Murphy takes MG reins for retiring coach Mike McGraw

MONTGOMERY, Texas – Taking over the reins from retiring coach Mike McGraw, Baylor interim head men's golf coach Ryan Murphy will take eight players to the Brentwood Intercollegiate that begins Monday at Brentwood Country Club.

"I wouldn't use the word pressure. I feel responsible, for sure. That's probably the overriding feeling," said Murphy, an assistant at Baylor for the last 13 months after 10 years as the head women's coach at Texas. "I'm responsible to carry on the thgns that he did when he was here to make this program great."

Mostly a southwest regional tournament, the 14-team field includes 11 teams from Texas, Arkansas or Louisiana. At 105^th in the latest Scoreboard rankings, Baylor is the highest-ranked team, followed closely by VCU (112^th) and Tarleton State (114^th), with the host Sam Houston team at No. 148.

"I think Brentwater is a great first tournament for the spring," said senior Jonas Appel, who led the team in the fall with a 72.07-stroke average and a top-10 finish at the Pearl at Kalauaho Invitational in Hawaii. "It's going to be a great opportunity. I think the guys are just ready to go compete and build off the work and practice that we've been putting in and look to improve from the fall."

In terms of earning an NCAA regional bid, the Bears put themselves in a hole in the five-tournament fall schedule, compiling a 25-45 head-to-head record, with a sixth-place finish at the Trinity Forest Invitational being their best so far. Short of playing its win in by winning the Big 12 Championship, Baylor has to finish with a .500 record or above to qualify.

"We just focus on the things that we can control," Murphy said. "The really good players know exactly how good their putting is, or they know exactly how good their driving is. So, if you're paying attention to your golf game, you'll know where the margin for improvement lies."

Appel leads the Baylor lineup at the No. 1 spot, followed by senior transfer Evan Vo, junior Davis Ovard, UConn transfer Alex Heard and sophomore Vincent Stjernfeldt, who had a 72.25-stroke average in the fall with three top-25 finishes.

Vo is back in the lineup for the first time since the season-opening Folds of Honor Collegiate, while freshman Tyler Sanford is making his collegiate debut. Sanford joins fellow freshman Patrick Babb and senior Sam Dossey as individuals in an 81-player field that includes individuals from TCU and Rice as well.

Rounding out the field are Central Arkansas, East Texas A&M, Houston Christian, Incarnate Word, Oakland, Ohio, Prairie View A&M, Southeastern Louisiana, Southern and Texas Southern.

Baylor will be paired with VCU and Sam Houston for an 8 a.m. shotgun start in Monday's opening round in the 54-hole tournament. Live scoring is available at Brentwater Intercollegiate.

For the latest news on the Baylor men's golf team, follow its official Facebook, X and Instagram accounts: @BaylorMGolf.

- BaylorBears.com -

Murphy takes MG reins for retiring coach Mike McGraw

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Players Mentioned

Jonas Appel

Patrick Babb

Sam Dossey

Alex Heard

Davis Ovard

Tyler Sanford

Vincent Stjernfeldt

Evan Vo

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