Baylor
Bomb Darts Birds Collegiate
Baylor MGolf Finishes First Event in Arizona
9/8/2026 5:42:00 PM | Men's Golf
Appel Paces the Bears with 14th-career top-25 finish
CHANDLER, Ariz. — Baylor opened its 2026-27 campaign with a tie for seventh at the Bomb Darts Birds Collegiate at Whirlwind Golf Club in Arizona.
Fifth-year senior Jonas Appel led the Bears with a tie for 11th, bookending the tournament with a pair of rounds in the 60s.
The field, which featured teams from three of the four Power Four conferences, turned the week into a shootout. Santa Clara posted an impressive 50-under-par total to win the tournament by three strokes over New Mexico State. Baylor finished in a three-way tie for seventh alongside UTEP and James Madison at 32-under par.
"This tournament was a birdie fest, or a horse race, as we would call it," head coach Jean-Paul Hebert said. 'We needed a little bit more horsepower."
Appel paced Baylor with rounds of 67, 70 and 68 to finish at 11-under for the week, earning the 14th top-25 finish of his career.
Senior Alex Heard was Baylor's second-highest finisher, posting a 6-under total for the tournament. Heard capped his week with an eagle on the par-5 17th hole during the final round.
Fellow senior Davis Ovard posted back-to-back rounds of 69 to open the tournament. His second round was highlighted by a hole-out eagle on the 431-yard par-4 ninth hole to close out his 36-hole day.
Freshman Chase Yenser made an immediate impact in his collegiate debut, contributing a counting score in all three rounds and finishing tied for 39th at 5-under par. Playing as an individual, Patrick Babb highlighted his week with a 2-under 70 in the second round before finishing the tournament at 3-over.
All six Bears competing this week recorded at least one round in red figures.
"Our players showed a lot of fight and played solid as a group," Hebert said. "I'm proud of them. This was a good start. This game is all about learning and growing, and that's what we will do this season."
The tournament marked the first of four events this fall and the first of three trips outside the state of Texas. Baylor will have next week off before traveling to Chicago for the Fighting Illini Invitational at Olympia Fields Country Club, Sept. 19-20.
Live scoring will be available on Clippd.
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