By Foster Nicholas | Sports Writer
Backed by a perfect 5-0 week, junior Zach Heffernan hoisted Baylor men’s golf all the way to the Big 12 Match Play Championship. Despite a dominant week, the Bears’ run came to an end Wednesday afternoon, falling to Texas 4-1 in the final match in Hockley.
On the weekend, the green and gold tallied 17 match points to lead the field and was undefeated before taking on the Longhorns in the championship. Four of Baylor’s five players will come back to Waco with a winning record, exceeding their number of match play wins entering the event.
Baylor’s second-place finish was the best since 2020, and Heffernan became the third player in team history to complete the flawless week.
“Although we are disappointed with today’s outcome, there is a lot to look forward to this season,” head coach Mike McGraw said. “This team has come a long way since last year.”
The Bears played Texas tight throughout the afternoon. Heffernan was the only Baylor golfer to pick up a point. The junior was down early but was able to get ahead of his competition after back-to-back wins on Nos. 5 and 6. Heffernan stayed on a roll, took firm control and secured the win at No. 14 with a 5&4 win.
Even though graduate student Johnny Keefer was unable to mirror Heffernan, he capped off the tournament with a nail-biting slugfest to finish 4-1. Keefer was even with his opponent until the 18th hole, where he ultimately fell. The match featured four lead changes, with Keefer constantly clawing his way back from small deficits.
Freshman Davis Ovard went 17 holes before dropping his match 2&1. Ovard traded wins early, then fell behind on holes No. 11, 13 and 14. The freshman fought back but ran out of time. Ovard ended the weekend 4-1.
Graduate student Luke Dossey concluded the tournament 3-2 after dropping his Wednesday match 5&3. Dossey fell behind late after playing the first few holes even and was subject to a tough five-hole deficit with only seven left to play.
Senior Trey Bosco also finished Big 12 play 3-2, dropping his final match 5&4. Bosco waited to pick up his first hole win until No. 3, but his opponent bounced back and stole the next four holes. Despite picking up a few hole wins later, the deficit was too large to overcome.
The Bears will wrap up the fall semester of play at the Kapolei Invitational from Oct. 30 to Nov. 1 at Kapolei Country Club in Oahu, Hawaii.
