May 29, 2002
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The 20th ranked Baylor men's golf team shot an eight-over-par 292 Wednesday and stands tied at 24th in the rain-halted first round of the 2002 NCAA Men's Golf Championships at The Ohio State University Scarlet Course in Columbus, Ohio.
Play was suspended at 4:26 p.m. EST when heavy rains forced half the field of 30 off the course. Baylor was among 15 teams in the morning wave that completed first round play.
Baylor, making the school's first appearance in the NCAA Finals, is currently 17 strokes behind leader Illinois, which stands nine-under through 10 holes. Colorado shot a four-under 280 to top the teams that completed morning play.
The Bears were led in the first round by freshman Ryan Baca, who birdied the final two holes Wednesday to finish with an even-par 71 and is currently tied at No. 44 among individuals.
Sophomore Will Doughtie played even through the first nine, but hit two bogies on the second nine to card a two-over 73. He stands in a 95th-place tie among the field of 156 individuals.
The remaining three Baylor golfers all shot three-over 74s Wednesday, and are tied at 110th. Freshman Derek Abel double-bogied the second hole, and was one-over through the final 16. Junior Jamie McLeary, who was even-par at the turn, shot four bogies and one birdie on the final nine to finish three-over. Sophomore Adam Meyer was also even after nine, and hit four bogies after the turn to finish 74.
The first round will conclude Thursday morning.
"We're going to start tomorrow morning," NCAA liaison Donnie Wagner said Wednesday afternoon. "We're not sure when, though. The committee will discuss tonight how tomorrow will run."
Baylor will again be paired with Auburn and Texas in the second round Thursday, at a yet to be determined tee time. Championship play continues with two final rounds Friday and Saturday at OSU's Scarlet Course, a par-71, 7,236-yard facility that was established in 1938.
Baylor is ranked No. 20 nationally in the latest Golfstat and Golfweek polls.
The Bears qualified for the championships with a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Central Regional in Little Rock, Ark., May 18.
