Jordan Smith | Sports Writer
The Baylor Bears golf got its first win of the season at the Royal Oaks Intercollegiate Golf Tournament at Royal Oaks Country Club in Dallas on Tuesday. Baylor won the tournament with a final score of -31, which was 32 strokes better than the second place University of Houston Cougars who ended the tournament with a total score of +1.
Head coach Mike McGraw said he was shocked to see how well the team handled one of the hardest courses on their schedule.
“I think it’s just a glimpse of who you could really be. I didn’t expect yesterday – not in a million years. This is a hard golf course,” McGraw said. “It’s a golf course that will expose you. To play as well as we did yesterday was a pleasant surprise, but I also felt like these guys had something really special in them. Now we get to go into the offseason with a great memory and excitement and energy for the spring.”
Junior golfer Matthew Perrine and sophomore golfer Braden Bailey were named co-champions at the Royal Oaks Intercollegiate after they both scored 10 under par for a score of 203. They were both roommates on the trip up to the tournament and during the tournament.
After a commanding lead over the other teams, McGraw told his team to continue doing what they were doing early on.
“Coach just said to build on it,” Perrine said. “No reason to go out there and just limp your way in. We know this golf course and we’re all playing well, so we might as well go on and keep the pedal to the metal and go for it.”
Bailey said he is excited about having these really great opportunities in his golf career.
“I’ve put myself in position to win quite a bit starting this summer, and I guess this was my second time this fall that I’ve had a good chance,” Bailey said. “It feels pretty good to get the job done. It’s also a cool feeling tying with Matthew, just sharing the win with a teammate. Especially after the way the team played, winning by as many as we did, I feel like it’s a fitting end to the week.”
The Bears are done with the fall segment of their season and look to continue on top in their next tournament on Feb. 17 at the Golf Club of Houston in Humble. The tournament will last until the 19th.
