TCU Men’s Golf: Big 12 Championship Recap

It’s been an up and down season for the Frogs, from the winds at Waimea cancelling their Hawaiian tournament to kick off 2023, to back-to-back tournament wins in March and April, and middling finishes sprinkled throughout. Still, the Frogs looked to end the season on a high note at the Big 12 Championship at Prairie Dunes in advance of Selection Sunday for the NCAA Championship Regionals coming up this weekend.

Day 1:

While it was Waimea in February, the wind was whipping across the Kansas prairie, making scoring difficult in round one. TCU was squarely in the middle of the pack in sixth place after the first round. As teams headed back out for round two in the afternoon, TCU was looking to make up ground and get within striking distance of the top spots before the end of the day. The Frogs ended up closing out the second round with a 4-over 284 and worked their way up to fourth place by the end of the day—ahead of #14 Texas, #31 Baylor, and #24 Kansas—all higher ranked teams in the tournament. While most Frogs played solid second rounds, the highlight of the first day of action was Jacob Skov Olesen, who shot 3-under 69 in the second round with five birdies, one of the best rounds of the day.

Day 2:

TCU climbed out an early hole during the second round, but the third round held the Frogs best round of play in the tournament so far and put TCU right in the mix of teams vying for the spot behind tournament leader Oklahoma. TCU had the third best round of the day with a 2-over 282. Three Frogs (Gustav Frimodt, Maxense Giboudot, and Jacob Skov Olesen) were tied for 11^th place and nearing a top-ten finish that would earn them each All-Tournament Team honors. Frimodt and Aymeric Laussot both carded a 3-under 69 to earn the low round for TCU in day two.

Day 3:

Backing up a strong performance from the prior day, TCU one-upped themselves in the final round of the championship and were the only team to card a round under par for the day. TCU shot a 1-under 279, blitzing most of the field, and catapulting themselves into second place. Giboudot scored the lowest round of the week for a Horned Frog with his 68, and Frimodt and Olesen were right behind with 3-under rounds as well. Although no one was catching Oklahoma—the Sooners finished the tournament 1-under and 18 strokes better than the runner-up Frogs—TCU settled into second place by a healthy margin of four strokes.

In addition to TCU’s second runner-up finish in four seasons at the Big 12 Championship, three Frogs secured All-Tournament Team honors with top-ten finishes. Giboudot finished in sixth place and was the low-scoring freshman for the week. In addition, Frimodt and Olesen joined him on the All-Tournament Team and capped off a strong week for the Frogs.

From here, TCU plays the waiting game for NCAA Regional seedings, pairings, and playing location. Once we know where the Frogs are headed, we’ll bring recaps of their performance from Regionals and beyond, should the team advance.