By Tyler White | Staff Writer
On Jan. 10, Baylor men’s golf freshman Davis Ovard placed fourth in the 2024 Saguaro Amateur. The first-year golfer has been putting in hours to better himself with each tournament, but the motivation to continuously improve in competition didn’t happen overnight.
Ovard has been playing golf competitively since the age of 5. Like his older brother, Ovard participated in tournaments with Texas Junior Golf Tour, which put him against other young high-level golfers to push him in the sport.
“I think Texas has the best golf players in the nation,” Ovard said. “We have so many good players. … You kind of start playing with them when you’re younger, and then you grow and get better with them and you keep playing against them. It’s kind of like knowing those other kids around you pushes you to be better as well, because you’re always facing them in the next tournament.”
As Ovard developed his skill, he set his eyes on playing at the collegiate level. He said he wanted to stay in Texas but wasn’t sure where — until he met Baylor men’s golf coach Mike McGraw. After a lengthy conversation with McGraw, Ovard knew he wanted to attend Baylor.
McGraw said he was impressed with Ovard’s play in tournaments. Even more so, he was impressed with who he was and how he composed himself on the golf course.
“I would say on the surface when you first meet him, he’s pretty quiet,” McGraw said. “He’s a kind of gentle soul. He doesn’t overassert himself. … But underneath there was a competitor. He’s a serious, serious competitor.”
Upon arriving at Baylor, Ovard said it was difficult to get adjusted to college life while being part of a collegiate team. However, he said his schedule as a student-athlete in high school was very similar to college, so he was able to slowly get acquainted with both studying and playing at Baylor.
“It’s hard, but it’s really fun, and it’s better than I thought it would be,” Ovard said. “The team has made it great too. Everyone on the team was super welcoming and everything, and all the coaches helped me, and everyone just kind of drives you to be better.”
McGraw said it took some adjusting for Ovard to get used to being on the team with his quiet personality. However, as Ovard continued to get more comfortable, the team as a whole began to respect him.
“They love having him on the team, and he’s fit in quite nicely,” McGraw said. “Plus, they respect his golf game. Obviously, he’s a good player. He’s proven that to them already. … But now they’re getting to know him, and they like him a lot.”
Ovard said there is an interesting dynamic in his friendships on the team, and they are simultaneously good friends and eager competitors. When it comes to qualifying, they all try to beat each other out for a spot, but they still encourage each other to improve.
“We get along so well, and then while you have that friendship, the other side of it is … qualifying,” Ovard said. “You’re trying to beat them because you want your spot. You want to beat them, but then you also want to make them better. And so that’s the most fun part about it, is we compete, but at the same time we still love each other.”
When it comes to competing, Ovard said he tries to get into a calm mindset. He goes to tournaments to play golf and do the best he can — not to think too much about his mistakes or overanalyze his game.
“I just try to get in the mental space where I just want to have fun and be happy, because I tend to play the best when I’m … not thinking about my score or what position I am on the leaderboard,” Ovard said. “I’m just going out there to play golf, and I’m just focusing on what I can control.”
As he looks forward to the rest of the spring semester and to the next few years with the team, Ovard said he knows the team can go very far with its talent, and he wants to be a part of it.
“I know the team that we have this year is super capable of going really far this year and doing really well in nationals,” Ovard said. “I really want to be in that postseason lineup, because I know that this team can do it. And so I’m just motivated to play good and qualify and get my spot and then go to tournaments and do the best I can, because I know this team can do it.”
McGraw said one thing about Ovard that people fail to realize is just how talented he is, simply because he isn’t boastful or cocky about his game. McGraw described Ovard as a “silent assassin” — someone who goes under the radar but will attack you and surprise you with his game.
“I think people underestimate how good a competitor he is, because he’s not boisterous,” McGraw said. “He’s not overspoken. He’s not loud. He’s not drawing attention to himself. He wants his golf to draw the attention.”
