Athletics – Men’s Golf – team photo and action shots – Twin Rivers – 08/27/2012

The Baylor men’s golf team participated in the Big 12 Men’s Golf Championship in Hutchinson, Kan., at the Prairie Dunes Country Club this week.

The Bears finished sixth overall, shooting 55-over-par with a total score of 895.

The Bears joined a field of eight other Big 12 schools that included every school in the conference except West Virginia.

Five Baylor golfers made the trip to Kansas: sophomores Niclas Mansson, Filippo Zucchetti, Kyle Jones, Mikkel Bjerch-Andresen and senior Ryan O’ Rear.

The Bears finished Monday in fourth place overall shooting a 17-over-par 297 in the first round.

However, the second round was suspended because of darkness as the Bears were 10-over-par with only four holes remaining in the round.

After the first round and two holes remaining in the second round, Mansson led the Bears shooting, 2-over-par and was tied for fourth place individually. Mansson finished the tournament tied for seventh place individually shooting a 7-over-par 217.

Mansson said he was proud of how he played on Monday and he was prepared for the weather conditions.

“It’s all about hitting as many greens as possible,” he said. “Even though I don’t think it’s more fun playing in tough conditions compared to the rest of the field, I grew up with it and I’m usually able to make a decent score out of it. Overall I think I’ve done a good job of staying patient.”

The second round on Tuesday was canceled as well due to severe weather conditions that included snow and freezing temperatures. The tournament was originally 72 holes, but it was shortened to 54 holes due to the inclement weather delays.

Baylor was one of six teams that had to finish its second-round holes at 11 a.m. on Wednesday. The final round started later that day at 1 p.m.

O’Rear was the lone senior making the trip to Kansas this week.

He finished 19-over-par 229. He said he took on a leadership role for the other golfers who made the trip.

“I try and be the best leader I can,” he said. “I have the most experience, so I try and help the guys with the course and be there for them however I can.”

As for the season, regionals are still to be played, but there is a positive feel among the team.

O’Rear said he is proud of the year the team has had and looks to add to that going into regionals.

“We’ve had a pretty consistent year,” he said. “We finished in the top five a bunch and got a win last semester. We’re just looking to build on all of that heading into regionals.”

Zucchetti, who finished with a 20-over-par 230, said the team can come home with a positive attitude even though the Bears didn’t finish the way they wanted to.

“We are a pretty young team so we are looking at this as a growing up process,” he said. “You do not perform at your best level all days of the year, but if we keep working on minimizing our mistakes we can become a really good team and achieve some great goals.”

Jones finished 15-over-par 225 and Bjerch-Andresen finished 21-over-par 231.

The Bears will take action next at regionals on May 16.

The Baylor men’s golf team will compete in its fifth tournament of the season at the Insperity Augusta State Invitational in Augusta, Ga., at the Forest Hills Golf Club. The tournament will be hosted by Augusta State University and will be played all day on Saturday and Sunday.

Participating teams will play 36 holes on Saturday starting at 7:30 a.m. Teams will finish up the tournament on Sunday, playing 18 holes starting at 7:30 a.m. as well.

The Bears are coming off of a third place finish in March at the Desert Shootout in Goodyear, Ariz., where two Baylor golfers finished in the Top 10. Sophomore Niclas Mansson tied for third while sophomore Kyle Jones finished in sixth place.

Five Baylor golfers will be making the trip to Georgia this weekend. These golfers include Jones, Mansson, sophomore Mikkel Bjerch-Andresen, senior Ryan O’Rear and sophomore Filippo Zucchetti.

Baylor will join a field of 15 total teams. Live scoring will be available at golfstat.com. The 14 other schools participating are Augusta State University, Clemson University, Coastal Carolina University, University of Georgia, University of Houston, University of Illinois, Purdue University, University of South Carolina-Aiken, Southern Methodist University, University of South Carolina, University of Tennessee, University of Texas, University of Central Florida and Virginia Tech.

This will be O’Rear’s last season as a collegiate golfer and he said that he will remain focused and try to treat this tournament just like any other.

“[It’s] not any different from the other tournaments,” he said. “Yes, it’s my last year so I want to play well, but my approach is the same as the others.”

O’Rear said the focus is on the team and that his goal is to do what he can to earn a victory for the Bears.

“I just want to do whatever I can to help my team win,” he said. “I didn’t play well last tournament so I want to step up and help my team.”

