By Dylan Fink | Sports Writer
Baylor’s golf teams took to Grand Haven, Mich., this week to compete in the Folds of Honor Collegiate, their first tournament of the season.
The women’s team, which held the leading spot at the end of the first two days, excelled in the tournament, finishing second out of 12 teams. The men finished 11th out of 15 teams.
“I think it went overall very well,” women’s head coach Jay Goble said. “To finish second place, if you would’ve offered me that at the beginning of the week, I would be very happy.”
Preseason No. 5-ranked Texas A&M edged out the unranked Bears by three strokes in the final round.
“There’s a little bit of a sour taste losing the lead to Texas A&M,” Goble said. “From a glass-half-full perspective, though, we hung with a team as good as A&M all week and had the opportunity to compete with them. We are overlooked, but now have proved that we can hang with a team that is top five in the country.”
A standout moment of the tournament was senior Silje Ohma’s tournament-best seven-under-par 65 in the second round. Ohma finished her dominant Day 2 showing with a 70-yard hole out on the 18th hole.
“It was a fun moment for the team,” Goble said. “It was cool that all her teammates were standing behind the hole, cheering her on.”
Ohma was not able to carry the same momentum into her third round, posting an eight-over-par 80 to finish the week.
“Anybody who tells you they have golf figured out is lying,” Goble said. “I didn’t think she would shoot 80, but it is extremely hard to follow a magical round like that.”
A pair of newcomers, freshman Amelia Wan and junior Illinois transfer Yurang Li, posted solid showings for their first tournament in Baylor gear. Both are finishing in the top 20 of the player pool.
“The last two days it didn’t look like [Li] was going to mess up a hole,” Goble said. “She’s going to be a big part of our success the next two years.”
Wan, despite struggling in her second round, finished the third day on a strong note with back-to-back birdies.
“Amelia can be literally as good at golf as she wants to be,” Goble said. “Birdies on the last two holes are a testament to how good of a player she can be.”
The men’s team did not see the same level of success at the tournament as the women, finishing 11th out of 15 teams.
Senior Jonas Appel came out on a strong note, completing the first day of the tournament in a three-way tie to lead the player pool. Appel shot a remarkable 69 to begin the week at 2-under-par.
The tide took an opposite turn in the second round for Appel, as he posted a stream of bogies on the front nine, leading to a six-over-par 77. The stutter remained in the third round, as Appel shot a five-over-par 77 and fell from first place to 38th.
Senior Sam Dossey climbed throughout the tournament. Dossey struggled on Day 1, posting a 14-over-par 85. The senior rebounded to score a 1-over-par 72 on both the second and third day.
Another highlight for the men’s team was junior UConn transfer Alex Heard, who climbed from 36th at the end of the first round to a ninth-place finish Wednesday. Heard posted a four-under-par 67 in his final round, a bright spot for the Bears.
The women’s team’s next tournament is set for Sept. 19-21 at the Mason Rudolph Championship in Franklin, Tenn.
The men’s team’s next tournament is set for Sept. 19-21 at the Fighting Illini Invitational in Olympia Fields, Ill.
