May 30, 2017

Updated Baylor Records

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Foundation

Leading at all five spots on the back nine of Tuesday morning's quarterfinal against Oklahoma, the Baylor men's golf team was so close to the NCAA Championship semifinals that the Bears could almost reach out and touch it.

And then, it slipped through their hands, the kind of a "punch in the gut" that will be hard to forget.

With the team match all-squared at 2-2, Matthew Perrine had to win the last two holes just to force a playoff, chipping in from off the green for a birdie at No. 18. But, on the first playoff hole, Oklahoma's Brad Dalke hit the green in regulation and rolled in about a five-footer for par to close it out and give the Sooners an incredible 3-2 come-from-behind victory.

"We didn't get the result we wanted, and that's disappointing," said Baylor coach Mike McGraw, who was coaching a team in match play for the fifth time in nine years. "But, I think once the initial sting has left, I think these guys are going to sit back and realize what a great season they had and what great friendships they developed along the way, and just the things that were forged this year that we had never done before at Baylor.

"So, as disappointing as it is -- and it really is tough when you lose, it's a punch in the gut-- I'm really happy for them, real impressed by the way they handled themselves, and really proud of them."

Baylor could not have gotten out to a better start at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill., with Braden Bailey and Hunter Shattuck both going 3-up within the first five holes. At the turn, Shattuck, freshman Cooper Dossey and sophomore Garrett May were leading 2-up and seemingly in control.

But, to its credit, Oklahoma didn't go away.

Bailey got the first point on the board for the Bears, halving the 17th hole and closing out Max McGreevy, 2 and 1. And then moments later, Dossey edged OU's Blaine Hale, 1-up, to move Baylor within one point of advancing to the semifinals.

That was the point that never came.

Rylee Reinertson came back from a two-hole deficit and got to all-squared through 16 before using a birdie at No. 17 to beat May, 1-up. Grant Hirchman never led his match against Shattuck until rolling in an eagle putt on 18 for a 1-up victory that left it up to Perrine and Dalke.

"Our guys are fighters, they're grinders, that's Oklahoma golf," OU coach Ryan Hybl said.

Things looked their bleakest when Perrine bogeyed 16 to fall 2-down with two to go. Still, the Baylor junior didn't give up.

"What's great about this format is 2-down with two (holes) to play looks pretty dismal. But, if you just have one right thing happen, you can turn the tide and get things back in your direction," McGraw said. "(Assistant coach Ryan Blagg) was walking with Matthew today, and I think they just said, `Hey, let's win this hole, and you never know.' And although it didn't happen for Matthew in the playoff, they played a great match. That pitch shot he hit (on 18) was pretty amazing."

After that chip-in birdie on the 18th, Perrine ran into trouble at No. 1 in the first playoff hole, reaching the green in three and unable to roll in a par putt from about 35 feet away. Dalke shut the door with his par putt, sending OU into an afternoon semifinal matchup against third-seeded Illinois.

"I don't think you can go to different levels of competition without experiencing something like this," McGraw said. "I've still never met the man who hasn't lost. As tough as it is to lose, it's a stepping stone. These guys got in the hunt with a great, well-coached Oklahoma team and could have beaten them but did not. I take my hat off to Ryan Hybl and his boys. They really played a great back nine, and I wouldn't be too surprised to see them win it all. They're playing very, very well."

As a quarterfinalist, the Baylor men tied for fifth for the best finish at the NCAA Championship in program history. The previous best was a tie for ninth in 1960, while the Bears were 19th in 2001, 25th in 2010 and 27th a year ago.

"When I got to Baylor, I decided I was going to recruit Texas kids," said McGraw, now in his third year. "To have five Texas kids play for the national championship the way they did this week is really, really exciting. I think it's great for the state of Texas, especially junior golf in Texas, that you could have five kids from the state compete and make it to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championships."

