Sunday, February 18
Palm Desert, CA
All Day
Colorado
vs
Third Round
Yannik Paul
Golfers Finish Third At Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate
February 19, 2018 | Men's Golf
Paul, Buffs Set School Marks In Solid
PALM DESERT, Calif. — The University of Colorado men's golf team closed with another solid round and overall had an excellent tournament but in the end finished where it started, in third place as the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate came to a close here Sunday.
No. 15 California ran away from the field, winning with a 47-under par 817 team score, easily topping No. 9 Texas Tech, which was second after each round in finishing with a 27-under 837. The No. 52 Buffaloes finished third at 19-under 845, but were in second place for much of the first two-thirds of the day before cooling off a bit while the Red Raiders caught fire down the stretch, playing the six holes 13-under par.
In fact, CU had to hold off a charging UCLA for the bronze honor, as the No. 21 Bruins shot the second best round of the day – and tournament – with a 19-under 269 to finish with an 848 total (Cal closed with a 268). The Buffaloes did defeat four of the six ranked programs competing here and should climb back into the nation's top 50 in this week's rankings.
The Bears dominated the event from start to finish, with its scorers each day combining for only 19 bogeys in 216 holes of play, while scoring 66 birdies.
In the process, Colorado established a school record for the most consecutive rounds under par with eight, topping the old mark of seven set during the 2013-14 season. And with all six rounds in the spring under par, the season count for rounds of par or better is now 15, one shy of the school mark set on two previous occasions.
Senior Yannik Paul tied for fifth individually after wrapping things up with a 5-under 67, a round that included a 30 on the front nine. He opened strong, starting with a par on No. 1 and then reeling off four straight birdies and had six in all at the turn. He ran into a little bit of trouble with back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 11 and 12, but ended his day with a seventh birdie to record a 9-under 207 for 54 holes.
Paul became the fourth Buffalo to shoot 30 on a side, the first since Justin Bardgett in 2010; Steve Jones was the first to do so in 1980, with John Nyuli scoring the only other in 1989.
It was the fourth time in five tries this season Paul finished under par in a tournament, the only exception being when he was suffering from back pain at New Mexico last September; that also forced him to miss CU's own Mark Simpson Invitational. Paul posted a 9-under score (all 207s) for the third time in his career, his best 54-hole efforts, and was in red numbers for the 17th time in 41 career events.
"I can't get it to go double digits (below par)," Paul joked. "I got off to a really good start today, I hit it really close on the front nine so I didn't have to make any long putts. But on the back nine that's a little tougher, I three-putted from long distances on my two bogeys. It was good to finish with a birdie to earn a tip five finish."
Was he thinking about shooting low (CU's single round record is a 63) on the 7,322-yard, par-72 Classic Club course layout?
"Not at all, I just didn't score well enough on the back to get it any lower, just doing what we're supposed to do, play it hole-by-hole and see what happens."
What did happen was that Sunday marked his eighth straight subpar round, snapping a tie with his older twin Jeremy, who had seven consecutive rounds in red numbers on two occasions. He made 14 birdies and 35 pars with just five bogeys here.
Seniors Spencer Painton and John Souza tied for 12th with 5-under 211 totals; Painton closed out with a 4-under 68, while Souza recorded an even-par 72.
Painton was bogey free Sunday, the fifth such round by a Buff this season, and he ended the day with an eagle on the 564-yard, par-5 18th hole.
"I drove to about 208 yards out, and coach gave me a good line to the pin," Painton said. "I put it to within 25-feet and rolled it in for eagle. You don't often end a tournament with an eagle so it was a great feeling."
Both played the par-5 holes well, with Painton playing the dozen at a combined 7-under par, tied for third-best in the field, while Souza played them a 6-under, or the sixth-best. Painton also tied for the lead with the most pars with 42.
Sophomore Daniel O'Loughlin tied for 44th with a 3-over 219 total (he closed with a 4-over 76), while freshman Trevor Olkowski rounded out the CU scoring contingent with a 4-over 220, as he wrapped things up with a 71 to tie for 50th. O'Loughlin was 1-over through 12 and then bounced around down the stretch with a birdie, two pars, two bogeys and a double, while Olkowski can trace to being over par to basically two triple bogeys during the week, including one on No. 11 Sunday; but he played the rest of the way at 2-under.
