Wednesday, April 25
Rolling Hills Estates, CA
All Day
Colorado
at
Fourth Round
Two Buffs graced the this year's top five at the Pac-12's; Justin Suh (USC), George Cunningham (Arizona), Ross Macdonald (CU), Yannik Paul (CU) and Koichiro Ishika (ASU, who was actually sixth).
Golfers Battle USC Until The End, Finish Second At Pac-12 Championships
April 25, 2018 | Men's Golf
CU's best finish in a conference meet since 2009
ROLLING HILLS ESTATES, Calif. — The University of Colorado men's golf team huffed and it puffed and almost blew down Southern California's house, but in the end, the Trojans held off the Buffaloes by four strokes to claim the 59th Annual Pac-12 Conference Men's Golf Championships which concluded here Wednesday.
The Buffs, ranked 46th, the No. 23 and host Southern California and No. 22 Arizona State, the trio atop the leaderboard through three rounds, duked it out all day in at times breezy conditions throughout the final 18 holes. At one point, CU pulled to within three of USC while ASU slipped back into third, but every time it looked like Buffs were going to inch closer, USC staved off the attempt with either a key birdie, or as was the case on the par-5 15th, two eagles.
When the smoke cleared, USC won its 20th Pac-12 title, its first since 2011, in finishing with a 31-under par 1,389 team score. The Buffs, eight back when the day began, sliced four shots off that with the second-best team score of the final round (an 8-under 347) to finish second with a 27-under 1,393 total. The Sun Devils claimed third at 23-under 1,397, followed by No. 17 Stanford (1,402) and No. 8 California (1,404) to round out the top five.
Colorado's previous best Pac-12 finish was fourth in 2014, with one other first division finish, a tie for sixth, in 2016. It was CU's best finish in a conference championship since 2009, when the Buffaloes were in the Big 12 and finished second, 14 strokes behind Oklahoma State. It was the closest CU has been to the top spot since 1968, when the Buffs won the Big 8; otherwise, they were seven behind OSU in the 1981 Big 8 meet.
Senior Yannik Paul and sophomore Ross Macdonald tied for second with school record 12-under par 272 scores to lead the Buffaloes on the 7,135-yard, par-71 Rolling Hills Country Club course layout; both had final round 4-under par 67s in identical fashion (five birdies, 12 pars, one bogey). In slicing 10 strokes off the previous school low for 72 holes, they led the impressive list of historic accomplishments by CU here this week:
The Buffs, ranked 46th, the No. 23 and host Southern California and No. 22 Arizona State, the trio atop the leaderboard through three rounds, duked it out all day in at times breezy conditions throughout the final 18 holes. At one point, CU pulled to within three of USC while ASU slipped back into third, but every time it looked like Buffs were going to inch closer, USC staved off the attempt with either a key birdie, or as was the case on the par-5 15th, two eagles.
When the smoke cleared, USC won its 20th Pac-12 title, its first since 2011, in finishing with a 31-under par 1,389 team score. The Buffs, eight back when the day began, sliced four shots off that with the second-best team score of the final round (an 8-under 347) to finish second with a 27-under 1,393 total. The Sun Devils claimed third at 23-under 1,397, followed by No. 17 Stanford (1,402) and No. 8 California (1,404) to round out the top five.
Colorado's previous best Pac-12 finish was fourth in 2014, with one other first division finish, a tie for sixth, in 2016. It was CU's best finish in a conference championship since 2009, when the Buffaloes were in the Big 12 and finished second, 14 strokes behind Oklahoma State. It was the closest CU has been to the top spot since 1968, when the Buffs won the Big 8; otherwise, they were seven behind OSU in the 1981 Big 8 meet.
Senior Yannik Paul and sophomore Ross Macdonald tied for second with school record 12-under par 272 scores to lead the Buffaloes on the 7,135-yard, par-71 Rolling Hills Country Club course layout; both had final round 4-under par 67s in identical fashion (five birdies, 12 pars, one bogey). In slicing 10 strokes off the previous school low for 72 holes, they led the impressive list of historic accomplishments by CU here this week:
- Colorado's 27-under par team score of 1,393 blew away the old mark for a 6-score-5 tournament, both in gross score and in stroke count in relation to par (old: 1,459 and 59-over in the 2015 Pac-12 Championships);
- The 27-under marked the first time CU was in red numbers for any 72-hole tournament (previous: 18-over in the 1986 New Mexico Tucker Invitational);
- Best team single-round scores (8-under 347 in third and fourth rounds) in a 6-for-5 event;
- First CU golfers to shoot in the 60s for a 72-hole tournament all four rounds (and the seventh and eighth time in a tournament of three rounds or more);
- CU had three players shoot in the 60s in three of four rounds, the first three times ever in a conference championship;
- CU individual(s) finishing second for the highest finish in a conference championships since 1993 and 1994, when Bobby Kalinowski was the Big Eight medalist;
- The highest individual finishes since CU joined the Pac-12 in 2011 (previous: Jeremy Paul tied for seventh in 2016);
- Two individuals in the top five of a conference meet for the first time since 1981, and for two in the top 10 since 2009;
- The final round 67s by Macdonald, Paul and Daniel O'Loughlin were the second-lowest in a final round in a conference by a Buffalo, trailing only a 66 by Matt Call in the third and final round of the 1999 Big 12 Championships;
- Posting four (272, 272, 281, 284) of the top six scores for a 72-hole tournament in CU history;
- Paul tied his own school record from earlier this spring with his eighth straight subpar round, and it was his seventh straight round in the 60s, tying the CU mark set by his older twin Jeremy two springs ago;
- Paul set a CU single-season record with his eighth tournament under par; the old mark of seven was first set by his older twin Jeremy in 2015-16 which he matched last year).
