A program-best finish at the Big 12 Golf Championships might propel West Virginia onto NCAA Regional play next month. The Mountaineers finished fifth out of 14 teams in the 72-hole conference tournament at Whispering Pines Golf Club in Trinity, Texas.
WVU posted a team score of 5-over-par in the three-day event. Texas won the title at 25-under. Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Baylor finished second through fourth, respectively.
WVU’s No. 1 seed golfer Max Green led the five-man Mountaineer squad by finishing in a tie for 18th place. Shady Spring High School alumnus Todd Duncan tied for 23rd place. Jackson Davenport (tied for 31st), Pierce Grieve (tied for 39th) and Kaleb Wilson (tied for 46th) completed the scoring for WVU.
“This was the most impressive tournament of any during my time at West Virginia,” said WVU head coach Sean Covich. “Our postseason hopes were on the line in the biggest, most challenging tournament of the entire season and the guys got it done. Each one of these guys contributed to our top five finish, even those not in the lineup pushed our starters to play their best. Words can’t explain how proud I am of them and most of all, how happy I am for them.”
West Virginia’s previous top finish at the Big 12’s was ninth place (2023, 2021 and 2018) in a 10-team tournament.
WVU entered the championship No. 64 in the national rankings and finished ahead of No. 12 Texas Tech, No. 40 BYU and No. 49 Houston. No. 17 Texas (-25) won the event, followed by No. 14 Oklahoma (-7), No. 26 Oklahoma State (-1) and No. 33 Baylor (+3).
“It was a great finish and we needed it,” Covich said. “I didn’t let the guys know this, but if we didn’t finish in the top five our season was over. They stepped up and got it done.
“We expect to hear our name called [in the selection show] based on how we played this week.”
The NCAA Selection Show will air on Wednesday, May 1 at 2 p.m. on the Golf Channel. NCAA regionals will take place at various sites from May 13-15. WVU last qualified for NCAA Regional play in 2019.