The Big 12 championships were held earlier this week at the famed Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kansas. The ISU squad finished at 955, good enough for 11th out of the 12 conference teams competing at the event, at Prairie Dunes for the fifth straight year.

While the coaches voted Texas as the pre-tournament favorite, it was the Bears of Baylor that took the prize for the top team. For Baylor, the win marked only the third time the Bears have won a conference title in the sport. The last title came in 1966.

Baylor’s team total of 894 was ten strokes better than the Longhorns, who tied for second with Oklahoma. Colorado finished one shot back of the tie, followed by defending conference champ Oklahoma State.

One reason for Baylor’s success was senior Worth Williams, who shot five-over par 215 to win the individual title by eight strokes. Jimmy Walker was “dyn-o-mite” for the Bears, shooting 224 over three rounds to finish fourth.

Between the two teammates were Kelsey Cline of Oklahoma and Par Nilsson of Oklahoma State. They tied for second with matching totals of 223.

Matt Gatchel improved on his score every round and was rewarded with a top 20 finish for the effort. The Cyclone sophomore ended the tournament in a tie for 20th with a total of 232. Josh Clay was the next best golfer for the Cardinal and Gold, shooting 241 over three rounds.

Kevin Oswald completed the championship at 245 while Jamie Faidley ended at 246. Phil Slovitt shot 251 to round out the team’s scores for the ‘Clones.