"I hit the ball very solid and consistent all week, but the first day I had a couple of unforced errors," Paul said. "But I also knew there was a lot golf left to play, so I just kept focusing on every shot. I was a little too technical with my putting on the first day in the first two rounds. Yesterday, I just tried to concentrate more on the speed and the line instead of having those technical thoughts, and it definitely worked out. The key was trying to stay patient out there."
The 25th Buffalo to play in four conference championships, he met a personal goal of a top finish in the Pac-12's after finishing 31st, 19th and 31st in his first three tries.
"It was really cool, and a lot of fun," he said. "We were in the last group the last two days, and playing with USC, they had a lot of people out there watching us. The weather was good, it was a fun course. It is why you play golf, to have a chance on the last day."
The 25th Buffalo to play in four conference championships, he met a personal goal of a top finish in the Pac-12's after finishing 31st, 19th and 31st in his first three tries.
"It was really cool, and a lot of fun," he said. "We were in the last group the last two days, and playing with USC, they had a lot of people out there watching us. The weather was good, it was a fun course. It is why you play golf, to have a chance on the last day."
Macdonald's success this year could be traced back to his winning the Colorado Golf Association's Western Chapter championship last summer after he redshirted for the 2016-17 season. He got off to a good start in the fall but tailed off a bit, but has once again played well this spring. He earned the sixth and final spot on CU's Pac-12 travel squad due to a good month prior that saw him play as an individual and post two fourth and one sixth place finishes.
"It's been a really good, exciting last couple of months, very pleased with the way I've been playing," Macdonald said. "I've been getting a lot more confident and got things rolling. I could feel things coming on, but it was just a matter of when everything would come together. My short game has improved, I have been hitting it where I needed to, and have been avoiding big numbers, and that's been the key for me."
Macdonald said he was simply focused on himself and nothing else Wednesday.
"I had no idea where we were the whole day, really the entire week," he said. "I wasn't checking the scores, I was just focusing on my game and to help the team out. I had no idea where I was individually. It also helped by not being in the spotlight by being in the second to last group, all the pressure was on them. I was just trying to play the best golf that I could.
"It's all a little crazy to me right now," he said of his runner-up finish. "I knew I had the game for it, but I'm still a little shocked and it's still sinking in. It's definitely satisfying, playing good golf and being up on the leaderboard with a lot of great names. I am very happy about it."
"It was a really good week, a really fun golf course to play," CU head coach Roy Edwards said. "I think the reason we played so well was that all six guys really competed hard, especially today. Everybody was in it all day, and that gave us a chance late to stay in contention. And Ross playing at a high level this week was huge. He and Yannik just had really, really good, solid tournaments.
"They (Macdonald and Paul) both hit the ball very well here, they were both patient, and they gave themselves a lot of chances." The duo had very similar numbers overall, as Paul had 20 birdies and 44 pars with eight bogeys, while Macdonald had 18, 48 and six; they had the third- and sixth-most birdies, respectively, in the 72-man field.
Paul played the par-5 holes the best of anyone here, a collective 8-under par for the eight of them, and played the par-3s even (seventh-best). Macdonald now has five straight subpar efforts, and played the par-4s the best in the field at 9-under.
Senior John Souza bolstered the performances of Macdonald and Paul by tying for 16th, as he wrapped things up with a 2-over 73 for a 3-under 281 final total. He had four birdies, eight pars and six bogeys in the final round, and was fairly consistent across the board (3-under on the par-5s, 1-under on the par-3s, plus-1 on the par-4s).
Senior Spencer Painton tied for 55th as he finished with a 2-over 73, closing the meet with a 7-over 291. He had 10 birdies and 48 pars this week, with a couple of bad stretches here and there throwing him a bit off his game, including three straight bogeys to open the back nine Wednesday. But he rebounded to play the last six at 1-under.