The Bears competed in the Insperity Augusta State Invitational last year and finished tied for fourth after a strong final round by Jones. The Bears were in ninth place after the first two rounds but Jones shot a four-under 68 in the final round to elevate himself to ninth place individually.

Mansson said that as the team approaches the end of the season, they are in position to make a run.

“We know that we can beat the best teams in the country when we’re at our best,” he said. “We’re at the point where everything starts falling into place.”

Mansson said he is confident for this weekend and the team will benefit greatly if he continues his putting success.

“I started hitting the ball really good about two weeks ago and feel comfortable with the swing,” he said. “If I can get a good feel for the greens and putt as good as I have been lately, I know we’ll be looking at low numbers by the end of the week.”

The Baylor men’s golf team will head to Goodyear, Ariz., for the Desert Shootout for the first time in program history. The tournament will be played today through Saturday at the Palm Valley Golf Course and will also be the Bears’ first out-of-state tournament of the spring.

Every team will play 18 holes each day and play will start at 9:30 a.m. each day as well. Golfstat.com will have live scoring for those interested in keeping track of the Bears’ activity.

The Bears enter the tournament ranked No. 41 in the nation and will have six golfers compete. Sophomores Filippo Zucchetti, Kyle Jones, Mikkel Bjerch-Andresen and Niclas Mansson will be joined by senior Matthew Seligmann to make up the Bears’ lineup. Freshman Andreas Gjesteby will be competing as an individual.

Gjesteby said that individually he can do well and that his teammates can achieve similar success as well.

“I feel that if I believe in myself and compete all the way, I can win the tournament,” he said. “As for the team, I think our chances are good as long as we keep competing and have 100% focus on each shot.”

The Bears have competed in three tournaments this year. These include the UTSA Oak Hills Invitational in San Antonio where they finished third overall and sophomore Kyle Jones won the tournament as an individual, the Bayou City Collegiate Championships in Houston where they tied for fifth overall, and the Border Olympics in Laredo where they finished fifth overall.

The Desert Shootout will be hosted by the University of Denver and will include 14 other teams not including Baylor and Denver.
The other teams competing are No. 19 Illinois, No. 39 Tulsa, No. 42 BYU, Air Force, Boise State, Colorado State, Idaho, Kansas, Kansas State, Nebraska, New Mexico State, Southern Utah, Wichita State and Wyoming.

Gjesteby is excited for the tournament but he still acknowledges that he has parts of his game to work on.

“I haven’t felt comfortable from the tee box all the time which has cost me some shots,” he said. “From the last tournament I have to improve my putting. I missed a lot of short putts. I also need to work on my short game.”

Senior Jerry Ruiz will not be traveling with the team, but he still practiced this week along with the six golfers heading to the tournament. He said that the team has a good chance of getting a win.

“We practiced on Monday for about five hours to get ready because Tuesday was a travel day,” he said. “The team has always played well in Arizona and I think they are ready to step up and finish strong to get a win.”

Confidence seems to be a common theme throughout the team. Seligmann said he feels good about this tournament and anything but first place would be a loss.
“I feel really good about my game after last tournament and I just need to keep it going,” he said. “I think the team will win this tournament and anything less would be a disappointment,” he said.

The Baylor men’s golf team is back in action with the Bayou City Collegiate Championships in Humble, Texas. The tournament will run from today through Sunday as Baylor looks to continue its successful season.

Six Baylor golfers will be making the trip, including sophomore Filippo Zucchetti, freshman Andreas Gjesteby, sophomore Mikkel Bjerch-Andresen, sophomore Niclas Mansson, senior Matthew Seligmann, senior Ryan O’ Rear, and sophomore Kyle Jones who won last week’s UTSA Oak Hills Invitational.

Jones was just named national player of the week by Golfweek magazine. He became the first player in program history to win the award.

“It’s a great feeling,” Jones said. “It’s a sign to myself that I’m moving in the right direction, but I still have a lot of work to do.”

Baylor comes into this tournament ranked No. 40 in the latest Golfstat rankings and could move higher if it fares well this weekend.

Hosts of the three-day event at the Redstone Golf Club will be the University of Houston and Rice University. Play will start at 10 a.m. today and Saturday, and the final round will start at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday. Baylor will be one of 15 schools competing.

Among the other 14 competing schools are No. 2 Texas, No. 37 Houston, Rice, Charlotte, No. 42 Chattanooga, East Carolina, Houston Baptist, No. 48 Indiana, Lamar, Louisiana Tech, New Mexico State, No. 43 South Carolina, UT Arlington, and UTSA.

