Baylor men’s golf returns to action at the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate, which runs Monday through Tuesday in Vestavia Hills, Ala. The two-day, 54-hole tournament will be played on the par-70, 7,209-yard course at Old Overton Club.
Baylor is the only Big 12 Conference representative in the 12-team field. The first 2017-18 GolfStat rankings will be released Oct. 15, but the Bears are No. 15 in the Oct. 4 Golfweek/Sagarin rankings. BU will take on No. 3 Alabama, No. 12 Auburn, No. 22 Arkansas, No. 27 BYU, No. 39 UNLV, No. 45 Mississippi State, UAB, Michigan, Samford, Charlotte and South Alabama.
BU is playing in the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate for the third consecutive season and fourth time in program history. The Bears placed third in 2016, fourth in 2008 and eighth in 2015.
Braden Bailey is back in the No. 1 spot for the second time in three tournaments this season, and it’s his 11th consecutive tournament playing in one of the top two spots in the Baylor lineup. Matthew Perrine is No. 2, followed by Cooper Dossey, Travis McInroe and Ryan Grider. McInroe is making his second appearance in the Baylor lineup, while Perrine, Dossey and Grider have remained in the lineup for all three tournaments this season.
Three members of the Baylor lineup recorded top-20 finishes at last year’s Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate. Perrine placed fourth at 3-under 207, Dossey tied for ninth at even-par 210, and Bailey took 19th place at 4-over 214.
Baylor players have combined to post a 72.50 stroke average over 42 rounds this season, while golfers in the BU lineup have averaged a 71.25 counting score. The team has combined to play 18 of 42 rounds at par or better, led by Bailey with five of six rounds at par or better.
Bailey has posted back-to-back top-10 finishes to start the season, placing him in a tie with Perrine for eighth in program history with 12 career top-10 finishes.
Tee times for Monday’s first round begin at 7:30 a.m. CT from both the first and 10th tees. Baylor players will begin from No. 1 in pairings with golfers from Alabama and Arkansas. Grider is up first at 7:30 a.m., and he’ll be followed in 10-minute intervals by McInroe, Dossey, Perrine and Bailey, respectively.
Teams will also play the second round on Monday beginning at 12:30 p.m. in the same pairings from the first round, but starting from the opposite tees. Grider will tee off for the second round from No. 10 at 12:30 p.m., followed by McInroe, Dossey, Perrine and Bailey, respectively.
