Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
All Rounds
Golfers Tie For Fourth In Illinois
October 09, 2006 | Men's Golf
GLENCOE, Ill. ? The University of Colorado men's golf team couldn't hold its first day lead and slipped to a fourth place tie in the final standings here Monday in the 10th Annual Windon Memorial Classic.
Southern Methodist won with an 881 team score, 29-over par, as the Mustangs led after each of the first two rounds. Second round play had been suspended Sunday with six teams, including Colorado, still left on the course with anywhere from one to four holes to finish. The Buffs held a three-stroke lead over SMU at that point, but when the second round was completed first thing Monday, CU lost five strokes on the 11 holes its four scorers had to finish, dropping two strokes behind the Mustangs heading into the final round.
Kansas rallied from eighth after the opening round to zoom into second, finishing with an 895 score, 14 back of the Mustangs, while Illinois grabbed third at 897. Colorado, Kent State and Michigan State all tied for fourth with 900 totals. Host Northwestern tied for seventh (907), and locally, Northern Colorado finished 11th (920).
Junior Patrick Grady paced the way for the Buffaloes, as he finished seventh with a 77 Monday for a 220 total on the 7,021-yard, par-71 Skokie Country Club course, a traditional classic layout that was built in 1897. He stood second when play was stopped, was officially third after the completion of the second round, and then birdied his opening hole to climb right back in the hunt for medalist honors. After scoring a par on No. 2, he played the next six at 4-over, as he could not get untracked to make a run at medalist honors.
“I was playing with one of the top ranked amateurs in the country right, but for whatever stupid reason, combined with the course, I was a little intimidated,” Grady said. “I hate to say that, but he (SMU's Colt Knost) may be the best player I've ever been paired with. I need to get more comfortable playing with the best players, so this will be a great learning experience, and I know I can gain from this.”
Sophomore Derek Tolan was right behind Grady in taking eighth, as he closed with CU's best score in the final round, 76, for a 221 score. Tolan did not record a double bogey over the three days and had stood in fourth through Sunday's play, but couldn't get much going early.
“I did well with what I had, I felt way off, so I wound up just scraping it around compared to the rest of the field,” Tolan. “I felt really loose out there, but I seemed to hit it all over the place with every club. What was frustrating is that I never seemed to hit two good shots in a row. I made a lot of pars. It's nice to know that I didn't play my best and was still contending for a while.”
“I knew this morning we had to go out and finish up the tough holes, and I thought we did okay,” CU head coach Roy Edwards said. “But if you get a little off track on the course, bogeys can add up quickly. We didn't catch fire or gain any kind of momentum in the last round and that's exactly what happened to us. We need to do a better job of managing our games and being in control of ourselves. We let the golf course control us, which we need to make sure we don't let happen down the road. The good news is that has improved with each tournament.
“This golf course was a great test, and Patrick and Derek really showed a lot of overall consistency in their games. We're learning overall what it takes, and that you don't need 100 birdies to win a golf tournament. We just need to be more consistent, more disciplined and the confidence will come. We are definitely improving in that area.”
Other CU finishes included senior Blake Moore (77?230) tying for 30th, senior Derek O'Neill (82?234) sharing 43rd and junior Jim Grady (78?237) tying for 49th.
SMU's Colt Knost won his third tournament this fall, as he collected the hatrick in winning by five strokes. He recorded a final round 71 for a 2-under 211 score for 54 holes, and was the only player under par in the field. Kansas' Gary Woodland finished as the runner-up with a 216 count, including a 74 Monday.
The Buffaloes will resume action in two weeks at The Prestige At PGA West in LaQuinta, Calif., Oct. 16-17.
BUFFALO INDIVIDUALS
7. Patrick Grady........... 71-72-77?220
8. Derek Tolan............. 73-72-76?221
T30. Blake Moore............. 79-74-77?230
T43. Derek O'Neill........... 75-77-82?234
T49. Jim Grady............... 78-81-78?237
TOP FIVE INDIVIDUALS
2. Gary Woodland, Kansas.......... 73-69-74?216
3. Zach Pederson, Kansas.......... 74-77-66?217
4. Matt Harmon, Michigan State.... 69-76-73?218
5. Jeff Dennis, North Florida..... 75-73-71?219
5. Mark Ogren, Illinois........... 72-74-73?219
TEAM SCORES
1. SMU................... 296-294-291?881
2. Kansas................ 306-290-299?895
3. Illinois.............. 304-296-297?897
4. COLORADO.............. 297-295-308?900
4. Kent State............ 297-301-302?900
4. Michigan State........ 290-306-304?900
7. Northwestern.......... 306-291-310?907
7. Toledo................ 307-303-297?907
9. North Florida......... 308-302-304?914
10. New Mexico............ 304-309-302?915
11. Northern Colorado..... 300-304-316?920
12. Western Illinois...... 319-301-330?950