This tournament will be a homecoming for Seligmann, who was born in Houston and attended Episcopal High School. He looks forward to competing and playing on a familiar course.

“I am most excited to have my family be able to come watch because the tournament is in Houston where I am from,” he said. “It’s also at my home golf course where I played golf growing up.”

There is a positive vibe among the participating golfers. This will be the fifth tournament for Gjesteby, and he said that he is confident in his game this weekend.

“I have been practicing great over the past week, working on what I didn’t do too well last tournament,” he said. “I am ready to meet whatever challenges I may meet this weekend. I have some goals for my own game, such as taking my time and not getting stressed if I hit some bad shots. If I’m able to do this, I’m pretty sure I’ll do well.”

Gjesteby will be the first Baylor golfer to tee off and he said he felt good about the team’s chances.

“If we trust ourselves and play as good as we know we can, we can beat any team,” he said.

Seligmann said that the team as a whole is improving and he also believes that they can make some noise this weekend.

“I think our team is really coming together,” he said. “The desire to win and be great has definitely been installed into each of us which I think can lead to great things.”

For anyone who is interested in following the tournament, live scoring will be available at Golfstat.com where scores and tee times will be provided.

The Baylor men’s golf team competed in its first tournament of the spring Monday and Tuesday at the UTSA Oak Hills Invitational in San Antonio and one of its golfers came out on top. Sophomore Kyle Jones finished 7 under par with a total score of 206, and even tied a career low round of 67 to claim his first career victory.

As a team, Baylor finished third overall, shooting 17 over and finished with a total score of 869. Only Oklahoma and North Texas placed higher as teams, and Wichita State and the University of Texas at Arlington rounded out the top five.

Alongside Jones, Baylor had five other golfers who competed. Sophomore Mikkel Bjerch-Andresen and senior Ryan O’ Rear tied for 25th overall with a final score of 8-over-par 221. Sophomore Filippo Zucchetti and Freshman Andreas Gjesteby tied for 30th, scoring 9-over-par 222. Sophomore Niclas Mansson tied for 39th, finishing 12-over-par 225.

Jones finished the first round tied for the lowest score with three other golfers with 69 on Monday. After the second round, which also took place on Monday, Jones trailed the top spot by one stroke at 3- under with a total score of 139. He was the only Baylor golfer to finish a round under par on Monday.

Jones entered Tuesday in third place and shot 4 under par, with a total score of 67 in the final round to claim the victory. His career-low score of 67 in the final round tied his other low score at the Turner Stone Intercollegiate in the fall of 2011.

Baylor’s golf team will next be making an appearance at the Bayou City Collegiate Championships in Houston from February 22 through February 24.

Ruiz

The Baylor men’s golf team includes nine talented golfers, all of whom are ready to start the approaching season.

Among these golfers is senior Jerry Ruiz.

For three years, Jerry has represented Baylor both on and off the green as a student athlete who does what it takes to succeed.

Now as a senior, Ruiz looks to finish his collegiate golfing career on top.

Ruiz was born in Puebla, Mexico on Dec. 11, 1990.

He played soccer early on but it wasn’t until he was 6 years old that he was introduced to golf.

“It was actually a friend of mine,” Ruiz said. “When I was in elementary school, my best friend used to take golf lessons. I went with him over the summer and we just went to play a lot. A professor tried to get my dad to pay for lessons. Somehow it happened and I ended up playing.”

It didn’t take long for Ruiz to pick up the sport.

In fact, he was already competing in tournaments the same year he was introduced to it.

“My first tournament I was really young, I was 6 years old at the time. I actually got third place. It was at such a young age and then I actually got to win a tournament really soon in my career,” Ruiz said.

In June of 2009, Ruiz competed in the Mexican National Match Play.

He won this tournament, which solidified him as a top five golfer in all of Mexico.

The tournament not only solidified his ranking, but it also earned him an invitation to the Starburst Junior Golf Classic in Waco.

Ruiz won the event, tallying a final score of -6 and it may have been his most important victory to date.

“I like to think the reason I came to Baylor was because I won the Starburst when I came to Waco,” Ruiz said.

He also had other colleges in mind, including the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Pepperdine, Charleston Southern, and Loyola Marymount.

During the spring of 2011, Ruiz posted his career best all-around performance at the Charleston Shootout in South Carolina placing third overall for his first top-five finish.

The tournament was held in the same state where he had attended high school for two years.

