Baylor rolls into college season with Gopher Invitational win

September 9, 2019 | by AmateurGolf.com Staff

Mike McGraw and Cooper Dossey (Baylor Athletics)

The Bears hardly lost any steam from a summer full of individual success, winning in their first start out as a team.

As it turns out, the summer was a pretty good indicator of how the college season might go for Baylor. The Bears racked up titles and headlines individually, and on Monday, they garnered the team title at the season-opening Gopher Invitational.

The Bears topped two Pac-12 opponents in winning at Windsong Farm Golf Club in Independence, Minn., on Monday. Baylor came in with a 4-under team total for 54 holes. That was two better than Texas A&M, and six better than Oklahoma. Arkansas also finished at 2 over, tied for third with the Sooners.

Texas A&M got off to a stronger start, but Baylor was consistent throughout the week. A final-round 4-over 288 was just enough to leave them with the title. Baylor players Johnny Keefer tied for third at 3 under and Cooper Dossey, the North & South Amateur champion, was 2 under and solo fifth.

Arkansas player William Buhl, coming off a win at the Canadian Amateur last month, won the individual title with a 6 under total.

Baylor will play a tough schedule this season, one that includes the Fighting Illini Invitational, Nike Collegiate and its own Royal Oaks Intercollegiate this fall alone. The leadership is strong and the talent deep on this Baylor roster, which should be plenty tested over the course of the next few months.

"I don't think maybe four or five teams in the country had any more of an impressive summer than we did," head coach Mike McGraw told Jerry Hill of the Baylor Bear Insider. "They've played great on the state level, on the national level, played in some elite tournaments and did well around the country, which is what you want to have happen every summer. Now, if we can turn that into a good college season, we've got something."

Results: Gopher Invitational

Place	Player	Location	Pts	Scores
1	William Buhl	Fairhope, AL	600	68-67-72=207
2	Dan Erickson	Loveland, CO	400	67-74-67=208
T3	Joe Weiler	Bloomington, IN	300	71-68-71=210
T3	Johnny Keefer	San Antonio, TX	300	69-67-74=210
5	Cooper Dossey	Austin, TX	300	67-74-70=211

View full results for Gopher Invitational

About the Gopher Invitational

Baylor rolls into college season with Gopher Invitational win

54-hole men's college event hosted by the University of Minnesota at Windsong Farm Golf Club. Team (best four scores out of five players each round) and individual competitions. The field includes programs from the Big Ten, Pac 12, and Big 12.