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Golfers Wrap Regular Season With 11th Place At A&M
April 18, 2010 | Men's Golf
COLLEGE STATION, Texas ? The University of Colorado men's golf team started strong but faded a bit down the stretch in finishing 11th here Sunday in Texas A&M Aggie Invitational, the final tune-up for the Buffaloes ahead of this week's Big 12 Championships.
Host and No. 6 Texas A&M cruised to the victory in its own meet, as the Aggies posted a 38-under par team score of 1,042, some 21 strokes ahead of No. 1 Oklahoma State, as the Cowboys finished at 17-under 1,063. There actually was no change in the order of the top five from the second round standings, with No. 14 Texas Tech (1,067), No. 30 San Diego State (1,087) and No. 7 Texas (1,092) finishing in the same positions as they started the day.
Colorado, ranked No. 90, was 11th after the second round, and moved as high as ninth at one point, before dipping back into 11th in wrapping things up with a 1,110 team total (30-over par). Five top 20, including four Big 12 schools, and nine top 50 teams competed here this weekend, so the Buffs got a solid taste of what's ahead later in the week.
The final round was delayed an hour as a rainstorm moved through the area early Sunday. The Buffaloes were undaunted by the softer fairways and greens, as starting on No. 10, the five scorers turned at 2-under and the team peaked at 4-under at one point, closing to within six strokes of sixth place. But the front side was the tougher nine and CU couldn't keep that same pace, that same quintet closing with three birdies, eight bogeys, a double and a triple over the last seven holes.
“We started off fairly well and were playing steady, but for whatever reason, struggled on the final few holes and turned a subpar team round into one over par,” head coach Roy Edwards said. “We didn't have to absorb big numbers like we did in the first two rounds, but a triple bogey here and a couple of doubles there cost us a spot or two in the final standings.
“We did have several positives, managed our games well, and most important, familiarized ourselves with the Bermuda grasses we're going to see again in just a few days for the conference championships,” he added. “It takes some acclimation to get used to the nuances of it, especially in the short game, so that will be a huge plus for us.”
Senior Justin Bardgett led the Buffaloes, as he closed with a final round 3-under 69 on the 7,146-yard, par-72 Traditions Golf Club course layout. That gave him a 54-hole total of 218, or 2-over par. He had five birdies, 11 pars and just two bogeys Sunday, continuing a remarkable comeback, both physically and mentally, after having to count a nine in each of his first two rounds which accounted for nine strokes over par. He had a team best 15 birdies with 30 pars for the meet, and after being 9-over after 22 holes, he played his last 32 at 7-under, scoring 11 birdies and 17 pars with only four bogeys.
Redshirt frosh Jason Burstyn recorded his best 54-hole score to date in a major tournament, finishing with a 2-over 74 for a 221 count (5-over), tying for 38th, his second best career placing. He had seven birdies and 37 pars here, 14 on Sunday, with eight bogeys and two doubles.
Sophomore Sebastian Heisele tied for 43rd with a 222 total (6-over), closing with a 1-over 73 with a round that featured 15 pars, one birdie and two bogeys. He had 38 pars over the three rounds, with six birdies, nine bogeys and a triple. He parred his first nine holes (Nos. 10-18), then birdied No. 1, but suffered two bogeys late to send him back into black numbers.
Sophomore Kevin Kring tied for 50th (76 Sunday, 223 total or 7-over); he was cruising along a 1-over, with 12 pars and one bogey through 13 holes, until he had to take a triple on No. 5, a par-3. To Kring's credit, he did come right back and birdie the tough par-4 No. 6, the only CU player to do so over three rounds and one of very few players in the field to play that hole under par for the tourney. Kring led the Buffs with 39 pars (five birdies/nine bogeys), with that triple just his third hole worse than bogey in his last 162 competitive rounds.
Freshmen Derek Fribbs tied for 57th, closing with a 2-over 74 for a 226 total (10-over). He was 2-under at the turn and through 11, but had two bogeys and a double down the stretch. He had a steady weekend, with six birdies and 35 pars against 10 bogeys and three doubles. Junior Michael Imperato finished things up with a 4-over 76 for a 233 score (plus-17); he was two over after three holes but then settled down to play the next 12 even before a double on No. 7 knocked him off track. He had 36 pars and three birdies on the good side, with 10 bogeys and five doubles on the opposite for the meet.
Edwards will select between Fribbs, Burstyn and Imperato for the fourth and fifth positions for his conference roster; Bardgett, Heisele and Kring are locks.
Including ties, Texas A&M had four golfers finish in the top three, including medalist Jordan Russell. He closed out with a 5-under 67 to give him a 10-under 206 total for 54 holes. The Aggies placed five in the top six, and including individuals, eight in the top 30.
The Buffaloes will now turn their attention to the 14th Annual Big 12 Championships, to be played at Whispering Pines Golf Club not far from here beginning with 36 holes this Friday. Single rounds are set for Saturday and Sunday. Colorado, which finished as the runner-up in the 2009 meet, has been seeded 11th by the league coaches.
T29. Justin Bardgett........................... 76-73-69?218
T38. Jason Burstyn............................. 75-72-74?221
T43. Sebastian Heisele....................... 72-77-73?222
T50. Kevin Kring................................... 75-72-76?223
T57. Derek Fribbs................................ 78-74-74?226
T68. Michael Imperato........................ 80-77-76?233
TOP 5 INDIVIDUALS
1. Jordan Russell, Texas A&M....... 70-69-67?206
2. Geoff Shaw, Texas A&M............. 67-71-69?207
T3. Ignacio Elvira, Texas A&M......... 70-70-70?210
T3. Conrad Shindler, Texas A&M..... 71-70-69?210
T3. Tyler Weworski, Texas Tech..... 70-69-71?210
TEAM SCORES
1. Texas A&M............................. 346-351-345?1042
2. Oklahoma State...................... 355-357-351?1063
3. Texas Tech.............................. 354-359-354?1067
4. San Diego State...................... 356-362-369?1087
5. Texas....................................... 359-368-365?1092
6. TCU.......................................... 375-363-356?1094
7. Baylor...................................... 366-377-352?1095
8. New Mexico............................ 364-369-363?1096
9. SMU......................................... 366-374-360?1100
10. Kent State................................ 374-365-366?1105
11. COLORADO............................. 376-368-366?1110
12. Texas-San Antonio................. 377-377-379?1133
