that came in 2010. The last conference tournament title for Tech came in 1996 with the Red Raiders winning the final Southwest Conference title before the start of the Big 12 in 1997.
Aberg comes into the conference tournament at No. 3 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking and at No. 5 in the Golfstat collegiate rankings. A junior from Eslov, Sweden who finished fourth at last year’s Big 12 Championship, he is on the watch lists for the Ben Hogan and Haskins awards and earned a spots on the Arnold Palmer Cup International Team for the second straight season. He is coming off a sixth-place finish at the Thunderbird Collegiate and has recorded six top-10 finishes this season, including winning his third collegiate event by taking the individual title at The Prestige for the second straight season. Along with his success in the collegiate season, Aberg has played in three PGA Tour events in the past year, most recently earlier this month at the Valero Texas Open in San Antonia. He currently has a 70.3 scoring average.
Skogen is at No. 37 in the collegiate rankings and No. 50 in the WAGR entering the postseason. A sophomore from Norway, Skogen earned runner-up finishes this season at the Maridoe Collegiate and the Amer Ari. He took fourth at the Aggie Invitational and is coming off a final-round of 68 at the Thunderbird Collegiate. Calum Scott is a freshman from Scotland who has competed in every tournament this season. He earned his first top-10 at the Thunderbird, finishing ninth overall after posting 70-66-69 in Phoenix. Sandy Scott will be playing for the third straight tournament after returning at the Valspar Collegiate which was his first event since an injury at the 2020 Maridoe Collegiate Invite. A two-time All-American, Sandy’s scoring averages of 70.2 in the 2018-19 season and 70.5 (2019-20) are the second and third best in program history. Along with his collegiate career, Sandy Scott has played in the Walker Cup and the U.S. Open. He played last week as an individual in Phoenix, finishing with a final round of 1-under, 70.
The Big 12 Championship is a three-day, 72-hole competition that begins with 36 holes on Monday morning. The low four scores out of five over each round will determine the team championship at the 7,467-yard, par-72 course.
Pairings for the first round are based off the most recent Sagarin rankings. The pairings for the second round of the first day will remain the same but will switch starting tees. The second round is scheduled to begin five and a half hours after the first-round tee times. The pairings for the second and third days will be based on team results from previous rounds. An awards presentation will take place immediately following the conclusion of the Championship on Wednesday. In addition to the team champion, the top 10 individual finishers and ties at the Big 12 Championship will be recognized as the All-Tournament Team. If there is a tie for medalist, there will be co-medalists.
Oklahoma State is the two-time defending team Champion while Texas’ Cole Hammer was the medalist last year. This is the first time the Championship returns to Whispering Pines since 2016 where the Longhorns captured the team title, which included the 2022 Masters Tournament winner Scottie Scheffler on the roster.
The Big 12 Championship will lead into the NCAA Tournament with selections and regional site locations coming on Wednesday, May 4 at 3 p.m. (CT) on the Golf Channel. The championship is set for Grayhawk Golf Club on May 27-June 1 in Scottsdale, Arizona. Tech has advanced to 19 straight NCAA Tournaments, including last season when it won the Albuquerque Regional before taking 11th overall at the championship.