Golfers Rise To Sixth Place Finish At Houston AA

HOUSTON ? The age old clich?, “talk about a difference a day makes,” certainly applied to the University of Colorado men's golf team Tuesday, as the Buffaloes shot the best round of the day and second best of the tournament as the Buffaloes jumped into a sixth place finish in the Houston All-American Intercollegiate Invitational.

No. 51 Kansas hung on for the team victory, as the Jayhawks edged No. 3 Lamar by one stroke to secure the victory. Kansas posted an 872 team score, with only 17 strokes separating the top nine in the 11-team field.

Colorado, ranked No. 56, shot the day's best round, a 3-under par 285, enabling the Buffaloes to move from 10th place after the second round into sixth in the final standings with an 887 score, edging district rival Iowa State by one shot in the process. There were only three subpar rounds recorded in the entire meet, as only host Houston's second round 284 bettered CU's final round effort.

Senior Blake Moore shot a 2-under 70 on the 7,220-yard, par-72 Traditions Course at Cypresswood Golf Club, giving him a 219 total for 54 holes, tying him for 11th place overall. He bounced back from an opening round 77 to play the final 36 holes two under.

Junior Tom Gempel closed with a 73 for a 221 total, which tied him for 17th overall, as this was his first tournament as a Buffalo. He joined CU at the semester break from Northern Colorado, where he competed his first two-and-a-half years as a collegian, including last fall. It was his fifth career top 20 finish, but his best in a field comprised solely of Division I programs.

Juniors Michael Baird and Patrick Grady tied for 31st, as the pair closed strong: Baird matched Moore's 2-under 70 effort, while Grady bounced back from a second round 79 to shoot even par. Senior Ryan Anderson was the lone Buff to struggle Tuesday, as he wrapped things up with an 84 for a 240 score, placing him 61st overall.

“We came out with a really good attitude today,” CU head coach Roy Edwards said. “Just basic focus on the task at hand; we put yesterday behind us, thought of it as a new day, and had that kind of mindset going in.

“Overall, we tried to do everything a little bit better, whether it was putting, short game, driving the ball, attitude, course management. It all added up, and this is what I know these guys are capable of on daily basis. I'm believe it, and they're starting to believe it.”

Kansas' Gary Woodland had a two-shot lead entering the day and easily held on after shooting a 1-under 71, with his 5-under 211 score good for a four-stroke win over teammate Tyler Docking. They were the only two players under par, while three others finished even.

The Traditions course played tough all three rounds, with only 28 subpar rounds recorded out of 195 played; only CU and Kansas had three players shoot par or better in the final round, as the average score for the tournament was a 75.3.

“I hit a lot of good shots, but made a couple of mistakes that turned into big scores,” Moore said of his opening round. “The second round I really just grinded it out and couldn't really build any momentum. But today, I felt really good before the round, and hit the ball awesome. I hit a lot of good putts, though none of them fell (his only birdies were tap-ins), I still felt really good out there. I think I've become a lot smarter golfer, a much better course manager, and while I still have a lot to work on mentally, I feel I am getting better.”

“I'm really happy with Blake,” Edwards said. “He bounced back strong from some bad luck in the first round, did good in the afternoon and was solid today. He had a great ball-striking round and has really developed into as solid player for us.”

The Buffaloes resume action fairly quickly and will participate in the Louisiana Classics next Monday and Tuesday in Lafayette, La.

BUFFALO INDIVIDUALS

T11. Blake Moore............................. 77-72-70?219

T17. Tom Gempel............................. 75-73-73?221

T31. Patrick Grady........................... 74-79-72?225

T31. Michael Baird........................... 77-78-70?225

61. Ryan Anderson......................... 80-76-84?240

TOP FIVE INDIVIDUALS

1. Gary Woodland, Kansas............... 69-71-71?211

2. Tyler Docking, Kansas.................. 71-72-72?215

3. Matthew Carvell, SE La. .............. 68-76-72?216

3. Daniel Willett, Jacksonville St. .... 70-74-72?216

3. Craig Smith, Middle Tenn. St. ..... 75-70-71?216

TEAM SCORES

1. Kansas................................... 296-288-288?872

2. Lamar.................................... 296-291-286?873

3. Middle Tennessee State....... 296-290-292?878

3. SE Louisiana......................... 294-293-291?878

5. Houston................................. 302-284-300?886

6. COLORADO.......................... 303-299-285?887

7. Iowa State............................ 302-291-295?888

7. Louisiana-Lafayette.............. 300-290-298?888

9. Jacksonville State................ 298-296-295?889

10. North Texas.......................... 299-296-297?892

11. Wyoming.............................. 318-315-303?936

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Players Mentioned

Ryan Anderson

Michael Baird

Tom Gempel

Blake Moore

Colorado University Athletics