Baylor Men's Golf Set for the Big 12 Championship
TRINITY, Texas — Baylor men’s golf begins its postseason run on Monday morning at Whispering Pines Golf Club when they tee it up in the Big 12 Championship.
The event consists of 72 holes over three days, beginning with 36 on Monday morning. The Bears enter Whispering Pines just two weeks after winning the Aggie Invitational and are coming off a strong finish to the Thunderbird Collegiate. Head coach Mike McGraw is glad to see his team starting to play some good golf again as they enter the postseason.
“We hadn't played particularly well early in the spring, so that was a big win for us at the Aggie,” he said. “To beat Texas A&M in their own backyard was not an easy task, and we played very, very well. So it's nice that we're on an upward swing. The final round at Arizona State, we shot the second-lowest round of the day at nine under par. It was a beautiful round of golf, so the guys are trending — they know it, they feel it, and it's a great time of year to be trending.”
Johnny Keefer will play at No. 1 once again this week. The senior has finished outside the top-25 just once this season and has a team-best 15 rounds at par or better. Keefer finished 16th at Whispering Pines in 2022.
Davis Ovard will play at No. 2 for the Big 12 Championship. The freshman has finished in the top-10 three times this spring, including two of the last three events, and boasts a 4.02 par-4 scoring average, which leads the team.
Luke Dossey will make his second appearance at Whispering Pines, playing at No. 3 this week. The senior boasts top-15 finishes in two of the last three events and feels like his team is playing their best when it matters most. After a similar run at the end of last season, Dossey feels the positive vibes entering this week.
“I think we proved what late-season momentum can do for you last year,” he said. “We started trending at the right time and ended up making a really good run at the regionals and played well there to make it to nationals. In golf, anyone can beat anyone on a given day. If we keep doing what we’ve been doing over the last two events — working on the right things every day, taking care of the small things and playing really good team golf — That's all we really need to do in these next two events.”
Zach Heffernan will play at No. 4 on the heels of a strong showing at the Thunderbird, where he shot a career-best 66 in the opening round. The junior has felt that same surge of momentum heading into the postseason.
“The last three events were good,” he said. “We played well in Houston, at the Aggie and a couple of good rounds at Arizona State. So I’d say we’re playing trending golf. We just need to clean it up this week, work on what was wrong the last three weeks and get after it.”
Tyler Isenhart will get the nod at the No. 5 spot. The senior is coming off a final-round 71 at the Thunderbird and is making his second-straight appearance in the Big 12 Championship, finishing tied for 30th last season at Prairie Dunes on the strength of a final-round 68.
Jonas Appel will travel with the team and be available as an alternate.
Once pairings, live scoring and stats are available, they can be found at Golfstat.com. Wednesday’s final round will be streamed live on ESPN+ beginning at 12:30, with Ryan Burr and Suzy Whaley on the call.
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