Three Buffaloes were among 20 players competing here individually. Sophomore Victor Bjorlow and freshman Cole Krantz tied for 83rd with 9-over 225 scores, while junior Wilson Belk struggled to a 24-over 240 total to place 131st.
Bjorlow scored 41 pars for the tourney, tying for the third-most, as was cruising along in the final round until he scored a quadruple bogey on No. 18 to end his round with a third straight 75. Krantz finished with an even-par 72, as through 48 holes he had 36 pars and 12 bogeys; he made his first birdie on No. 13 and wound up birdying three of his final six holes. Belk had a second 79 in a row to end things here; though he had his problems with the Classic Club course, he did have five birdies, the most of all CU's individuals.
"We played really well today, but there was some good golf out there and in the end, we just couldn't catch Cal or Texas Tech," CU head coach Roy Edwards said. "Overall it was a good tournament, we got a lot of good, quality wins, beat four ranked teams and we earned those victories over good teams by playing well and not backing into anything.
"Everybody contributed at one time or another," he added. "Yannik had a great tournament, and Spencer and John were consistent throughout. Daniel was a little off today, but everybody was in it and you have to have all five guys rolling to have a good team result, and that's what happened this week."
Colorado joined Cal as the only schools to have three finishers in the top 15.
"It's awesome," Edwards noted of the team record eight straight subpar rounds. "I think it really shows we've got five guys right now playing at a high level, and we have guys competing for that top five. Not only is it important to have five guys that play well, it's going to be important to find that sixth guy to get ready for the Pac-12s in April."
There was a four-way tie for medalist honors, as all finished with 14-under 202 scores: Sebastian Crampton and Colin Morikawa (California), Fredrik Nilehn (Texas Tech) and Austin Eckroat, who played as one of four individuals from top-ranked Oklahoma State.
The Buffaloes will return to action in three weeks in San Diego State's Lamkin Classic (March 12-13) at San Diego Country Club in Chula Vista, the first of three tournaments during the month for CU.
No. 15 California ran away from the field, winning with a 47-under par 817 team score, easily topping No. 9 Texas Tech, which was second after each round in finishing with a 27-under 837. The No. 52 Buffaloes finished third at 19-under 845, but were in second place for much of the first two-thirds of the day before cooling off a bit while the Red Raiders caught fire down the stretch, playing the six holes 13-under par.
In fact, CU had to hold off a charging UCLA for the bronze honor, as the No. 21 Bruins shot the second best round of the day – and tournament – with a 19-under 269 to finish with an 848 total (Cal closed with a 268). The Buffaloes did defeat four of the six ranked programs competing here and should climb back into the nation's top 50 in this week's rankings.
The Bears dominated the event from start to finish, with its scorers each day combining for only 19 bogeys in 216 holes of play, while scoring 66 birdies.
In the process, Colorado established a school record for the most consecutive rounds under par with eight, topping the old mark of seven set during the 2013-14 season. And with all six rounds in the spring under par, the season count for rounds of par or better is now 15, one shy of the school mark set on two previous occasions.
Senior Yannik Paul tied for fifth individually after wrapping things up with a 5-under 67, a round that included a 30 on the front nine. He opened strong, starting with a par on No. 1 and then reeling off four straight birdies and had six in all at the turn. He ran into a little bit of trouble with back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 11 and 12, but ended his day with a seventh birdie to record a 9-under 207 for 54 holes.
Paul became the fourth Buffalo to shoot 30 on a side, the first since Justin Bardgett in 2010; Steve Jones was the first to do so in 1980, with John Nyuli scoring the only other in 1989.
It was the fourth time in five tries this season Paul finished under par in a tournament, the only exception being when he was suffering from back pain at New Mexico last September; that also forced him to miss CU's own Mark Simpson Invitational. Paul posted a 9-under score (all 207s) for the third time in his career, his best 54-hole efforts, and was in red numbers for the 17th time in 41 career events.
