Baylor men’s golf took on one of the toughest fields of its fall slate and came away 15th at the Fighting Illini Invitational on Saturday at Olympia Fields Country Club.
The Bears finished at 11-over-par on the par-70, 7,215-yard South Course, closing with a final-round 2-over par after the tournament was compressed into two days because of bad weather in the Chicago area. The event had been set for three rounds over three days, but Friday turned into a marathon 36-hole day.
Senior Jonas Appel led the way for Baylor from start to finish. He opened with a 1-under 69, followed that with an even-par 70, and finished with another 69 to end the week at 2 under par.
Sophomore Alex Heard and freshman Chase Yenser each produced second-round 69s to give Baylor some low scores in the middle of the event. Tyler Sanford posted a 71 in the final round, while senior Davis Ovard opened with a 72 that included four birdies.
The Bears were tested from the jump. Twelve teams in the field were ranked inside Golf Channel’s preseason top 30, making this one of Baylor’s deepest challenges of the fall. Arizona State won the team title, finishing two shots ahead of host Illinois, while Ben Gregg, Max Herendeen, Conner Williams and Max Emberson shared medalist honors in a four-way tie.
Baylor now heads back to Texas for a two-week break before returning to action at the Trinity Forest Invitational, hosted by SMU at Trinity Forest Golf Club in Dallas, beginning Oct. 4.
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