Every golfer on the team realizes how talented Ruiz is.

When asked about his skill set, fellow senior golfer and best friend Matthew Seligmann gave Ruiz extremely high praise.

“He is by far the best ball striker I have ever seen that isn’t a pro,” Seligmann said. “If he could putt the way he hits the ball, he would already be a pro.”

While Ruiz is a highly devoted golfer, he is just as devoted academically.

Ruiz, a business major, has been named First Team Academic All Big 12 in two consecutive seasons and was a member of the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll for four straight years.

“Studying has always been big just because it’s most likely what I’m going to be doing the rest of my life,” Ruiz said. “Ever since I was growing up, it was always a big deal with my dad, not to make good grades, but to learn.”

Ruiz’s academic success is noticed by many of his teammates including sophomore golfer Niclas Mansson.

“He’s one of the smartest guys on the team and the team GPA leader,” Mansson said.

Ruiz plans on golfing after Baylor, but intends to work in the sporting industry as well.

“I’m doing the S3 Major so it’s really closely related to sports obviously. I would like to stay in the sporting industry and maybe try to work with the PGA or some other sports organization,” Ruiz said.

The season is just around the corner, but Ruiz will actually be watching from the sideline because he is redshirting this semester.

“The reason I’m redshirting is to get everything to work the way it should be, getting little details to work for me instead of against me,” Ruiz said.

Because he is redshirting, Ruiz is unable to compete in any tournaments this semester, but he is still able to practice with the team.

He still believes his teammates will fare well in the upcoming UTSA Oak Hills Invitational in San Antonio.

“Yeah, I mean the team is pretty strong,” Ruiz said. “Almost everybody that’s travelling has played there before so I think it’s a good advantage to know the course. It’s kind of tricky so I feel like they have good chances of winning.”

Football season is over in Waco, but another sport is just around the corner.

The Baylor men’s golf team is just a few weeks away from starting a highly anticipated season.

The Bears look to start the 2013 season the way they finished last season: on top.

Baylor participated in the Warrior Wave Intercollegiate in Hawaii last November and came out in first place, giving them their first win in over a year.

Baylor lost seniors Drew McGee, Joakim Mikkelsen, and Lorenzo Scotto but has added two talented freshmen to the club.

One of the newer faces on the team is Andreas Gjesteby, a freshman from Drammen, Norway.

Though he is one of only two freshmen on the roster, Gjesteby has had a remarkable career up to this point, winning numerous tournaments, including two 2011 Titleist Tournaments at Skjeberg GK and Kragero GK respectively, and the 2012 Norges Cup at Notteroy GK. Gjesteby, however, isn’t satisfied.

He is eager for the UTSA Oak Hills Invitational in San Antonio on Feb. 11 to arrive.

“I am really excited to start playing tournaments again. We have had a really long pause now,” Gjesteby said. “Who’s going to San Antonio isn’t final yet, but I’m going to do everything in my power to get a spot on the team.”

Gjesteby is well prepared for the season but he can already spot differences from golf in Norway.

“We tend to play more rounds of golf outside tournament than I did back home in Norway where I spent most of my time grinding short game, putting or technique,” Gjesteby said.

Gjesteby joins an already talented squad of golfers.

Among those golfers is senior Ryan O’Rear. O’Rear has appeared in three consecutive Big 12 Men’s Golf Championships, and he is motivated to make one last run during his last season as a collegiate golfer.

“It’s my last go around so I’m just going to give everything I’ve got and do whatever I can to help my team get back to nationals,” O’Rear said.

Being a senior, O’Rear now steps into a mentor-like role for incoming freshmen such as Andreas Gjesteby.

O’Rear has advice for the Bears’ newest additions for being successful on the green. “Just work hard,” O’Rear said. “Work on your game. You know they’re very talented, very good golfers, so they don’t need to change anything. Going back to what I’m saying, they’ve played hard golf courses and tough competitions. They’ll be fine. Just be themselves.”

As the season nears, both Gjesteby and O’Rear have certain goals they wish to accomplish.

For Gjesteby, he looks to carry over his dominance from Norway.

“My main goal would be to play all the tournaments this spring and hopefully place top 10 in at least one of them,” Gjesteby said. “Other than that I keep working on my game.”

As for O’Rear, his goal is for the team to achieve similar success as it did his freshman season.

“It’s mostly team related. You know I want to win a tournament individually but all my goals are just getting our team back where we were freshman year,” O’Rear said.

