Men's Golf 3/21/2023 3:10:00 PM

Bronchos, Bennett Win Titles

EDMOND (March 21) – A clutch finish enabled Central Oklahoma to hang on for the team title in the Broncho Invitational that wrapped up Tuesday at the wind-swept Rose Creek Golf Club, with Bennett Baldwin claiming medalist honors to make it a clean sweep.

The Bronchos were three-under-par on the final hole and ended up beating Northeastern State by two strokes in the 16-team tournament. UCO closed with a 300 to finish three-trips around the 7,048-yard, par-72 layout with an 894 total.

The RiverHawks came in at 896, followed by Southwestern Oklahoma (911), Harding (913) and Washburn (913).

It's the first win of the season for UCO, which now has seven top-six finishes in nine tournaments.

Baldwin shot a final-round 74 to finish at 219 in winning his first collegiate title, clipping NSU's Christian Yanovitch by one stroke.

All five starters finished in the top 20. Kyle Hickey closed with a 75 and Caleb Kimmel a 76 in tying for ninth at 225, while Evan Griffith (75) was 15th at 227 and Dylan Henderson (77) 18th at 228.

The Bronchos had three others playing in the tournament as individual medalists. Ross Taylor led that group, tying for sixth at 223 after a final-round 79, while Riley Harris shot 77-244 and Brady Wicker 87-260.

"I'm really proud of what this group was able to do the past two days," head coach Derrick Thompson said. "It was super tough out there both days with the wind, but we stayed patient and kept our mistakes to a minimum.

"It's a big win for the team and Bennett. He got off to a great start and made a lot of clutch putts. Hopefully this will give us some good momentum for the rest of the season."

Baldwin started final-round play on No. 1 and opened with five straight pars before birdieing the par-4 sixth. He followed with three more pars for a one-under 35 on the front, then made three bogeys in the first seven holes coming in before finishing with two clutch pars.

Hickey (No. 1), Kimmel (No. 18) and Griffith (No. 2) all birdied their final hole of the day to keep the Bronchos ahead of NSU in the team race.

UCO wraps up the regular season schedule April 3-4 at The Mule in Warrensburg, Mo.

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Players Mentioned

Bennett Baldwin: Sophomore

Evan Griffith: Junior

Riley Harris: Sophomore

Dylan Henderson: Sophomore

Kyle Hickey: Senior

Caleb Kimmel: Junior

Ross Taylor: Junior

Brady Wicker: Freshman

Players Mentioned

Bennett Baldwin
: Sophomore

Evan Griffith
: Junior

Riley Harris
: Sophomore

Dylan Henderson
: Sophomore

Kyle Hickey
: Senior

Caleb Kimmel
: Junior

Ross Taylor
: Junior

Brady Wicker
: Freshman