Freshman Trevor Olkowski tied for 58th, as he also finished with a 73 for an 8-over 292, the second-best 72-hole score by a freshman in school history. He had a team-high 15 pars in the final round, and for a true freshman in his first league meet, had just two holes worse than bogey (both doubles). He tied for 14th out of the 20 freshmen that competed here.
Edwards is a devout believer in course management as it relates to the mental part of the game, and it showed here.
"Overall, the success this season has been because of our resiliency," he said. "We don't let bad holes affect us. Out here you could have easily made a lot of unforced errors, but when we had one mistake, we didn't come right back with another. The guys did a really nice job of that, we had just nine holes worse than bogey, all doubles out of over 400. That's managing their games, staying patient."
The numbers backed him up, as the six Buffs here had back-to-back non-pars on just 10 occasions on 432 holes.
Southern Cal's Justin Suh claimed medalist honors, holding off charges from both Paul, who was in his final group, and three others including Macdonald. He shot par Wednesday to finish up at 16-under 268; his middle rounds of 64 and 65 gave him some cushion heading into the final round, where his lead shrunk to one shot with four holes remaining, but an eagle on 15 all but sealed his victory.
The Buffaloes will now wait to find out where they will compete in the NCAA Regionals, which are set for May 14-16 at six difference sites around the country. The teams and locations will be announced live on the Golf Channel on Wednesday, May 2, at 3:30 p.m. MDT; the six regional sites are Raleigh, N.C.; Bryan, Texas; Norman, Okla.; Columbus, Ohio; Kissimmee, Fla.; and Stockton, Calif.
"I could feel it building from the guys all year, and this is another notch in their belts of building their confidence," Edwards said. "This gives us a lot of momentum heading into finals and into the NCAA's."
"It's been a really good, exciting last couple of months, very pleased with the way I've been playing," Macdonald said. "I've been getting a lot more confident and got things rolling. I could feel things coming on, but it was just a matter of when everything would come together. My short game has improved, I have been hitting it where I needed to, and have been avoiding big numbers, and that's been the key for me."
Macdonald said he was simply focused on himself and nothing else Wednesday.
"I had no idea where we were the whole day, really the entire week," he said. "I wasn't checking the scores, I was just focusing on my game and to help the team out. I had no idea where I was individually. It also helped by not being in the spotlight by being in the second to last group, all the pressure was on them. I was just trying to play the best golf that I could.
"It's all a little crazy to me right now," he said of his runner-up finish. "I knew I had the game for it, but I'm still a little shocked and it's still sinking in. It's definitely satisfying, playing good golf and being up on the leaderboard with a lot of great names. I am very happy about it."
"It was a really good week, a really fun golf course to play," CU head coach Roy Edwards said. "I think the reason we played so well was that all six guys really competed hard, especially today. Everybody was in it all day, and that gave us a chance late to stay in contention. And Ross playing at a high level this week was huge. He and Yannik just had really, really good, solid tournaments.
"They (Macdonald and Paul) both hit the ball very well here, they were both patient, and they gave themselves a lot of chances." The duo had very similar numbers overall, as Paul had 20 birdies and 44 pars with eight bogeys, while Macdonald had 18, 48 and six; they had the third- and sixth-most birdies, respectively, in the 72-man field.
Paul played the par-5 holes the best of anyone here, a collective 8-under par for the eight of them, and played the par-3s even (seventh-best). Macdonald now has five straight subpar efforts, and played the par-4s the best in the field at 9-under.
Senior John Souza bolstered the performances of Macdonald and Paul by tying for 16th, as he wrapped things up with a 2-over 73 for a 3-under 281 final total. He had four birdies, eight pars and six bogeys in the final round, and was fairly consistent across the board (3-under on the par-5s, 1-under on the par-3s, plus-1 on the par-4s).
Senior Spencer Painton tied for 55th as he finished with a 2-over 73, closing the meet with a 7-over 291. He had 10 birdies and 48 pars this week, with a couple of bad stretches here and there throwing him a bit off his game, including three straight bogeys to open the back nine Wednesday. But he rebounded to play the last six at 1-under.
Freshman Trevor Olkowski tied for 58th, as he also finished with a 73 for an 8-over 292, the second-best 72-hole score by a freshman in school history. He had a team-high 15 pars in the final round, and for a true freshman in his first league meet, had just two holes worse than bogey (both doubles). He tied for 14th out of the 20 freshmen that competed here.
Edwards is a devout believer in course management as it relates to the mental part of the game, and it showed here.
"Overall, the success this season has been because of our resiliency," he said. "We don't let bad holes affect us. Out here you could have easily made a lot of unforced errors, but when we had one mistake, we didn't come right back with another. The guys did a really nice job of that, we had just nine holes worse than bogey, all doubles out of over 400. That's managing their games, staying patient."
The numbers backed him up, as the six Buffs here had back-to-back non-pars on just 10 occasions on 432 holes.
