Baylor MGOLF Cards Best Stroke-Play Finish with a Tie for Fourth at the Hackler

[Roberts, Matt]

BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS- March 18, 2025

Baylor MGOLF Cards Best Stroke-Play Finish with a Tie for Fourth at the Hackler
BU’s Ovard fires three-straight rounds at par or better for his best finish of the season
For more information contact: Matt Roberts, 254-227-2280, WM_Roberts at Baylor.edu<mailto:WM_Roberts at Baylor.edu>

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — Baylor men's golf shot a 2-under 862 to finish tied for fourth at the General Hackler Championship on Tuesday at the Dunes Golf Club in South Carolina.

Davis Ovard put together his best tournament as a member of the lineup this season, shooting a 4-under 212 and coming home tied for 13th. Tuesday marked the first time in the sophomore's career he carded three rounds at par or better in a team event. Auburn's Brendan Valdes captured individual medalist honors with a 12-under 204.

Baylor tied with Wake Forest at 2-under, while Auburn ran away with the team title thanks to a 33-under 831. The tie for fourth was Baylor's best finish in a stroke-play event since it finished fourth at the Big 12 Championship last year at Whispering Pines.

THE RUNDOWN
Ovard made a quick bogey at No. 2, only to rebound with three-straight birdies at Nos. 4-6 to make the turn with a 2-under 34. Two more bogeys dropped him back to level-par, where he would finish after five more pars.

Zach Heffernan shot a 1-over 73 to finish tied for 18th, his best finish since a tie for 13th at the season-opening Gopher Invitational. In a round that included just seven pars, Heffernan went out with a 1-over 37 thanks to bogeys at Nos. 1, 5, 7 and 9 around an eagle at No. 4 and a birdie at No. 8. Dropping two more shots at Nos. 11 and 12, the senior played his next three holes a 3-under with a birdie at No. 13 and his second eagle of the day at No. 15. A bogey at the last hole would drop him to 1-over for the day and 2-under for the championship.

Jonas Appel improved his score for a second-straight day, carding a 2-under 70 to lead Baylor on Tuesday. The Encinitas, Calif., native made an eagle at No. 3 to get into red numbers but gave two shots back with a couple of bogeys at Nos. 6 and 7. A birdie at No. 8 saw Appel turn in red figures with a 1-under 35. He fell back to even with a bogey at No. 11 but closed strong with back-to-back birdies at Nos. 15 and 16 to claim a tie for 33rd.

Jackson Hymer finished his first collegiate-team event with a 1-over 73 on Monday to record a tie for 46th. For the third time in as many rounds, Hymer started 3-over on his front nine after bogeys at Nos. 2, 3 and 6. He picked up a shot with a birdie at No. 8 to turn with a 2-over 38. Another quick bogey at No. 11 dropped him back to 3-over, but he played his final seven holes at 2-under on the strength of birdies at Nos. 15 and 16.
Drew Wrightson concluded his week in a tie for 69th on the heels of a 3-over 75 in the third round. Making just two pars on his outward half, Wrightson made birdies at Nos. 1, 6, 7 and 8, mixing in bogeys at Nos. 2, 3 and 9 to turn at 1-under. Four more bogeys on his homeward half would drop him back to 3-over, where he would finish.


HIGHLIGHTS

  *   The fourth-place finish was Baylor’s best since finishing fourth at the Big 12 Championship last May
  *   Baylor’s 2-under 862 was its first under-par team score this season
  *   BU’s 862 was its lowest score on a par-72 course since firing an 817 at the 2023 Kapolei Invitational
  *   The Bears finished with the second-best par-5 scoring average (4.52) while tying for the third-best par-3 scoring average
  *   BU’s six eagles were the most in the field
  *   Davis Ovard’s tie for 13th was his best finish in a team event since tying for ninth at the Aggie Invitational last spring
  *   Ovard’s 212 was his lowest score in a team event
  *   Zach Heffernan recorded his team-leading third top-25 this season
  *   Heffernan’s three eagles tied for the most in the field, while his 4.17 par-5 scoring average tied for second-best
  *   Jonas Appel’s final-round 70 was his lowest final-round score since closing with a 67 at the 2023 Kapolei Invitational

QUOTABLE
Head Coach Mike McGraw on the team’s performance — “We did a much better job of competing from the start in this event. I saw a lot of positives for us to build upon this week.”

WHAT’S NEXT
The Bears return to the Lone Star State for the Maridoe Collegiate, beginning March 31, at Maridoe Golf Club in Dallas. For more information on Baylor Men's Golf, follow @BaylorMGolf on X, Instagram and Facebook.


—BaylorBears.com—



Matt Roberts | Director of Athletic Communications (MBB/MGOLF/ WGOLF)
Department of Athletics | Baylor University
C: 254-227-2280
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