"I can't get it to go double digits (below par)," Paul joked. "I got off to a really good start today, I hit it really close on the front nine so I didn't have to make any long putts. But on the back nine that's a little tougher, I three-putted from long distances on my two bogeys. It was good to finish with a birdie to earn a tip five finish."
Was he thinking about shooting low (CU's single round record is a 63) on the 7,322-yard, par-72 Classic Club course layout?
"Not at all, I just didn't score well enough on the back to get it any lower, just doing what we're supposed to do, play it hole-by-hole and see what happens."
What did happen was that Sunday marked his eighth straight subpar round, snapping a tie with his older twin Jeremy, who had seven consecutive rounds in red numbers on two occasions. He made 14 birdies and 35 pars with just five bogeys here.
Seniors Spencer Painton and John Souza tied for 12th with 5-under 211 totals; Painton closed out with a 4-under 68, while Souza recorded an even-par 72.
Painton was bogey free Sunday, the fifth such round by a Buff this season, and he ended the day with an eagle on the 564-yard, par-5 18th hole.
"I drove to about 208 yards out, and coach gave me a good line to the pin," Painton said. "I put it to within 25-feet and rolled it in for eagle. You don't often end a tournament with an eagle so it was a great feeling."
Both played the par-5 holes well, with Painton playing the dozen at a combined 7-under par, tied for third-best in the field, while Souza played them a 6-under, or the sixth-best. Painton also tied for the lead with the most pars with 42.
Sophomore Daniel O'Loughlin tied for 44th with a 3-over 219 total (he closed with a 4-over 76), while freshman Trevor Olkowski rounded out the CU scoring contingent with a 4-over 220, as he wrapped things up with a 71 to tie for 50th. O'Loughlin was 1-over through 12 and then bounced around down the stretch with a birdie, two pars, two bogeys and a double, while Olkowski can trace to being over par to basically two triple bogeys during the week, including one on No. 11 Sunday; but he played the rest of the way at 2-under.
Three Buffaloes were among 20 players competing here individually. Sophomore Victor Bjorlow and freshman Cole Krantz tied for 83rd with 9-over 225 scores, while junior Wilson Belk struggled to a 24-over 240 total to place 131st.
Bjorlow scored 41 pars for the tourney, tying for the third-most, as was cruising along in the final round until he scored a quadruple bogey on No. 18 to end his round with a third straight 75. Krantz finished with an even-par 72, as through 48 holes he had 36 pars and 12 bogeys; he made his first birdie on No. 13 and wound up birdying three of his final six holes. Belk had a second 79 in a row to end things here; though he had his problems with the Classic Club course, he did have five birdies, the most of all CU's individuals.
"We played really well today, but there was some good golf out there and in the end, we just couldn't catch Cal or Texas Tech," CU head coach Roy Edwards said. "Overall it was a good tournament, we got a lot of good, quality wins, beat four ranked teams and we earned those victories over good teams by playing well and not backing into anything.
"Everybody contributed at one time or another," he added. "Yannik had a great tournament, and Spencer and John were consistent throughout. Daniel was a little off today, but everybody was in it and you have to have all five guys rolling to have a good team result, and that's what happened this week."
Colorado joined Cal as the only schools to have three finishers in the top 15.
"It's awesome," Edwards noted of the team record eight straight subpar rounds. "I think it really shows we've got five guys right now playing at a high level, and we have guys competing for that top five. Not only is it important to have five guys that play well, it's going to be important to find that sixth guy to get ready for the Pac-12s in April."
There was a four-way tie for medalist honors, as all finished with 14-under 202 scores: Sebastian Crampton and Colin Morikawa (California), Fredrik Nilehn (Texas Tech) and Austin Eckroat, who played as one of four individuals from top-ranked Oklahoma State.
The Buffaloes will return to action in three weeks in San Diego State's Lamkin Classic (March 12-13) at San Diego Country Club in Chula Vista, the first of three tournaments during the month for CU.
