Baylor MGOLF Set to Open the Big 12 Championship

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            With a grind-it-out team mentality and a pair of Midwesterners that are used to windy conditions, the 29^th-ranked Baylor men might be as prepared as any team in the field for the Big 12 Championship that begins Monday at Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kan.
            While the 6,947-yard, par-70 course is "short by modern-day standards," Baylor coach Mike McGraw says "all you need is a little bit of wind, and it looks like we're going to get 15 to 20 mph every day. That's enough wind to make you think."
            "What makes the golf course really great is the green complexes," McGraw said of the putting surfaces, greenside bunkers and grass hollows.
            "They're so interesting, so unusual, so difficult. To get your ball in the correct place where you need to be, basically facing a slope and not coming up and over another slope to get to the hole. If you can keep your ball in that position, you're going to probably do pretty well. But once you start losing control of your golf ball, it gets really exciting up around the greens."
            The windy conditions shouldn't be an issue for Chicago area native Tyler Isenhart or sophomore Drew Wrightson from Zionsville, Ind.
            "Both of those kids have grown up in windy, blustery, cold, wet conditions for many of their high school tournaments, many of their junior tournaments," McGraw said. "So, I'm hoping that if it does get a little challenging up in Kansas, which it looks like it may, that it's second nature to them, 'I've done this before.' And they're both playing really well right now."
            Isenhart, one of three seniors in the lineup, has a 71.88-stroke average and five top-25 finishes in the nine tournaments he's played this season.
            "I grew up playing in this type of weather," said Isenhart, whose best finish was a tie for third at The Bear Brawl in the fall. "I've definitely played tournaments in worse weather than it's supposed to be. So, I think there's a little bit of an advantage for me coming from the north."
            Despite a disappointing ninth-place finish at the ASU Thunderbird Collegiate a little over a week ago, McGraw said he is "pretty excited about a good opportunity to go out and accomplish something here at the end."
            "I'm not making any bold predictions," McGraw said. "We probably earned our 6^th seed out of 10 teams. We earned that because we didn't play very well in the last even. But I think the guys feel pretty good about it. I know I do. We'll just go out there and see what we've got once they fire the gun on Monday morning."
            At the top of McGraw's reasons for optimism is two-time All-American senior Johnny Keefer, who has a team-best 71.31-stroke average with three-straight top-10 finishes. Keefer's had eight rounds in the 60s this year, including a 67 at the season-opening Gopher Invitational.
            "What you start with is Johnny Keefer, a two-time All-American, Arnold Palmer Cupper who's actually trending beautifully right now," McGraw said. "Three of Tyler's last five rounds are under par. Drew's had a great spring as well. I think if the guys take the right mindset, we could make a nice little run here at the end. But I'm really happy with just how they're handling themselves and the way they're handling practice and preparation for the event."
            Also in the lineup this week are senior Luke Dossey and sophomore Zach Heffernan, who are averaging 71.83 and 72.73, respectively. Playing as an individual at the Thunderbird Collegiate, Dossey had Baylor's second-best score overall and tied for 20^th at 2-under-par 211.
            "This is a time to start making your run for the national championship. It's a really important stepping stone," Keefer said. "Obviously, everyone on the team – Coach, I individually – also want to win Big 12s. I think the conference championship is very important to us. It's the first step of the postseason, so it's really nice to get your postseason started at a great course like Prairie Dunes."
            Paired with fifth-seeded Kansas State, Baylor will start from the No. 10 tee beginning with Heffernan at 8:22 a.m. Isenhart will tee off at 8:31, followed by Dossey at 8:40, Wrightson at 8:49 and Keefer at 8:58. In Monday's afternoon round, Baylor and K-State will go off the front side beginning at 1:52 p.m.
            "Starting off in harsh weather on a 36-hole day, I think we all just know to take it one shot at a time," said Keefer, who has opted to take his extra COVID year and stay next year, along with Dossey and Isenhart. "It takes a lot out of you mentally. I think it's really important for someone to take their time, but also be able to understand that bad shots are going to happen, but be able to come up with a solution on the next shot."


HUTCHINSON, Kan. – Baylor men's golf opens its postseason run on Monday morning when it tees off in the Big 12 Championship at Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kan.

Monday will mark the 14^th time the Big 12 Championship has been played in Hutchinson, which was the site of Baylor's only Big 12 Championship win in 2001. The final round will be covered live on Big 12 Now on ESPN+. Head coach Mike McGraw is looking forward to returning to Prairie Dunes this week.

"We have been playing very well this spring, so I'm pretty excited about it," he said. "I'm particularly excited because we get to go play a championship golf course. I know every time I'm interviewed about Prairie Dunes, I always say good things, but it's such a great golf course that the kids can't help but have a good attitude about being there."

Johnny Keefer will play take his usual position at the No. 1 spot. The senior, who enters with a streak of seven-straight rounds at par or better, is making his third start at the Big 12 Championship, coming off a 16^th-place finish at the Big 12 Championship a season ago, which was his best finish.

Drew Wrightson will play at the No. 2 spot this week. The sophomore enters the Big 12 Championship in the midst of his best stretch in a Baylor uniform with a top-five and two top-10 finishes this spring. He finished tied for 33^rd last year at The Big 12 Championship in Whispering Pines.

Tyler Isenhart has been on a roll himself, making his 11^th start in the lineup this season and will play at the No. 3 position. The Illinois native will get his first crack at the Big 12 Championship this week. The senior heads to Hutch, playing three of his last five rounds at par or better.

Luke Dossey will make his second appearance in the lineup this spring, penciled in at No. 4. The senior is coming off a tie for 20^th at the Thunderbird Collegiate, where he shot two rounds under par en route to his second top-25 finish of the spring.

Zach Heffernan will make his third-straight start at the No. 5 position. Heffernan enters the Big 12 Championship with at least one round at par or better in every event this spring. He finished tied for 37^th in his only other appearance at the Big 12 Championship last season.

Live scoring and stats can be found at Golfstat.com. For more information on Baylor Men's Golf, follow @BaylorMGolf on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Baylor MGOLF Set to Open the Big 12 Championship

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Players Mentioned

Luke Dossey

Zach Heffernan

Tyler Isenhart

Johnny Keefer

Drew Wrightson

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