By Aidan O’Connor | Sports Writer
Baylor men’s golf ended the Cabo Collegiate strong, finishing tied for 11th place after an even-par 284 in the final round Tuesday at the Twin Dolphins Club in Los Cabos, Mexico.
“I loved the way our guys hung in there all day,” head coach Mike McGraw said. “Making those late birdies was huge for our confidence and a step in the right direction.”
After struggling in the first two rounds, shooting 15-over 299 on day one and 11-over 295 on day two, the Bears rose from 13th to 11th place after their best round of the Cabo Collegiate.
The day-three resurgence was led by redshirt junior Drew Wrightson, who carded the best score of the tournament for Baylor, finishing the day with a 3-under 68, a score only three other players in the tournament beat. After starting the day with a bogey at No. 17, Wrightson went on to record birdies at Nos. 1, 6, 11, 13 and 16. Wrightson’s performance moved him up 23 spots, where he finished tied for 33rd place at 6-over 219.
Junior Jonas Appel continued his success from the previous rounds, finishing with an even-par 71. Appel got off to a hot start with birdies at Nos. 2, 16 and 17, leaving him at 3-under. However, Appel had five bogeys that brought him back down to par. His performance placed him in a tie for 27th place, as he finished with Baylor’s best individual score at 5-over 218.
Senior Zach Heffernan had his best round of the Cabo Collegiate, finishing 1-over 72. During the final round Tuesday, Heffernan added 13 pars to his previous 26. This tied him for the most total pars at the tournament with 39 and helped propel him five spots, as he tied for 44th place, scoring 8-over 221.
Senior Davis Ovard also carded his best day of the weekend, shooting a 2-over 73. Ovard’s final round saw various swings in success as he was one of only 10 players in the tournament to score an eagle, which he did at No. 13. However, he also recorded double bogeys at Nos. 10 and 15. He concluded the tournament tied for 58th with freshman Vincent Stjernfeldt, shooting 13-over 226.
After scoring an even-par 71 in Round 2, Stjernfeldt couldn’t translate his success into the final round. While he still had birdies at Nos. 5, 7 and 14, Stjernfeldt struggled and ended the day at 6-over 77.
The Bears will be back on the course on March 16, as they travel to Myrtle Beach, S.C., to compete in The Hackler.
