University of Colorado Athletics
Golfers Tie For 16th At ASU Thunderbird
April 12, 2003 | Men's Golf
TEMPE, Ariz. - The University of Colorado men's golf team matched its best round of the year, recorded its fourth best ever final round score and posted its sixth best ever total in a three round tournament but could only move up one spot as the Buffaloes finished tied for 16th here Saturday in the Arizona State Thunderbird/Savane Invitational.
No. 18 and host Arizona State set a tournament record in finishing with an amazing 40-under par team score of 824, also one of the lowest totals ever registered in college golf for three rounds.
Colorado tied its best team round of the season, as the Buffaloes posted a 6-under par 282 score for the final round and closed with an 862 total. That score would have won five of the nine tournaments CU had played in previous to its trip to Tempe, but was good here for only a 16th place tie with Oregon State. In addition, the Buffs were 2-under par for the tournament, their sixth best showing in relation to par in a 54-hole tournament, and the 6-under 282 was the fourth best CU effort in the final round of a meet.
In actuality, 17 of the 18 teams were under par for the meet, a rarity, as the ASU Karsten Golf Course, while decent length (7,027 yards) played about as easy as it was ever going to. But with nine teams in this week's GCAA Precept/Coaches Top 25 poll participating, including five top 10 squads, things were ripe for a scorefest. And the course still played tough for some, as No. 10 UCLA finished last, some 10 strokes behind the Buffs.
Three freshmen helped CU to its half a dozen under par effort Saturday, led by Derek O'Neill who shot his collegiate best round of 69. Edward McGlasson carded a 71 for a three-under 213 total to lead CU in the meet, as he tied for 36th, while O'Neill had a 214 total to tie for 42nd. The third Buff frosh on the trip, Blake Moore, also put up a final round 71, though he finished 98th with a 224 score. Senior captain Stephen Carroll also got into the fray, with CU's third 71 for the round; he closed with a 1-over 217 total to tie for 59th.
TCU's David Schultz claimed medalist honors, as he shot a final round 67 for a 201 total, with that 15-under score good for a three-stroke win over USC's David Oh (66-204).
"This was a solid confidence boost for the Big 12 Championships, especially the final round," CU head coach Mark Simpson said. "With so many freshmen playing, we knew we were going to have our share of growing pains through the year. But they're learning and gaining experience, and it says something that all three here were under par in the final round. That's the kind of play that bodes well for the future, both in seasons to come and later this month in the Big 12's. They're not there yet of course, but all the signs of progress are good. We're on the bubble to get back to the a NCAA Championships, so we'll need to duplicate and improve upon this effort in two weeks."
This was the final tune-up for Colorado ahead of the Big 12 Championship meet, which is set for April 28-29 at Tulsa's renowned Southern Hills Golf Club.
Buffalo Individuals
T36. Edward McGlasson........ 70-72-71--213 T42. Derek O'Neill........... 72-73-69--214 T59. Stephen Carroll......... 72-74-71--217 T90. Jeff Hanson............. 73-74-75--222 98. Blake Moore............. 79-74-71--224
Team Scores
1. Arizona State......... 281-270-273--824
2. Southern California... 280-279-273--832
3. Pepperdine............ 279-278-278--835
4. TCU................... 278-281-277--836
5. Oklahoma.............. 277-287-276--840
6. Texas................. 287-279-277--843
7. Arizona............... 283-277-284--844
7. Stanford.............. 288-277-279--844
9. Nevada-Las Vegas...... 288-293-274--846
10. Brigham Young......... 279-284-286--849
10. Houston............... 288-292-278--849
12. San Diego State....... 278-289-285--852
13. New Mexico............ 289-287-286--856
14. Washington State...... 288-286-284--858
15. Oregon................ 286-299-274--859
16. COLORADO.............. 287-293-282--862
16. Oregon State.......... 286-289-287--862
18. UCLA.................. 285-292-295--872
