MGOLF Readies for the Chapel Hill Regional

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider

Coming off its best start at the Big 12 Tournament in 22 years, the Baylor men's golf team carries momentum into the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional that begins Monday at UNC Golf Course.

"It's huge momentum," fifth-year senior Johnny Keefer said of the Bears finishing fourth in the Big 12 Championship at Whispering Pines in Trinity, Texas, with a final round of 4-under-par 284. "The key to making a long postseason run is momentum. . . . Going into postseason, I think everyone's pretty confident that we can do as well as we want to."

Baylor is seeded sixth in a 13-team regional that is headed by top-five seeds North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia Tech, East Tennessee State and Northwestern, with the top five teams advancing to the NCAA Championships May 24-29 at The Omni La Costa Resort May 24-29 in Carlsbad, Calif.

"Coaches talk about it being the most stressed time of the year," assistant coach Jeremy Alcorn said. "It's at the end of the semester, where hopefully you feel the momentum and it's a chance to go show out and play good golf. Hopefully, we have some fun with it. You can stress yourself out, or you can enjoy the moment. Our guys are ready for it. We've got some seniors, some old guys, so they're ready to go."

Keefer, who tied for sixth at the Big 12 tournament to earn all-conference honors, is joined by a pair of fifth-year grad students in Luke Dossey and Tyler Isenhart, junior Zach Heffernan and freshman Davis Ovard.

"Four of these guys are on their third, fourth or fifth regional," Alcorn said. "Davis is going to be the only newcomer. They finished fourth (at Morgan Hill, Cailf.) last year, so they know what it's about. They know the pressure, they know what it's like on the last day. They know you need to get off to a good start. And I think they're ready for that. If we do that, I think it's going to come pretty easy to them."

After missing the NCAA regionals two years ago, the Bears made it through the Morgan Hill Regional to advance to the NCAA Championships for the 10^th time in program history and the fifth time under head coach Mike McGraw.

"Maturity is a big thing," said Keefer, who played in an NCAA regional as an individual in 2022. "Learning how to play deeper and deeper in the season, fighting through the bad days, I think being more experienced has helped, for sure. . . . I think everyone's just coming back with a little bit more experience, maturity. I think that's going to play a big role."

Former Baylor All-American Cooper Dossey told his younger brother, Luke, that PGA Q School and the NCAA regionals "are some of the most pressure you'll ever feel in golf."

"There are 13 teams, and only five are going on to nationals," Luke said. "And everybody has earned a spot to be there, so everybody's good. Last year, we didn't get caught up in all that. We just went out there and played our good golf, and it was good enough. But I think there is a different level of intensity that is out there. I think getting off to a good start is going to be huge, not shoot yourself out of it on the first day."

Because of expected inclement weather, the teams are scheduled to play 27 holes on Monday. Live scoring is available at Golfstat.com.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Baylor men's golf makes its 25^th postseason appearance in the last 26 seasons when it tees it up at the Chapel Hill Regional at Finley Golf Club Monday morning.

At the conclusion of 54 holes, the top-5 teams in Chapel Hill will advance to the NCAA Championship at The Omni La Costa Champions Course in Carlsbad, Calif. Assistant coach Jeremey Alcorn likes the way this team has prepared entering this week and is excited to see the fruits of their labor on Tobacco Road.

"Coaches talk about [Regionals] being the most stressful time of year," he said. "It's an opportunity, and it's at the end of a semester where hopefully you feel the momentum, and it's a chance to go show out and play good golf. Hopefully, we have some fun with it. You can go stress yourself out, or you can enjoy the moment. Our guys are ready for it; our preparation has been really good, in my opinion. We've got some seniors, some old guys, they're ready to go."

Johnny Keefer will play at No. 1 this week in his final NCAA Regional with the Bears. The senior has played in three regionals, with his best finish coming in 2022 when he tied for 11^th in the Norman Regional, competing as an individual. Keefer enters this event tied for the best-career stroke average in program history (71.55), and he feels like the experience his team is carrying with it will help them in Chapel Hill.

"Two years ago, we were really young, he said. "Maturity is a big thing. It's about learning how to play deeper and deeper in the season, fighting through the bad days. Being more experienced has helped, for sure. I think we saw it last year. We were slightly out of it, then we were slightly in, before eventually getting in. I think this year, it's kind, the same feel, but I think everyone's just coming back with a little bit more experience and maturity. So, I think that's going to play a big role."

Davis Ovard will make his NCAA Regional debut on Monday at the No. 2 spot. The freshman tied for 18^th in his Big 12 Championship debut at Whispering Pines and has three top-10s this spring.

Tyler Isenhart will play at No. 3 this week, making his second NCAA Regional appearance. The senior opened with a 3-under 69 at the Morgan Hill Regional last year and is coming off a Big 12 Championship, where he carded two rounds at par or better. Isenhart made it through US Open Local Qualifying earlier this week with a 4-under 67 at Escondido Golf Club.

Zach Heffernan will play at No. 4, making his second-career regional appearance. Heffernan captured medalist honors at Escondido this week with a bogey-free 63, punching his ticket to the final qualifying stage later this spring.

Luke Dossey will make his final appearance in an NCAA regional at No. 5 this week. He traveled as an alternate to the 2021 Stillwater Regional and finished 41^st last year at Morgan Hill. The Austin, Texas, native knows the stakes will get higher as the season goes on.

"Regionals in college golf is definitely some of the most pressure you'll feel, just because there are 15 teams and only five are going on to nationals," he said. "Everybody has earned a spot to be there, so everybody's good. But last year, I think we didn't get caught up in all that. I think we just went out there and kind of played our good golf. And it was good enough. But I think there is a different level of intensity out there. I think getting off to a good start is going to be huge; not shoot yourself out on the first day. You can't win the golf tournament on the first day.

Jonas Appel will travel with the team and be available as an alternate.

Because of expected inclement weather later in the week, the teams will play 27 holes on Monday. Once pairings, live scoring and stats are available, they can be found at Golfstat.com.

For more information on Baylor Men's Golf, follow @BaylorMGolf on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

MGOLF Readies for the Chapel Hill Regional

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jonas Appel

Luke Dossey

Zach Heffernan

Tyler Isenhart

Johnny Keefer

Davis Ovard

Footer