Shattuck was the only senior in the lineup, with the other four returning for next year and another run at the program's first national championship.

"We're definitely headed in the right direction," McGraw said. "There's a lot of positives. And when the initial sting is over with, even I'll sit back and realize that this was an amazing season."

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THE RUNDOWN
SUGAR GROVE, Ill. - Baylor men's golf lost 3-2 on a 19th-hole playoff against Oklahoma in the NCAA Championships quarterfinals on Tuesday afternoon at Rich Harvest Farms. The Bears capped the best season in program history with a tie for fifth place at the Championships.

With the match square at 2-2, junior Matthew Perrine was 2-down with two holes to go and needed to win both to force a playoff against OU's Brad Dalke. Perrine won No. 17, but he faced a win-or-go-home birdie chip on No. 18 after Dalke made par. With a large crowd around the green and the shot televised nationally on Golf Channel, Perrine celebrated with a fist pump as his chip rolled in the center of the hole, sending the match back to No. 1 for a 19th hole.

Perrine's drive on No. 1 went just a few feet right of the fairway and into thick rough, and his punch out went through the gallery and landed well left of the green. He lobbed his third shot within six feet of the hole, but it found the downhill slope and rolled the edge of the green, about 35 feet from the pin. He was unable to make the long par putt, and Dalke tapped in a short par to seal the match.

Freshman Cooper Dossey was first off the tee against Oklahoma's Blaine Hale. Dossey dropped No. 2 to go 1-down, but he got back to all-square by winning No. 4 and didn't trail the rest of the match. A birdie putt on No. 14 moved him to 3-up with five to play, and though Hale cut the deficit to one by winning Nos. 15 and 16, Dossey halved the final two holes to take the match 1-up.

Shortly after Dossey clinched his match, sophomore Braden Bailey claimed a victory against OU's Max McGreevy to put the Bears ahead 2-0. Bailey was second off the tee and jumped out to a 3-up lead through four holes. McGreevy fought back to all-square by winning three of the next five holes, but Bailey retook the lead by winning No. 10, and built a 3-up advantage with wins on Nos. 12 and 13. McGreevy got back to 2-down with a win on No. 16, but Bailey ended the match with a 2&1 victory by halving No. 17.

Sophomore Garrett May was third off the tee against Oklahoma's Rylee Reinertson. May dropped the first hole, but quickly recovered by winning the next two holes to take a 1-up lead. After halving the next five holes, May won No. 9 to take the turn 2-up. Reinerston fought back to all-square with wins on Nos. 10 and 13, took a 1-up lead by winning No. 17 and won the match 1-up by halving No. 18.

Senior Hunter Shattuck teed off fourth against OU's Grant Hirschman and didn't trail until Hirschman made an eagle putt on No. 18 to win the match 1-up. Shattuck built a 3-up lead by winning Nos. 2, 4 and 5, and he took the turn at 2-up. Hirschman cut the deficit to one by winning No. 10, and he got back to all-square with a win on No. 15.

After halving Nos. 16 and 17 to send the match to the equivalent of sudden death, Hirschman reached the 18th green in two while Shattuck had to lay up from a difficult lie in the rough right of the fairway. Shattuck's birdie chip just missed, and Hirschman made his eagle putt to win his point and even the match at 2-2, setting up the decisive match between Perrine and Dalke.

