Baylor’s 2026-27 men’s golf season got rolling in Arizona with plenty of low numbers, a tie for seventh at the Bomb Darts Birds Collegiate at Whirlwind Golf Club in Chandler.
The Bears finished 32-under par as a team, landing in a three-way tie with UTEP and James Madison. Santa Clara set the pace at a staggering 50-under to win by three shots over New Mexico State in a field that included teams from three of the four Power Four conferences.
Fifth-year senior Jonas Appel led the way for Baylor, tying for 11th after rounds of 67, 70 and 68. That 11-under total gave him the 14th top-25 finish of his career and made him the Bears’ top finisher on the week.
Senior Alex Heard followed at 6-under for the tournament, and he finished strong with an eagle on the par-5 17th in the final round. Senior Davis Ovard opened with consecutive 69s, and his second round featured a hole-out eagle on the 431-yard par-4 ninth as he closed out his 36-hole day.
Freshman Chase Yenser wasted no time making his mark in his collegiate debut. He counted in all three rounds and ended up tied for 39th at 5-under par. Playing as an individual, Patrick Babb posted a 2-under 70 in the second round before wrapping up at 3-over.
Every Baylor player who teed it up managed at least one round under par, a sign of how deep the scoring ran for the Bears in a tournament that quickly turned into a birdie barrage.
"This tournament was a birdie fest, or a horse race, as we would call it," head coach Jean-Paul Hebert said. 'We needed a little bit more horsepower."
Hebert also liked what he saw overall from his group. "Our players showed a lot of fight and played solid as a group," Hebert said.
"I'm proud of them. This was a good start.
This game is all about learning and growing, and that's what we will do this season."
The event was Baylor’s first of four fall tournaments and the first of three trips outside Texas. The Bears are off next week before heading to Chicago for the Fighting Illini Invitational at Olympia Fields Country Club on Sept.
19-20. Live scoring will be available on Clippd.
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