Oklahoma State golfer wins 4-man playoff to earn spot in Korn Ferry Tour’s Wichita Open
Zach Bauchou punched his ticket to the Wichita Open on Sunday by winning the Auggie Navarro Pro-Am Invitational.
He’s not from the Wichita area, but his name might sound familiar to golf fans.
That’s because Bauchou was in the news last week when Viktor Hovland, the No. 5-ranked golfer in the world, caddied for Bauchou, his former roommate while on the Oklahoma State men’s golf team, at a U.S. Open Monday qualifier less than 24 hours after winning the Memorial Tournament.
Without Hovland on his bag, Bauchou, a 27-year-old Oklahoma State graduate, won a four-man playoff on Sunday with a 20-foot eagle putt on the first playoff hole, the par-five No. 18 at Crestview Country Club, to earn the exemption spot to play in the Wichita Open this coming week.
“It feels great,” Bauchou told The Wichita Open organizers afterward. “I made a lot of putts today, so it was nice to be able to make one more putt in the playoff to get it done.”
The tournament was hosted by the Auggie Navarro scholarship foundation, which has helped raise more than $500,000 over the past 10 years to help provide college scholarships to aspiring high school golfers from the Wichita area.
A field of 32 golfers, which included former Wichita-area stars like Wells Padgett (Maize South), Cooper Schultz (Andover Central), Dodge Kemmer (Independent), Luke Gannon (Wichita Heights), Dominic Lara (Circle) and Jack Baker (Kapaun Mt. Carmel), competed for an exemption spot in the Wichita Open, the Korn Ferry Tour event that kicks off Thursday at Crestview Country Club. General admission tickets are being sold for $10, while VIP tickets to the 17th hole chalet are only available on Thursday and Sunday for $100.
Ideal weather conditions with minimal wind allowed the field to aggressively attack the North course at Crestview, as Bauchou, Chase Johnson (Kent State), Drew Shepherd (Kansas) and Tyson Reeder (Arkansas) all finished with a birdie on No. 18 to tie for first place with a 6-under round of 66.
That set up a four-way playoff with No. 18 serving as the first playoff hole. Bauchou was able to reach the green in two shots, then ended the tournament by sinking a 20-foot eagle putt.
“I wasn’t sure what playoff hole we would play, but most likely you’re going to have to make a birdie to make it through,” Bauchou told the Wichita Open organizers. “It was a short par five and I was lucky enough to make an eagle.”
This story was originally published June 12, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
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