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
- Baylor's tie for fifth place was the best NCAA Championships result in program history, topping the tie for ninth place at the 1960 Championships.
- Baylor won four tournaments in 2016-17, including the program's first-ever NCAA Regional title at the 2017 Stanford Regional.
- Baylor also earned the nation's No. 1 ranking for the first time in program history when Golfweek put the Bears at the top spot on April 3.
- The Bears are currently No. 5 in the Golfweek rankings and will finish with the highest final ranking in program history.
- Hunter Shattuck wrapped up his two-year Baylor career with what is currently the eighth-best career stroke average (72.65) in program history.
- Shattuck's 71.97 season stroke average is Baylor's 13th-best single-season mark.
- Matthew Perrine moved into sixth on Baylor's career stroke average (72.20) list and posted the fourth-best single-season stroke average (71.35) in program history.
- Perrine recorded nine consecutive top-10 individual finishes prior to the NCAA Championships, and he's tied for eighth in program history with 11 career top-10s.
- Braden Bailey moved into fifth on BU's career stroke average (72.16) list and recorded Baylor's eighth-best single-season stroke average (71.70).
- Bailey ranks 10th in program history with 10 career top-10 finishes and tied for 10th with six career top-5 finishes.
- Garrett May's 72.08 stroke average is the 14th-best single-season mark at Baylor, and he ranks ninth on Baylor's career stroke average (72.77) list.
- Cooper Dossey led the team with a 71.19 stroke average, which was the third-best mark in program history behind Kyle Jones (70.47 in 2014-15) and Ryan Baca (70.59 in 2005-06).
- Dossey became the fourth freshman in program history to lead the team in stroke average, joining Jimmy Walker (1997-98), Baca (2002-03) and Bailey (2015-16).
- The Bears combined to shoot 99 of 209 rounds at par or better during the 2016-17 season, including 92 of 185 for the five lineup players.
- Dossey and Perrine tied for the team lead with 23 of 37 rounds at par or better, followed by Shattuck (17 of 37), Bailey (16 of 37) and May (13 of 37).
- All five lineup players recorded multiple top-5 finishes, and they combined to earn 16 total top-5s, 26 top-10s and 31 top-25s.
- Perrine and Bailey tied for the team lead with four top-5 finished apiece.
- Perrine, Bailey and Dossey each won individual tournament titles, while May twice placed second and Shattuck's best finish was a tie for third place.
- Head coach Mike McGraw led Baylor to back-to-back NCAA Championships berths for the second time in program history (1966-67).
- McGraw is one of five finalists for the Dave Williams Award, presented to the Division I national coach of the year.
- Assistant coach Ryan Blagg earned the 2017 Jan Strickland Award as the nation's top assistant coach.
- All five members of Baylor's lineup earned Ping All-Region honors, topping the previous program high of three All-Region honorees.
- The Bears posted five of the nine lowest 54-hole team totals in program history during the 2016-17 season, including the best total in an NCAA Tournament with an 823 at the Stanford Regional.
- BU also posted seven team scores ranked among the 17 best rounds in program history this season, including the lowest NCAA Tournament round with a 265 at the Stanford Regional.

STAT OF THE DAY
5th - Baylor finished tied for fifth place at the NCAA Championships, the best Championships result in program history. Baylor's previous best was a tie for ninth place in 1960, followed by a 19th place finish in 2002. BU's only other Championships appearances were in 1966 (24th), 1967 (t-31st), 2010 (t-25th) and 2016 (27th).

BAYLOR vs. OKLAHOMA QUARTERFINAL RESULTS (IN ORDER OF FINISH)
No. 36 Cooper Dossey (BU) def. Blaine Hale (OU), 1-up
No. 62 Braden Bailey (BU) def. No. 58 Max McGreevy (OU), 2&1
Rylee Reinertson (OU) def. No. 95 Garrett May (BU), 1-up
No. 48 Grant Hirschman (OU) def. No. 90 Hunter Shattuck (BU), 1-up
Brad Dalke (OU) def. No. 55 Matthew Perrine (BU), 1-up on 19th hole

WHAT'S NEXT
Shattuck is the only player on this year's Baylor roster who has exhausted collegiate eligibility. BU is expected to return the remaining four members of its lineup for the 2017-18 season, including three All-Big 12 golfers in Perrine, Bailey and Dossey, along with May. Head coach Mike McGraw enters his fourth season at Baylor in 2017-18. Follow @BaylorMGolf on Twitter and Facebook for updates throughout the season.