HUTCHINSON — Iowa State’s men’s golf team is hoping to receive an at-large bid to continue its season after finishing 11th (24-over) at the Big 12 Championship at Prairie Dunes Country Club.
The Iowa State Cyclones faced a challenging field that included nine of 16 teams ranked in the top 50 nationally, including the No. 5 Oklahoma State Cowboys, which led from start to finish to repeat as champions at 10-under and claim its 13th conference title, the most in Big 12 history.
Individually, Oklahoma State’s No. 3-ranked Preston Stout won the title at 11-under, becoming the first player to win three consecutive Big 12 championships. Iowa State’s Zachary May led the Cyclones, finishing tied for 14th (2-over) and narrowly missing a top-10 finish after bogeys on his final two holes.
Cyclones slip out of top 10 despite team, individual highs
Iowa State gradually fell over the three-day tournament after sitting in eighth (15-over) at the end of the first day and 10th (17-over) after the second.
The Cyclones climbed four spots during the opening day by posting a 3-over round — at the time the third-lowest in program history — after opening with a 12-over round that left them in 11th.
In the third round, Iowa State carded a 2-over, tying the second-lowest round in program history at a conference championship.
Despite early struggles, Paul Beauvy recorded his 100th birdie of the season on the second hole of the tournament. May added four birdies through the first two rounds, while Owen Sawyer eclipsed 300 career birdies with his first birdie on his third hole of the event.
Course conditions complicate final day
The final round proved difficult across the field, as no team finished under par. Iowa State shot a 7-over, tying for the fifth-best team score of the day.
May (2-under), Dianchao Wu (2-over), Sawyer (2-over) and Jackson McCommon (5-over) contributed to the final-round total.
The Cyclones combined for 23 bogeys in the final round, including two from May on his final two holes that dropped him out of the top 10 and one stroke off the low round of the day.
Beauvy carded a career-high 79 (9-over) in the final round but still led the team with 13 birdies over four rounds.
Records set in conference tournament play
Iowa State’s 72-hole total of 1,144 (24-over) set the program record for a conference tournament. The team also recorded program benchmarks with its second-round (fourth-lowest) and third-round (tied for second-lowest) scores.
Individually, the Cyclones also set multiple program records for 72-hole conference tournament scores.
May set the school record at 282, while his final-round 68 tied for the third-lowest round in program history. Wu (287) and Sawyer (289) recorded the fourth- and seventh-lowest 72-hole scores in program history, respectively.
Final results and looking ahead
Iowa State ranked fourth in par-4 scoring (29-over) and seventh in total pars (221).
May finished tied for 14th (2-over), Wu tied for 32nd (7-over), Sawyer tied for 42nd (9-over), Beauvy placed 57th (13-over) and McCommon finished 69th (19-over).
The Cyclones will await the NCAA Division I men’s golf selection show May 6 to learn whether they receive an at-large bid to regionals.
Beauvy, who holds the lowest career stroke average in program history at 71.52, could earn an individual berth if the team is not selected.
Team scorecard
T-14 — Zach May — 71-71-72-68 — 282
T-32 — Dianchao Wu — 75-71-69-72 — 287
T-42 — Owen Sawyer — 77-71-69-72 — 289
57 — Paul Beauvy — 71-70-73-79 — 293
69 — Jackson McCommon — 75-77-72-75 — 299