O’Rear’s freshman season was a success.

He finished 12th overall at the Big 12 Championship, a career best.

When asked about how he felt about the team’s outlook this season, O’Rear sounded confident.

“I think we’ll be fine. Our guys have played for their national teams,” O’Rear said. “I don’t think it’s going to be anything new for them. They’ve played in big events so I expect big things out of them.”

The team will tee off for the first time in 2013 on Feb. 11 at the University of Texas – San Antonio for the UTSA Oak Hills Invitational.

Courtesy Photo | Baylor Athletic Communications
From left to right: (Back) Niclas Mansson, Ryan O’Rear, Jerry Ruiz, Mikkel Bjerch-Andresen, Fikippo Zucchetti, Matthew Seligmann. (Front) Coach Ryan Blagg, Scott Terrell, Andreas Gjesteby, Kyle Jones, Charles Neel White, Coach Greg Priest

By Alexa Brackin
Reporter

The Baylor men’s golf team will kick off the 2012-13 season today with the Topy Cup. They will compete against four Japanese teams as well as Oregon State, San Diego and Pacific. The tournament, which will run through Thursday, will be held at the Tanagura Country Club in Tanagura, Japan.

“We have tried to get in this tournament for a long time,” head coach Greg Priest said. “With only four teams going, it’s pretty selective. Our number got drawn this year, so it is going to be a good opportunity for us.”

The three-day tournament will consist of 54 holes on a course made up of 7,050 yards and a par-72. Each team will begin on the first hole for all three rounds of the event.

“From what I have gathered, everyone is bringing their best playerss We are just up against some good teams,” Priest said. “It will be a great experience for us. We are looking forward to going over there and seeing what we can do.”

The Bears’ opening lineup consists of senior Ryan O’Rear, sophomores Mikkel Bjerch-Andresen, Kyle Jones and Niclas Mansson and freshman Andreas Gjesteby.

“I am really excited this year because we have a strong team coming in,” Mansson said. “Just being over there and seeing what golf courses look like in Japan is going to be really interesting. Playing against the Japanese teams is going to be really fun as well.”

Along with the five players traveling to Japan, the 2012-13 team returns seniors Jerry Ruiz and Matthew Seligmann as well as sophomore Filippo Zucchetti. The Bears also welcome freshmen Scott Terrel and Charles Neel White.

“I think we’ve got a good team. Most of them have got at least a year under their belt, so we will just see what happens,” Priest said. “I feel good about it, we have definitely got some good players, so it is time for them to step up and see what they can do.”

As the most experienced player on an overall young team, O’Rear, a senior Salado native, struggled in the spring with a swing change, Priest said.

“I think he lost a little confidence when he went through the swing change, but he got it all worked out and is playing good right now,” Priest said. “Hopefully he goes back to old form.”

2012 marked the 15th consecutive NCAA regional appearance for the Bears. The 2012-13 team hopes to continue the streak by playing in the 2013 NCAA tournament.

“Our major goal is to make the NCAA tournament,” Priest said. “We want to make sure we do everything we can to make it there this year.”

The team also welcomes its new assistant coach Ryan Blagg. He was a member of Priest’s 1998 NCJAA Tyler Junior College national championship team.

Courtesy Photo | Baylor Athletic Communications
From left to right: (Back) Coach Jay Goble, Annette Lyche, Emma Carberry, Natalia Perez, Coach Diana Cantú. (Front) Hayley Davis, Kaylin Terry, Lauren Taylor

The women’s golf team opened its 2012-2013 season Monday and Tuesday, and is currently in Fort Collins, Colo., to play in the Ptarmigan Ram Fall Classic presented by Colorado State.

The Classic is the first of the Lady Bears’ nine regular-season tournaments.

“Colorado is going to be a great start off to the season,” Coach Jay Goble said. “We are competing against really good teams, but it is a relaxed tournament. It is going to be a very comfortable start to the season. It is going to be exciting to see how the season starts.”

The women are coming off one of the best seasons in the program’s history but lost three of their top players to graduation.

Junior Kaylin Terry and sophomores Hayley Davis and Emma Carberry returned from last year’s team and welcome freshmen Annette Lyche, Natalia Perez and Lauren Taylor to make up this year’s team.

“The team is a great group of student athletes from all over the world,” Goble said. “They have all done tournament golf before. There are only six, but they are all very close-knit, and they all support each other.”