Southern Cal's Justin Suh claimed medalist honors, holding off charges from both Paul, who was in his final group, and three others including Macdonald. He shot par Wednesday to finish up at 16-under 268; his middle rounds of 64 and 65 gave him some cushion heading into the final round, where his lead shrunk to one shot with four holes remaining, but an eagle on 15 all but sealed his victory.
The Buffaloes will now wait to find out where they will compete in the NCAA Regionals, which are set for May 14-16 at six difference sites around the country. The teams and locations will be announced live on the Golf Channel on Wednesday, May 2, at 3:30 p.m. MDT; the six regional sites are Raleigh, N.C.; Bryan, Texas; Norman, Okla.; Columbus, Ohio; Kissimmee, Fla.; and Stockton, Calif.
"I could feel it building from the guys all year, and this is another notch in their belts of building their confidence," Edwards said. "This gives us a lot of momentum heading into finals and into the NCAA's."
NOTES: Colorado and Stanford were the only schools with two finishers in the top 10 … In seven Pac-12 meets since joining the conference in the 2011-12 school year, the Buffs have finished second, fourth, sixth, seventh, eighth, 10th and 11th … Defending champion and No. 30 Oregon finished 11th, 46 strokes behind USC … Jeremy Paul had the previous best 72-hole score of 282, which was 2-under par in the 2016 Pac-12 meet; John Lindberg's 4-under 284 in the 1987 New Mexico Tucker Invitational had been the best in relation to par … The average score for the 216 individual rounds in the tournament was 71.40 (71.35 in the final round); for the six Buffs, it was 70.5 … Paul lowered his team-best stroke average to 70.19, and his spring norm to 69.5, both of which are threatening his brother's single-season marks; Macdonald pared a full stroke off his average (72.19) and own a 70.25 mark in spring action … Colorado is now 23-16-2 versus Pac-12 schools this year, 72-57-5 in rounds; CU improved overall to 127-51-5 against all Division I competition (104-35-3 outside of the Pac-12) … Twenty-six players finished under par, while seven others ended even … Colorado had three of its best team scores in its history here in the 6-score-5 format … CU was third in pars (285) and birdies (84), but was the only school not to record an eagle … Colorado tied for first on the tough par-3s (7-over) led on the par-5s (28-under) and was fifth on the par-4s (plus-9); USC was third, seventh and first, respectively … If the traditional 5-score-4 format had been utilized, the standings were eerily similar, especially at the top: USC 1099, CU 1103, Arizona State 1106, Stanford 1111, California 1115, Washington State 1118, UCLA 1121, Arizona 1125, Washington 1127, Oregon State 1137, Oregon 1137, Utah 1144.
| BUFFALO INDIVIDUALS |
| T2. | Yannik Paul | 68-69-68-67—272 |
| T2. | Ross Macdonald | 69-69-67-67—272 |
| T16. | John Souza | 70-70-68-73—281 |
| T27. | Daniel O'Loughlin | 68-77-72-67—284 |
| T55. | Spencer Painton | 74-72-72-73—291 |
| T58. | Trevor Olkowski | 73-71-75-73—292 |
| INDIVIDUAL LEADERS |
| 1. | Justin Suh, Southern California | 68-64-65-71—268 |
| T2. | Yannik Paul, Colorado | 68-69-68-67—272 |
| T2. | Ross Macdonald, Colorado | 69-69-67-67—272 |
| T2. | George Cunningham, Arizona | 67-67-69-69—272 |
| T2. | Carl Yuan, Washington | 67-68-70-67—272 |
| 6. | Koichiro Ishika, Arizona State | 69-69-66-69—273 |
| 7. | Collin Morikawa, California | 67-71-70-66—274 |
| T8. | Jeffrey Swegle, Stanford | 67-65-74-69—275 |
| T8. | Zach Anderson, Washington State | 72-68-65-70—275 |
| T10. | Cole Madey, UCLA | 68-68-70-70—276 |
| T10. | Franklin Huang, Stanford | 65-69-71-71—276 |
TEAM STANDINGS
| 1. | Southern California | 347-340-351-351—1389 |
| 2. | COLORADO | 348-351-347-347—1393 |
| 3. | Arizona State | 353-349-341-354—1397 |
| 4. | Stanford | 346-346-362-347—1401 |
| 5. | California | 347-356-350-351—1404 |
| 6. | UCLA | 361-349-355-345—1410 |
| 7. | Washington State | 357-358-342-355—1412 |
| 8. | Arizona | 351-350-365-356—1422 |
| 9. | Washington | 356-356-353-359—1424 |
| 10. | Oregon State | 352-360-360-359—1431 |
| 11. | Oregon | 358-353-366-358—1435 |
| 12. | Utah | 371-345-370-359—1445 |
Players Mentioned
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