Colorado University Athletics
Golfers Remain In Hunt At Western Intercollegiate
March 30, 2009 | Men's Golf
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. -- The University of Colorado men's golf team survived a day of ballooning scores, and though slipping from second into third place here Monday remained in contention after two rounds of the 63rd Annual Western Intercollegiate.
No. 82 Fresno State remained in the lead, standing at 19-over par 579 heading into the final round. The Bulldogs recorded the tournament's lone under par round to open the meet, but shot 21-over (301) Monday. Oregon, ranked No. 55, moved into second place on the strength of the second best second round score (293, +13) and is four shots back at 583.
Colorado, No. 45 in the new Golfweek rankings that came out Tuesday, is six back at 25-over 585 after putting a 22-over score into the books, but the Buffaloes are just one stroke further back than they were when they entered the day. No. 32 Michigan State (589) and No. 74 Denver (589) round out the top five.
If the players thought the 6, 511-yard, par-70 Pasatiempo Golf Club course layout was tough in the first round, when the average score was 75.5, then they weren't prepared for Monday's sucker punch when gusting winds off the Pacific Coast combined with tougher pin placements and firm greens forced that average up to 78.2. Just under 40 percent of the single hole scores recorded by the 93-man field in the second round were bogeys or worse (653 total), with only one subpar round logged bringing the grand total to seven for both rounds (and just two others at par).
"It was hard out there today. The greens were really firm with tougher pin placements, it was windy, up to 20 miles per hour or so, and this is a course that wasn't designed with wind in mind," head coach Roy Edwards said. "The golf course is one where you have to be so patient and smart to begin with, when you get a day like this, you're living shot to shot. The guys hung in there, though, and we're still very much in it. You can make up six shots in one hole, it can be that crazy of a place. We felt like we weathered the storm and we're still right there, so we're excited about that."
Colorado will play in the final group Tuesday with first and second round leader Fresno State and Oregon, which jumped the Buffaloes into second place after 36 holes. Edwards said sticking to his team's game plan is the key.
"We just need to keep doing what we've talked about, and that's keep fighting on every shot and keep the ball below the hole, because if you don't, this place will slap you right in the face," he said. "This kind of course gets your attention, and when we're faced with tougher courses down the road and in regionals, that's where this will really pay off. Playing in the final group on such a course will be an invaluable experience to draw upon later on, and quite frankly, it makes it that much more exciting as we all want to see how we handle it."
The one subpar round scored Monday was by Oregon State's Diego Velasquez, and it was the best so far in the tournament as his 4-under 66 vaulted him from 31st into the lead with a 140 total.
CU senior Patrick Grady is just one stroke back at 141 after firing a 3-over 73, as he the steadiest second round of the five Buffaloes with 14 pars, one birdie, two bogeys and a double. He had one rough patch where he bogeyed the par-5 13th hole and then doubled the par-4 14th, but he bounced right back and birdied No. 15, a par-3 that played the seventh toughest of all the holes Tuesday. His 25 pars over two rounds are tied for the third most in the field.
Senior Derek Tolan is tied for 10th after recording a 7-over 77 for a 146 score through 36 holes. He got off to a rough start, doubling No. 1 and bogeying Nos. 2 and 3 to go 4-over par before settling down. His 27 pars over two days is the tournament best.
Tolan (two) and Grady have won three tournaments between them this season, and both remain in the hunt here. Grady in particular has been flirting with a second win all spring, with two third place finishes where he was a combined three strokes out of the lead along with a 12th place effort where he entered the final round four shots back.
Freshman Kevin Kring recorded a second straight 74 for an 8-over 148 total, tying him for 18th. It tied for the 14th best score on the day, and had the winds not played a role in two double bogeys on the par-3 Nos. 5 and 18, he might have been able to log the second best score Monday. Still, the CU frosh showed some fortitude after going 4-over after seven holes to play even the remainder of the way.
Junior Luke Symons is tied for 34th after posting a 79 that landed him at 11-over 151 through two rounds. He really struggled out of the gate as he was 11-over after 10 holes, largely due to two triple bogeys and a double, but settled down to score three birdies against a single bogey his last holes to bring his round back down to Earth. His eight birdies over the two rounds are tied for the second most in the field.
Freshman Johnny Widmer rounded out the action with a 6-over 78 for a 155 total, tying him for 56th. Not immune to struggling out of the box like his teammates, he too was well over par (seven strokes) after his first nine holes, but then battled tough down the stretch, playing the last nine at just 1-over.
Colorado has previously won the Western on one occasion, doing so in 2004 when senior Kane Webber led the Buffs to the title by claiming medalist honors; it was the last tournament win in the 29-year tenure of late CU head coach Mark Simpson. This is the sixth time the Buffaloes are participating in the prestigious tournament, one of the oldest college events west of the Mississippi.
The final round is set for a 10 a.m. (MDT) shotgun start Tuesday. The Buffs will then return home after 11 days on the west coast for three days before venturing back out to central California for their own CU-Stevinson Ranch Invitational next Monday and Tuesday.
BUFFALO INDIVIDUALS
2. Patrick Grady.................................. 68-73--141
T10. Derek Tolan.................................... 69-77--146
T18. Kevin Kring..................................... 74-74--148
T34. Luke Symons.................................. 72-79--151
T56. Johnny Widmer................................ 77-78--155
TOP 5 INDIVIDUALS
1. Diego Velasquez, Oregon State.......... 74-66--140
2. Patrick Grady, Colorado................ 68-73--141
3. Klinton Krieger, Denver.................... 71-72--143
3. Andrew Vijarro, Oregon..................... 71-72--143
5. Bhavik Patel, Fresno State............... 68-76--144
TEAM SCORES
1. Fresno State............................... 278-301--579
2. Oregon....................................... 290-293--583
3. COLORADO............................... 283-302--585
4. Michigan State............................ 290-297--587
5. Denver....................................... 294-295--589
6. California.................................... 293-304--597
7. Oregon State............................... 306-292--598
8. Pacific....................................... 294-307--601
9. Mercer....................................... 291-311--602
10. Nevada...................................... 295-310--605
10. UC-Santa Barbara........................ 294-311--605
12. San Jose State............................ 301-310--611
13. Long Beach State........................ 306-306--612
14. St. Mary's.................................. 298-315--613
15. Wyoming.................................... 303-319--622
16. Kansas....................................... 307-319--626
17. Santa Clara................................. 320-321--641
18. Brown........................................ 314-328--642
