MG: Jonas Appel Playing in NCAA Bryan Regional

BRYAN, Texas – Two years ago, Jonas Appel subbed in for the final round of the Chapel Hill Regional and shot 1-over-par 71 to help the Baylor men's golf team make it to the NCAA Championship for the sixth time in eight seasons.

This time, he'll have to do it by himself.

Selected as one of the five individuals for the NCAA Bryan Regional that starts Monday at Traditions Club, the California native gets a chance to return to the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, Calif., for the NCAA Championship, which is "right there in my backyard."

"I've obviously been there plenty of times," said Appel, who went to La Costa High School. "There would be nothing more special than ending my college career there. That's definitely the goal. But once I get going each day, the main focus is to try and play a good round and see where it ends up."

It's certainly not an easy path. While the 13 teams playing at Bryan are trying to be one of the five advancing teams, Appel is competing against the entire field for the one spot for the top golfer on a non-advancing team.

"I'm excited for Jonas," said interim head coach Ryan Murphy, who will make the short trek to Bryan with Appel and assistant coach Richie Coughlan. "He finished up his academic work and was able to partake in the graduation ceremonies, so that was terrific for him and his family. With his studies complete and Jonas fully rested, it should make for a more relaxed event."

Appel averaged a team-best 72.53 strokes per round with two top-10 and four top-25 finishes and is coming off a 26^th-place finish at the Big 12 Championship two weeks ago at Prairie Dunes.

"I knew I was right on the bubble. In my mind, I had a feeling that I needed to have a top-20 finish," he said of his at-large selection. "It was a little uneasy those next few days until the selection show. Because when I finished on 18 there at Prairie Dunes, I wasn't ready for my college career to be done. Finding out on the selection show that I had made it was awesome."

Appel is the first Baylor golfer to qualify for an NCAA regional as an individual since current PGA pro Johnny Keefer, who tied for 11^th at the 2022 NCAA Norman Regional but failed to advance.

"It's definitely much more fun going as a team, just getting a chance to compete with the guys again," Appel said. "I think going down there as an individual, the goal is to get back to La Costa. Just looking forward to having a good week and hopefully going into that final round with a chance to claim that individual spot."

For Monday's opening round of the three-day, 54-hole tournament, Appel will have a 9:42 a.m. tee time off No. 1 and will be paired with Gabriel Dulon Villoslada of UT-Rio Grande Valley and Tiur Alalin of Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

Live scoring is available at NCAA Bryan Regional, with Baby Grande providing live streaming coverage.

For the latest news on the Baylor men's golf team, follow its official Facebook, X and Instagram accounts: @BaylorMGolf.

- BaylorBears.com -

MG: Jonas Appel Playing in NCAA Bryan Regional

Players Mentioned

Jonas Appel

Footer