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Nothing but aces for Baylor golf

By Brice Cherry | Tuesday, January 6, 2009, 06:00 AM

WOMEN’S GOLF

MEN’S GOLF

When it comes to golf as a team sport, most rosters feature a mixed bag of talent.

You’ve got your Big Berthas, the guys and gals who drive the show — the A and B players. But seldom do the C, D and E players reach those same kind of lengths. Sure, they might be able to help you in a pinch, kind of like a pitching wedge, but you can’t rely on them on every hole.

That’s normal team golf. Here in fantasy land, every player is an ace. Just check out the players who made the cut on my all-time Baylor golf teams:

WOMEN

Ali Brewer (1996-2000): The first Baylor golfer to carry a stroke average under 80 for a season, Brewer won three team MVP awards and was twice named All-Big 12.

Hannah Burke (2006-present): The Big 12’s Newcomer of the Year in 2007, Burke shares the school record for low round with a 67. The current BU junior has more sub-70 scores than any other golfer in program history.

Melanie Hagewood (1999-2003): Hagewood is one of only two Baylor players to compete on four NCAA regional-qualifying teams. She’s also the program’s all-time leader in top-10 finishes (21) and top-5 finishes (12).

Jennifer Neal (1988-91): Neal led Baylor in stroke average in the program’s inaugural season of 1988-89, and is one of only three BU golfers to have multiple tournament wins. Neal won the Shocker Fall Classic in 1991 and the Holiday Hills Classic in 1992.

Josefin Svennigson (2002-06): Svennigson, who claimed a program-best three tournament titles, also achieved the best national showing when she finished 20th at the 2004 NCAA Championships.

Coach: Sylvia Ferdon (1994-present): The Baylor program has grown into a regular postseason qualifier under Ferdon’s direction, making seven straight NCAA regional appearances and qualifying for the school’s only NCAA Championships berth in ‘04. Ferdon was the Big 12 Coach of the Year in 2000, when the Bears earned their first-ever NCAA regional bid and tallied the program’s first tournament win in six years.

MEN

Johnny Arreaga (1958-63): The golf program’s only representative in the Baylor Athletic Hall of Fame, Arreaga earned honorable-mention All-America recognition in 1960 when the Bears tied for ninth place at the NCAA Championships. Arreaga still holds the school record for low round, firing an ace on hole No. 18 for a 63 at Texas Tech in 1963.

Ryan Baca (2002-06): A superior shotmaker, Baca holds the BU record for the lowest stroke average (70.59) in school history. He’s the program’s only first-team All-American and is the all-time leader in top-10 finishes with 27, one ahead of Jimmy Walker.

Kory Bowman (1991-94): Bowman finished his career with seven top-5 finishes and 11 top-10s, good for fifth and sixth, respectively, on BU’s all-time charts. Bowman finished 15th at the NCAA Regionals in 1993, carding a 54-hole total of 220, and was a third-team All-American in 1994.

Jason Hill (1990-93): The co-champion of the 1992 SWC Championships, Hill tallied 18 top 10 finishes (third all-time) and 11 top-5s, which ties him for third. He currently plays on the Nationwide Tour.

Jimmy Walker (1998-2001): A four-time All-Big 12 standout, Walker is easily one of BU’s sweetest swingers. He recorded more top-5 finishes (19) than any golfer in school history and was a third-team All-American as a senior in 2001. Following Baylor, Walker was the 2004 Nationwide Tour Player of the Year and leading money-winner that year, and is now earning a steady living on the PGA Tour.

Coach: Tim Hobby (1996-2003): The former Baylor golfer carded some nice achievements as the coach who opened the Big 12 era, leading the Bears to a Big 12 championship in 2001 and the NCAA Championships in ‘02. In 2001, he was honored as the Big 12 Coach of the Year and the District VI Coach of the Year. Hobby was also an All-SWC and honorable-mention All-American golfer who remains Baylor’s only Masters qualifier.

Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment | Categories: Baylor's all-time teams

Comments

By David Lacy

January 7, 2009 8:16 AM | Link to this | Report comment abuse

Where is Jerry Smith…? Where is Robert Meyers…? An incomplete list without these two.

Of these shown …Arreaga had easily the greatest record against what was then very strong competition in the SWC ( UH and UT ) All American back then was much harder to achieve. He also went on to have some success on pro tour.

By hilltribber

January 8, 2009 11:26 AM | Link to this | Report comment abuse

I’m not sure what Jerry Smith’s numbers were like, but he was only at Baylor for two years after earning All-America honors at MCC. And I believe, if my memory serves me, Jason Hill tied Justin Leonard for the ‘92 SWC title. I’m just glad you got a guy named Hill on there somewhere. Now if you could just go back and add Jerry Smith, my day would be complete.

By rraall

January 12, 2009 5:37 PM | Link to this | Report comment abuse

What about Adam Meyer. If they had not run him off Baylor would have had a First Team All American. Kudos to TCU.