Buffs To Score 30 On A Front or Back Nine
Steve Jones, Sun Devil-Thunderbird Invitational at Scottsdale, Ariz., May 2, 1980 (back nine)
John Nyuli, Wyoming-Red Jacoby Invitational at Laramie, Wyo., Sept. 9, 1989 (back nine)
Justin Bardgett, Barona Collegiate Cup at Lakeside, Calif., March 26, 2010 (front nine)
Yannik Paul, Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate at Palm Desert, Calif., February 18, 2018 (front nine)
NOTES: The Buffs defeated No. 26 Tennessee, No. 34 TCU and No. 36 Kansas in addition to No. 21 UCLA … This was Colorado's third top five finish in six meets this season (four in the top six) … CU had finished second in its last four appearances in this event (2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017) … CU's 19-under 845 team score tied for the 13th best in program history, the third lowest score this season; the Buffs have been under par in all six tournaments (a collective minus- Paul added to his second-best all-time CU numbers in rounds in the 60s (28) and subpar scores (50); his 58 rounds of par or better are the third most (his brother leads all three categories with 37, 58 and 65, respectively) … No. 1 Oklahoma State sent four individuals to compete in lieu of a full team; had they counted in a "4-scoring 4" format, they had an 871 score and would have finished eighth … The average score for the 135-man field was 74.22; Sunday's 73.88 was the lowest single day norm … Colorado's led the field in pars (180), was fifth in birdies (52) and tied for first in eagles (2); the Buffs also played the par-5 holes the best along with Cal (24-under), the par-3's third-best (1-under) and the par-4's fourth-best (plus-13) … Painton improved his team-leading stroke average to 70.72, but Paul closed the gap a bit and is second at 70.80 … Colorado was 20-2 here against Division I competition, improving it season record to 75-28-4, a 71.9 winning percentage; schools must be .500 or better to qualify for the NCAA postseason unless they are a conference champion.
BUFFALO INDIVIDUALS
| T5. Yannik Paul |
71-69-67—207 |
| T12. Spencer Painton |
72-71-68—211 |
| T12. John Souza |
70-69-72—211 |
| T44. Daniel O'Loughlin |
74-69-76—219 |
| T50. Trevor Olkowski |
75-72-73—220 |
| T83. *Victor Bjorlow |
75-75-75—225 |
| T83. *Cole Krantz |
76-77-72—225 |
| 131. *Wilson Belk |
82-79-79—240 |
TOP FIVE INDIVIDUALS
| T1. Colin Morikawa, California |
68-69-65—202 |
| T1. Sebastian Crampton, California |
67-69-66—202 |
| T1. Austin Eckroat, Oklahoma State |
68-70-64—202 |
| T1. Fredrik Nilehn, Texas Tech |
70-67-65—202 |
| T5. Yannik Paul, Colorado |
71-69-67—207 |
| T5. Jamie Cheatham, California |
68-67-72—207 |
TEAM SCORES
| 1. California |
275-274-268—817 |
| 2. Texas Tech |
284-280-273—837 |
| 3. COLORADO |
287-278-280—845 |
| 4. UCLA |
289-290-269—848 |
| 5. Kansas |
292-287-285—864 |
| 6. TCU |
293-289-284—866 |
| 7. UC Riverside |
290-290-287—867 |
| 8. Loyola-Marymount |
295-298-279—872 |
| 9. Wyoming |
297-284-292—873 |
| 10. Denver |
304-292-282—878 |
| 10. Texas-Arlington |
292-292-294—878 |
| 12. Tennessee |
290-290-300—880 |
| 13. Old Dominion |
293-292-299—884 |
| 14. Southern Illinois |
292-294-304—890 |
| 14. Stephen F. Austin |
309-288-293—890 |
| 16. Arkansas-Little Rock |
295-290-309—894 |
| 17. Wichita State |
306-294-295—895 |
| 18. Boise State |
294-300-303—897 |
| 19. Idaho |
299-297-303—899 |
| 19. Southern Utah |
300-306-293—899 |
| 21. Nebraska |
299-293-308—900 |
| 22. CSU-Fullerton |
297-310-294—901 |
| 23. South Dakota State |
310-306-304—920 |
Players Mentioned
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