The Baker University men’s golf team is well into its spring schedule and has been seeing some success lately. Last week, the Wildcats finished a tournament hosted by Central Methodist University at Hail Ridge Golf Course in Boonville, Missouri.

So far this season, junior Christian Bickley and senior Grant Grego have both been playing consistently and standing out as the leaders of the varsity team, and freshman Kyle Barbee has been playing well after a rocky start to the season. Sophomore Alec Wuellner has also been playing well with several good rounds.

“We have had several guys shoot some good scores, and that’s always a highlight,” junior Christian Bickley said.

Bickley has been the only player to finish in the top five at a tournament so far this season when he tied for fifth at William Penn’s tournament.

“We’ve had to deal with a lot of rain and wind, so we’ve struggled a little bit, but several of the guys are playing solid leading into the final stretch of the season,” Bickley said.

Despite golf being an individual sport, golfers tend to develop a strong connection with their teammates. The athletes spend long extended weekends with each other at tournaments and find ways to have fun aside from the competition.

“We all like staying in the hotels on our trips and hanging in the hot tub and pool after a six-hour round on the course,” Bickley said.

Closing out the season, the Wildcats will be competing at their home tournament on April 27 at Sycamore Ridge Golf Course in Spring Hill, Kansas. Tee time is set for 8 a.m.

“it’s a very nice course that almost everyone has played quite a bit,” Bickley said.

The final meet of the season is the Heart of America Athletic Conference Championship on May 8 at Swope Park Memorial Golf Course in Kansas City, Missouri.

“Our goal is to win the conference championship and go to nationalsl, which will be tough because of the new teams in our conference who are top 25,” Bickley said. “But we think we can give them a good run for their money if we play well.”