Tolan Leads CU To Third In UNM Tucker

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. ? The University of Colorado men's golf team pulled to within two strokes of the lead on two separate occasions but couldn't get over the hump in the end as the Buffaloes settled for a third place finish here Saturday in the 53rd Annual William H. Tucker Invitational

Pepperdine held on to win the team title, as it along with runner-up San Diego State posted the best team rounds of the day (1-over 289s), enabling the Waves to finish even for the meet with an 864 score and defeat the Aztecs by four shots. The Buffaloes, who started the week with an 11th place finish in the St. Mary's Invitational in Pebble Beach on Tuesday, played much better in finishing third with an 871 score.

CU is the only school besides host New Mexico to play in all 53 Tucker meets, and the Buffaloes came as close as they ever have in breaking through for their first win in one of the oldest and most prestigious tournaments in college golf. The third place effort was the third best by Colorado in the event, bested only by runner-up finishes in 1956 and 1981.

Colorado had all five individuals place in the top 40 in the meet, the only school to do so. The Buffs were in fourth after the first round and had inched into a second-place tie, entering the final round trailing by just four strokes.

Junior Derek Tolan led the Buffaloes, as he tied for seventh individually, with a 1-over 73 in the final round giving him a 1-under 215 total for the meet. It was his ninth career top 20 finish, all of which have also ranked as top 10 efforts.

It was quite the comeback for Tolan this week, as he finished 69th in the St. Mary's Invitational on Tuesday, as he played to 16-over par. Just four days layer, he rallied to score an eagle and 12 birdies against nine bogeys and two doubles in posting his best finish since a sixth place result in CU's Stevinson Ranch Invitational last March. His effort also included a career collegiate round of 68 (4-under) his first time around the 7,350-yard, par-72 UNM Championship Course layout.

“Nothing really changed that much with my game, but that second round at Poppy Hills (an 83) killed me,” Tolan said. “So I played better than I finished. But I do have a good history in Albuquerque, for whatever reason. I don't know why, I just seem to enjoy playing here.

“I got a lot out of my game this week,” he added. “I had a really good start here and then just kind of hung in there. I didn't overly excel in any one phase of the game, everything was pretty good, but I hit it a lot better than I had been hitting it and my iron play was the best it's been in two years. When I do that, I make a lot of putts because I don't feel as much pressure and it helps me get into a rhythm. That's when I have good finishes.”

“I was really proud of the guys the entire time here. They showed resiliency, and just played solid again,” CU head coach Roy Edwards said of his squad, which registered its second best team finish in his second year at the reins of the program. “I think we're really staying in control, and buying into worrying about the process and not the outcome. If we continue doing that, we're going to have a successful year because the process is married to the result. You worry about what you have control over and not what you don't, and if you maintain that focus, good things can happen. It did here.”

Sophomore Luke Symons, who joined the team for the UNM meet after not competing in California, recorded his first top 10 career finish, as he posted a 1-over 73 to close with a 216 score for 54 holes (even par); his best previous career effort had been his first tournament last fall, when he tied for 13th at the Rich Harvest Farms Intercollegiate. This also marked the first time he shot even par or better for an entire tournament, besting his 1-over performance in last May's The Maxwell.

Senior Jim Grady and true freshman Michael Imperato shared 30th place, as the par finished with 7-over 223 scores; Imperato closed with a 1-over 73 while Grady concluded with a 2-over 75. CU's other senior Michael Baird, the team's No. 1 man heading into the year, grabbed 40th place as he scored CU's fourth 73 on the day to finish up at 225 (9-over). It will be one of those rare times he comes in fifth for the team.

Pepperdine's Jesse Barnsley, who is from Albuquerque, led from wire-to-wire, closing with a 1-under 71 for a 12-under 204 total, cruising to an eight stroke victory over two others.

Colorado will return to collegiate action in exactly a month in The Prestige At PGA West in La Quinta, Calif., October 15-16. The Fowler Cup is slated for late next week as Edwards is hosting a reunion weekend for all former golfers centered around the CU-Miami, Ohio football game.

BUFFALO INDIVIDUALS

T 7. Derek Tolan.............................. 68-74-73?215

T 9. Luke Symons............................ 72-71-73?216

T30. Jim Grady................................. 76-72-75?223

T30. Michael Imperato...................... 78-72-73?223

T40. Michael Baird............................ 74-78-73?225

TOP 5 INDIVIDUALS

1. Jesse Barnsley, Pepperdine........ 66-67-71?204

2. Jacob Lestishen, New Mexico..... 70-70-72?212

2. Eric Shriver, Pepperdine............. 70-72-70?212

4. Nic Larson, Utah......................... 70-72-71?213

5. Aaron Goldberg, San Diego St. .. 72-73-69?214

5. Johan Carlsson, San Diego St. ... 71-72-71?214

TEAM SCORES

1. Pepperdine............................ 289-286-289?864

2. San Diego State..................... 289-290-289?868

3. COLORADO........................... 290-289-292?871

4. Ohio State............................. 283-297-297?877

5. Utah....................................... 294-294-293?881

6. Sam Houston State................ 292-295-295?882

7. New Mexico.......................... 297-290-298?885

8. Arizona.................................. 289-299-300?888

9. Baylor.................................... 302-291-298?891

10. Tulsa...................................... 299-296-298?893

11. Texas-El Paso........................ 296-301-298?895

12. New Mexico State................. 302-296-299?897

13. Wyoming............................... 300-299-306?905

13. BYU....................................... 309-292-304?905

15. Xavier.................................... 300-296-312?908

16. Air Force................................ 311-308-300?919

17. Campbell............................... 306-306-308?920

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Michael Baird

Jim Grady

Michael Imperato

Luke Symons

Derek Tolan

Colorado University Athletics