Davis earned her second All-American title in May, receiving an honorable mention from Golfweek. She was the first player in the program’s history to earn the All-American title last season.

“I had a great year last year,” Davis said. “I thought it would take time [to get used to golf in America] but I settled in quite nicely. We have three new freshmen. They are great people, great players and a great part of the team.”

Carberry comes into the season having won the 2012 English Women’s Open Mid-Amateur Championship in July. As a freshman on the 2011-2012 team, she did not attend the majority of team tournaments.

“Emma put in so much work last year being on the outside looking in,” Goble said. “It made her see what she wanted and work harder. I expect her to have a great year this year.”

Lauren Taylor joins the team having won the 2011 Ladies British Open Amateur Championship. She is ranked No. 18 in the world amateur golf standings.

“She competed against some of the best players in the world, and she beat all of them,” Goble said. “She has already shown that she is going to be a force to be reckoned with.”

This season will kick off Goble’s second season coaching the Lady Bears. After returning from Colorado, the team will make its way to Albuquerque on Sept. 16 and 17 to compete in the Dick McGuire Invitational.

“The schedule we have for the 2012-13 season could be the strongest this team has ever played,” Goble said in a press release. “We are playing in three tournaments which consistently rank among the top five tournaments for field strength in women’s collegiate golf. This will give our very young team a lot of competition to play against the top teams in the country week in and week out.”

Baylor’s men’s and women’s golf teams both found success over the Easter weekend.

The No. 17 Lady Bears captured their third tournament win of the season Sunday at Bancorp South Rebel Intercollegiate in Oxford, Miss.

Leading the pack was senior Jaclyn Jansen, who captured her third career tournament title, second of the season, with a career-low 6-under 210.

“Like I said all week, Jaclyn (Jansen) wants to finish her senior year strong,” first-year head coach Jay Goble said in a press release. “She’s definitely shown that so far in the spring through her work ethic. Her hard work has definitely paid off. She was pretty awesome on the course all week.”

Baylor shot a final-round 6-over 294, but it was still strong enough for the team to capture the win by eight strokes.

“Everything we do is working towards the postseason,” Goble said. “We have one more spring event left at Ohio State and that will give us a chance to work on our weaknesses. To get a win this late in the year before the postseason is a momentum-booster.”

The Lady Bears will close out their spring schedule April 21-22 as they compete at the Lady Buckeye Spring Invitation in Columbus, Ohio.

The 27th-ranked men’s team finished fifth in The Woodlands All-American Intercollegiate in The Woodlands on Monday and Tuesday, the team’s eighth top-five finish this season.

Entering the second day of play, the Bears were tied for seventh place.

They finished with a 3-under 861, one of six teams to shoot under-par in the final round.

“I thought the guys played well Tuesday,” head coach Greg Priest said. “We had a lot of birdies, but the thing[s] that hurt us the most were the big numbers. We had too many triple bogeys. We had a really good round, but we let it slip away.”

The men will conclude their spring schedule the same weekend as the women in College Station at The Aggie Invitational.

Baylor men’s golf team finished 10th at the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate on Sunday in Palm Desert, Calif. Baylor was 1-over through two rounds but shot a final round 292 to finish the tournament with 5-over 869, and is now ranked No. 29 nationally.

No. 14 UNLV defeated previous champion Texas Tech by seven strokes, shooting a 20-under 844.

Baylor senior Lorenzo Scotto tied for 35th overall at 2-over 218 and freshman Mikkel Bjerch-Andresen tied for 52nd overall at 6-over 222. Redshirt freshman Niclas Mansson followed at 59th at 7-over 223 and junior Ryan O’Rear tied for 75th at 10-over 226.

“We struggled all weekend, we had a lot of 3-putts and just didn’t play well,” head coach Greg Priest said in a press release. “Joakim [Mikkelsen] played really [well]. He kept getting better and better with each round and put himself in contention to win it.”

Senior Joakim Mikkelsen finished with a 4-under 68, the second lowest score in the final round. He finished the weekend in a three-way tie for second (6-under 210) behind Kevin Penner of UNLV with 7-under 209. Mikkelsen has had six top-10 finishes this season and is ranked fifth in Baylor’s program history.

“He’s got a lot of drive in him,” Priest said. “He wants to be successful, and he’s proven that he wants to be the guy that you can rely on whenever it gets in a tough situation, so I mean he’s by far stepping up to being the guy we need on this team to take us where we need to go.”

Baylor will next compete in the Border Olympics March 16-17 at Laredo.