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April 24, 2006

TULSA, Okla. - The Baylor men's golf team shot an opening round 289 and was tied for third, but is currently 14-over par in the second round and has dropped to eighth as play was suspended due to darkness Monday at the 2006 Big 12 Men's Golf Championship at the 7,005-yard, par-70 Southern Hills Country Club, site of the 2007 PGA Championship.

Junior Chase Thomas (Dallas, Texas) fired an even-par 70 to open the day. He started off with a bogey on 10, but rebounded quickly with birdies on 13 and 16 to make the turn at 1-under par. Thomas dropped back to even-par with a bogey on two, but looked to be in great shape heading down the stretch with birdies on five and seven, until a pair of bogeys on the final two holes to drop back even. Thomas is tied for 14th as he is 3-over par through 15 holes.

Junior Jeremy Frye (Palestine, Texas) also got off to a great start with a first-round 1-over par 71. Just as Thomas had done, Frye was solid on the front nine, recording eight pars and a birdie on 13 to make the turn at 1-under par. He then birdied the first to go to 2-under par, but bogeyed two, four to drop back to even-par then finished with a bogey on nine. Frye is alone in 26th and is 5-over par through 12 holes.

Senior Ryan Baca (Richmond, Texas) did not get off to the start he had hoped with a 4-over par 74 in the first round. Baca, the conference's stroke average leader, started the day with six straight pars, but bogeyed 16 and 18. He came back with a birdie on four, but gave the stroke back with a bogey on six, before finishing with bogeys on eight and nine. Baca is tied for 27th and is 3-over par through 12 holes.

Redshirt freshman Bill Allcorn (Abilene, Texas) also shot 74 in the first round. He opened with a bogey on 10, but rebounded with a birdie on 13, before bogeys on 14 and 17 put him 2-over after nine. Another bogey on one dropped him to 3-over, but he got the stroke back with a birdie on three. Allcorn then bogeyed five and seven down the stretch. Allcorn is tied for 53rd and is 8-over par through 15 holes.

Sophomore Brian Meck (Austin, Texas) got off to a good start in the first round, but he had a tough time on the back nine to finish with a 78. He bogeyed 14, but bounced right back with a birdie on 15, before bogeying 17 and 18 to sit 2-over on the front. Meck then bogeyed six of the last nine holes, including eight and nine. Meck is tied for 49th and is 3-over par through 15 holes.

As a team, the Bears played Southern Hills' only two par-fives, five and 13, at 2-under par in the first round. The trouble spot was their two finishing holes in the first round, the par-three eighth and the par-four ninth, which they played at 7-over par.

Oklahoma shot an opening-round 285 and holds a three-stroke lead over Texas Tech. Texas trails Tech by one stroke and leads Texas A&M by seven. The Bears trail fifth-place Nebraska by two and Oklahoma State and Kansas by only one. Oklahoma's Brodie Flanders, who is currently 2-under par, leads the individual competition by one stroke over Kansas' Gary Woodland. Two players are tied at even-par, while seven are tied for fifth at 1-over par.

The conference champion will be crowned Tuesday's after the completion of the second round, then the third and final round.

8. Baylor 289 +14 T14. Chase Thomas 70 +3 26. Jeremy Frye 71 +5 T27. Ryan Baca 74 +3 T49. Brian Meck 78 +3 T53. Bill Allcorn 74 +8

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