CARLSBAD, Calif. – During Oklahoma’s third-place finish at the Inverness Intercollegiate, the Sooners’ fall opener last September, coaches Ryan Hybl and Jonathan Moore agreed that they had something special in freshman Clark van Gaalen.
“We’ve got one of the best freshmen in the country,” Hybl said, recalling that conversation. “It’s just going to be a process.”
Van Gaalen, uber-talented and ultra-fast but also super raw, tied for 28th that week, but he’d fail to make the starting lineup in each of Oklahoma’s next seven events. He did tee it up three times as an individual and capped his fall with a runner-up at the Ka’anapali Classic in Hawaii. But it wasn’t until he learned to diversify his sky-high ball flight, play to smarter spots and roll it better after a mid-spring putter switch that van Gaalen began to unleash his potential.
“I remember Coach Hybl telling him earlier this spring, ‘You’re gonna play for this national championship team. You’re going to be there,’” said senior Drew Goodman, van Gaalen’s roommate for the past few events.
He’s not just here; he’s leading the Sooners at this NCAA Championship.
Van Gaalen fired a 1-under 71 Sunday morning at Omni La Costa and will enter Sunday’s final round tied for fourth at 5 under, six shots behind individual leader Michael La Sasso of Ole Miss. He’s also a big reason why Oklahoma, which finished a shot out of match play last year, sits third at 3 under, 15 shots inside the current cutoff for the top eight.
“He’s not one of those guys who was chasing high-level AJGAs his whole career, so he had a big learning curve,” Hybl said. “And that’s why school has been so good for him because he’s been around good players full-time and we’ve been able to put in some serious work, and that work is showing. … The shots that he hits and some of the things he’s able to do, it’s incredible to be around.”
Van Gaalen can push 200 mph ball speed if he wants to. Hybl compares him to former Haskins Award winner Chris Gotterup, only he hits it to the moon and is significantly less burly. When it comes to growth this season, no one has made bigger strides, on and off the course and in the weight room, than van Gaalen.
He forced his way into the starting lineup for the Valspar Collegiate in late March and the next week tied for sixth at the Maridoe Intercollegiate, which Oklahoma won and where Hybl began walking with van Gaalen; he’s not left his side since. Van Gaalen recently was second at the NCAA Amherst Regional as well.
“It was a comfort that he believed in me,” van Gaalen said of Hybl, “so I just believed that if I worked my butt off, eventually I would see the benefits of it.”
Goodman was in the group right behind van Gaalen for Friday’s opening round at La Costa. When he arrived at the range to warm up, the freshman was already halfway through his warmup and not hitting it very well.
“You could feel it; he was super nervous,” Goodman said. “But man, he came out of the gate and settled in and played a great round.”
Van Gaalen shot 4 under and has yet to shoot anything over par this week. He was in danger of losing that streak on the back nine on Sunday, playing the first five holes in 4 over with a double bogey on the par-4 14th after his second shot ballooned and found a creek. But van Gaalen didn’t fret, and on the par-4 15th, a birdie hole, he flighted a 60-degree from 98 yards, cutting it against the wind, and holed out for eagle to get back into red numbers. Van Gaalen may have been most proud of the up-and-down par on the par-4 17th, where he drove it into the weeds.
“I’ve been managing the golf course well,” van Gaalen said. “When you’re in trouble, get out of it, take your medicine and move on … and don’t get frustrated over stupid stuff. Big numbers happen when you’re upset.”
And when you add that maturity to van Gaalen’s physical tools, you get one of the best freshmen in the country.
Just like Hybl believed all along.
