Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Intercollegiate
Golfers Tied For 11th At Olympia Fighting Illini
September 12, 2014 | Men's Golf
OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. — The University of Colorado men's golf team battled against both the elements and 10 schools ranked in the preseason Top 25 here Friday, finishing the first round of the Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational tied for 11th place.
No. 23 Virginia Tech emerged as the leader with a 13-over par 291 score, good for a two-shot lead over No. 17 Florida State (293); No. 6 Illinois and No. 7 Stanford are tied for third (294) with co-No. 1 Oklahoma State rounding out the top five (295).
The Buffaloes, who received votes in the preseason poll, are tied with No. 19 Texas A&M and Michigan at 24-over 304; No. 4 Texas is four shots behind CU.
The course, Olympia Fields Country Club, located about 25 miles south of Chicago, was the site of the 2003 United States Open, and the first round scores resembled those often posted in the country's national championship. The 7,260-yard, par-70 layout “won” on Friday, as only two players were under par in the 75-man field, which played to an average score of 76.2.
“It was a really hard day to play,” CU head coach Roy Edwards said. “The golf course is really long and tough to begin with, and their using the same hole locations they used for the U.S. Open, and those are never easy. Plus it played longer because it was cold (low 50s) with constant rainfall. It made it tough for everyone to play; there wasn't a single hole out here today where par wasn't a good score.”
Sophomore Jeremy Paul managed the course the best for the Buffaloes, fashioning a 2-over 72 on the strength of two birdies and 13 pars against two bogeys and a double; he shot 36 on each side and stands tied for sixth overall. He played the par-3 holes at 1-under, the par-5s even and the par-4s at 3-over.
Junior Philip Juel-Berg turned in a 5-over 75, tying him for 27th, as he recorded two birdies and nine pars against seven bogeys. The par-5s at Olympia are not the bastion of under-par scoring like at most courses (620 and 576 yards, respectively); he birdied both Friday and played them better (2-under) than all but one golfer in the field (who matched him).
Senior David Oraee turned in an 8-over 78, as he is tied for 52nd; he had a birdie and eight pars with nine bogeys his first of three times around the Olympia track. Sophomore Ethan Freeman had a birdie and eight pars with eight bogeys and a double, culminating in a 9-over 79 (tie for 60th), while soph Yannik Paul carded an 11-over 81, struggling with a birdie and nine pars against four bogeys and four doubles (tied in 67th).
“We got off to a pretty good start and we were in good position at the turn, but we got a little out of synch on our back nine (actually the course's front nine),” Edwards said. “But we're still in decent position to move up, things are tightly packed. Jeremy's 72 was a real solid round.”
The Buffs made the turn at 8-over, but the four would-be scorers combined for 17 bogeys and just one birdie on their way in, though Edwards was proud of the fact that there were no scores worse than a bogey and the players remained focused.
Virginia Tech's Trevor Cone is the individual leader, as he carded a 2-under 68; Oklahoma State's Wyndham Clark is one back 1-under 69. Those are the only two players under par and no one equaled it.
The Buffs will be paired with Indiana and Michigan for the second round, beginning play at 8:45 a.m. MDT.
|
BUFFALO INDIVIDUALS |
|
T6. |
36-36—72 |
|
|
T27. |
38-37—75 |
|
|
T52. |
42-36—78 |
|
|
T60. |
40-39—79 |
|
|
T67. |
40-41—81 |
|
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS |
|
1. |
Trevor Cone, Virginia Tech |
34-34—68 |
|
2. |
Wyndham Clark, Oklahoma State |
37-32—69 |
|
T3. |
Michael Gellerman, Oklahoma |
36-35—71 |
|
T3. |
Nick Hardy, Illinois |
37-34—71 |
|
T3. |
Maverick McNealy, Stanford |
38-33—71 |
|
TEAM STANDINGS |
|
1. |
Virginia Tech |
291 |
|
2. |
Florida State |
293 |
|
3. |
Illinois |
294 |
|
3. |
Stanford |
294 |
|
5. |
Oklahoma State |
295 |
|
6. |
Baylor |
297 |
|
7. |
Oklahoma |
299 |
|
8. |
Alabama |
300 |
|
9. |
Arkansas |
301 |
|
10. |
Indiana |
303 |
|
11. |
COLORADO |
304 |
|
11. |
Michigan |
304 |
|
11. |
Texas A&M |
304 |
|
14. |
Texas |
308 |
|
15. |
Connecticut |
309 |
Players Mentioned
