Colorado University Athletics
Golfers Third After Two Rounds In CU-SRI
April 07, 2008 | Men's Golf
No. 43 St. Mary's (Calif.), the top ranked team in the field, and No. 68 Colorado both recorded the best single rounds Monday, 2-under par 286s and both in he afternoon, as the Gaels own the lead with a 581 score. New Mexico State had grabbed the first round lead but is just two back at 583, while CU holds third at 589, just eight strokes off the pace; Washington State (593) and Loyola-Marymount (594) round out the top five.
Colorado's 17-stroke improvement from the first to second round tied the fifth best in the 10-year history of the tournament; Akron did the same Monday while Gonzaga set the record at 26 and Northern Illinois matched the previous best of 20.
Junior Derek Tolan is pacing Colorado through two rounds, as he posted a pair of 1-over 73s, his second best scores he has recorded on the 7,144-yard, par-72 Stevinson Golf Club layout. He had a second round 70 last year when he finished sixth individually; he stands tied for eighth through 36 holes this year.
He had a steady day, opening in the morning with a birdie at No. 1, with two bogeys and seven pars over the next nine holes. He was back at 1-under for the round after scoring an eagle on the 515-yard, par-5 11th, one of just five eagles in the first round. He closed with two bogeys down the stretch, as he did in the afternoon, when he made three birds.
Freshman Michael Imperato rallied with a 1-under 71 after a 76 in the morning for a 147 total, which has him tied for 13th. Imperato had a team-best five birdies in the first round and scored four more the second time around the track. His nine on the day were the most by a Buffalo.
Seniors Jim Grady and Michael Baird and sophomore Luke Symons are all tied for 22nd with 6-over 150 totals, though all three took different routes to get there.
Grady topped Imperato's five-stroke improvement by one, as after opening with a 78, and a double bogey to start his second round, he played the final 17 holes of his Monday at 2-under par, including a 33 (3-under) on the back nine. He had five birdies on that side in closing strong, sans a double bogey on the par-3 16th. That gave him a 72 for the round, matching his previous best in four trips here (he also shot par in his first round here as a freshman).
Symons was not to be outdone by his teammates, as he chopped 10 strokes off a morning 80 with a 2-under par 70 in the afternoon. He turned 3-under and after a birdie on the par-5 11th, had it to four before bogeying the next two holes. He had five birdies his second time around the loop after just one in the morning.
Baird followed a 76 with a 74, but had a higher high and a lower low than his companions at 6-over; as Tolan did in the morning, he eagled No. 11, but three holes later doubled No. 14. He uncharacteristically had only three birdies all day, but did make some good pars to keep things close.
Two Buffaloes are playing as individuals here. Redshirt frosh Riley Andrews turned in a 79-77--156 scorecard, while sophomore Justin Bardgett recorded a 76-81--157 effort. Their scores do not count toward CU's team total.
Andrews had four birdies in the second round, giving him seven for the day, but those were undone by two bogeys, two doubles and a triple. Bardgett had a rollercoaster start in his second round, with just one par on the front nine with two birdies and six bogeys before settling down, though he endured two doubles on the back.
Collectively in the first round, CU mustered 16 birdies along with Tolan's eagle, and while not posting several large numbers on holes, bogeys kept the Buffs from gaining any kind of momentum. That total increased to 23 in the afternoon, with 17 by the scorers as compared to nine in the morning.
Stevinson has never been easy for this tournament, presenting of the toughest yet fairest challenges annually in college golf. Of the 710 players in the previous nine meets, only 39 bettered par with another 11 matching it through 54 holes. That trend is continuing, with just three players under par and two others equaling it. The average score was 76.2 for the 74-man field, though the norm was 74.9 in the second round after a 77.5.
"We got off to a rough start in the morning, but I was very proud of the way we came back in the afternon, shooting under par and tying for the low round of the day," head coach Roy Edwards said.
"We've got a great chance tomorrow and have to play well, but we have a chance to win," he continued. "That has us excited and thinking positively heading in. It's the fifth time we'll be in the lead group, and in the three of the previous four we've played pretty well. We are definitely battle tested."
Two St. Mary's golfers share the lead, thanks to second round scores in the 60s, just two of three recorded Monday. Chadd Cocco and Michael McRae posted 3-under 141 scores, with Cocco scoring a 68 and McRae a 69 their second times around Stevinson. New Mexico State's Matt Edwards, the first round co-leader, shot a pair of 71s and is one shot back.
The third and final round is set for an 8 a.m. shotgun start Tuesday morning.
Tournament Notes
R Weather. Aside from the usual central valley winds (occasional gusts in the low 20 mph range, not consistent) in this part of California and some frost and fog early, it was a perfect day, as temperatures hovered in the mid-to-upper 60s most of the day.
R Gonzaga knocked off 26 strokes between its morning and afternoon rounds (a 294 after a 320), the largest improvement from one round to the next in tournament history (the old record was 20 set by CSU-Monterey in 2006). Eight teams in all shot 10 strokes or better in the second round than the first, with the leader, St. Mary's, shaving nine off its opening score.
R Back-to-Back Eagles. CSU-Bakersfield's Mike Flynn, who started with a bogey on No. 10, bounced right back as strong as ever--with back-to-back eagles. He scored a three on the par-5, 515-yard 11th, and then aced the 159-yard, par-3 12th. It was the fourth hole-in-one in tournament history, the second at No. 12. He then birdied No. 14 to go to 4-under, but came back down to Earth and shot a 78 (36-42).
R Loyola-Marymount's Greg Moss opened the meet with a 10 on the par-5 No. 1 hole, but rallied with three birdies to shoot 39 on the front (he had a 79 for the first round).
R E.J. Kahn moved into San Francisco's No 1 slot when Conor McElyea withdrew due to illness; the Dons' Chris Cunningham had four straight birdies (14, 15, 16, 17) in his first round 72.
R Stevinson has never been easy for this tournament, presenting of the toughest yet fairest challenges annually in college golf. Of the 710 players in the previous nine meets, only 39 bettered par with another 11 matching it through 54 holes. That won't appear to change after Monday's first round, as just two players were under par with two others equaling it.
BUFFALO INDIVIDUALS
T 8. Derek Tolan................................. 73-73--146
T13. Michael Imperato........................ 76-71--147
T22. Luke Symons............................... 80-70--150
T22. Michael Baird.............................. 76-74--150
T22. Jim Grady.................................... 78-72--150
T49. *Riley Andrews........................... 79-77--156
T57. *Justin Bardgett........................... 76-81--157
(*--playing as an individual; scores do not count toward CU total.)
TEAM SCORES
1. St. Mary's (Calif.)..................... 295-286--581
2. New Mexico State................... 292-291--583
3. COLORADO.................... 303-286--589
4. Washington State..................... 298-295--593
5. Missouri-Kansas City................ 304-290--594
5. Loyola-Marymount................... 305-289--594
7. Pacific...................................... 305-295--600
8. CSU-Bakersfield...................... 305-298--603
9. San Francisco.......................... 294-313--607
10. Oklahoma City......................... 306-302--608
11. Gonzaga................................... 320-294--614
12. Northern Illinois....................... 319-299--618
12. Drake....................................... 315-303--618
14. Akron....................................... 318-301--619
