Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational
Golfers, Oraee Claim Simpson-CU Golf Titles
September 30, 2014 | Men's Golf
ERIE — The University of Colorado men's golf team, buoyed by the first collegiate win from its lone senior, cruised to an easy victory here Tuesday in its own Fifth Annual Mark Simpson-CU Invitational.
Colorado, ranked No. 34 nationally in the latest rankings released Monday evening, weathered the suspended second round with ease, as play was stopped late Monday afternoon after a pair of interruptions due to heavy rain and lightning. Thr tournament was thus shorted to two rounds, or 36 holes.
CU entered the day with a seven-shot lead over Missouri-Kansas City with roughly 12 holes to play, and picked up where it left off.
The Buffaloes went on to win with a 556 team score, or 20-under par, with San Diego a distant second at 568 (8-under) and No. 53 Denver third, one back of the runner-up spot with a 7-under 569. UMKC dropped to fourth (2-under 574) with Houston Baptist and Utah State tying for fifth at 3-over 579.
“Four out of five days playing tournament golf is really challenging, especially in two different locations,” CU head coach Roy Edwards said. “I'm really proud of how they came out ready to compete yesterday and today. We weren't happy with our performance down in New Mexico, but the best place to fix things is in competition. It was definitely good for us to get right back out there and put last week behind us quickly, and it absolutely paid off. It was a good, solid tournament.
Senior David Oraee led the way for the Buffaloes, posting the best 36-hole score in school history in earning tournament medalist honors with a 13-under par, 64-67—131 scorecard. He mastered CU's home course, the 7,771-yard, par-72 Colorado National Golf Club layout, as over the two rounds, he recorded an eagle and 14 birdies with 18 pars and just three bogeys en route to his first collegiate victory.
He led the 91-man field in par-4 scoring (playing the 20 such holes at 5-under), and tied for the lead on both the par-3s (2-under) and par-5s (6-under) as well. His 14 birdies were three more than any other competitor.
Oraee's previous best finish had been a tie for second in last spring's Wyoming Cowboy Classic in Scottsdale, where he had also turned in his prior low round (a 4-under 66) until this week; there he recorded a 5-under par 205. The old 36-hole CU best was held by Beau Schoolcraft, who set it in this very meet on the same course with a pair of 66s for a 12-under 132 back in 2011. That also had been the Simpson-CU tournament best for 36 holes.
“I really wasn't hitting the ball well coming into this, so I worked on the range really hard on Sunday,” Oraee said. “I got some help from Yannik and we discovered a little alignment problem. So I worked to fix it and it helped me to get square and to drive the ball really well each day. I putted well, and generally, I was pretty far from making bogey. Everything was either for a birdie or an easy par.
Despite his performance, Oraee didn't view himself as being “hot” or “in the zone” as some say.
“I started on No. 2 and was just 2-under going into No. 12,” he recalled about his first round. “I was playing better (than he did last week in New Mexico), but when I eagled No. 12, after that point, I really started to get going. I was just trying to hit good shots and do the best I could, and the birdies kept falling.”
To the tune of four over the next seven holes for an opening 64, his collegiate best round. He drove No. 12 about 270 yards, then hit a hybrid pin-high and chipped in to begin that roll that carried into Tuesday. He finished strong again, with birdies on four of his last eight holes, this time settling for a bird on No. 12.
Afterwards, he was enjoying his first collegiate win, one he can now add to his two top amateur victories, the 2013 Colorado State Match Play championship and then the state's stroke play title this past August.
“It feels pretty good, because it's definitely hard to win out here,” he said. “There are so many great players in college golf and every shot matters. I've been close, when I was second (in the Wyoming meet), I was one shot out. Usually, you're playing 36-18 (holes each day) and that's a lot of golf in a short time. One slip here or there more often than not will cost you.
“I appreciate all the help I got from my coaches, Coach Edwards, (assistant) Coach White, (volunteer) Coach Levy,” he added. “We had the capability of looking at live scoring, but I wouldn't look at it. I just wanted go out and play well, and in the end it all worked out.”
Sophomore twins Jeremy and Yannik Paul bolstered Oraee's performance, as they tied for sixth with 3-under 141 totals, which they earned in reverse fashion: Jeremy opened with a 69 and closed with a 72, while Yannik began with a par 72 and came back with his 69. Over the two rounds, Jeremy had an eagle, nine birdies and 19 pars, while Yannik had eight birds and 24 pars. Yannik was third in par-5 scoring (5-under), while Jeremy was fifth (4-under).
“I putted a little bit better in the second round, but a disappointing finish with a three-putt, but overall a solid week,” Yannik Paul said. “I was really happy for David that he finally got his first win. It's great that we won the tournament. It's a nice feeling.”
Jeremy wasn't satisfied with his final round.
“Not really good,” he lamented. “I actually didn't play bad, but it ended up not really good. I made too many mistakes and missed all the important putts, a little disappointing. I'm happy for the team that we won the tournament and especially for David to win his first tournament, senior year. I think that's really important for him.”
Junior Philip Juel-Berg and sophomore Ethan Freeman both tied for 29th with 3-over 147 totals. Juel-Berg closed with a 4-over 76 (one birdie, 13 pars), while Freeman carded an even-par 72 (four birdies, 10 pars). Juel-Berg also was tough on the par-5s (3-under, 10th-best), while Freeman's 24 pars matched Yannik's for the second most on the team and 20th in the field.
Junior Drew Trujillo competed as an individual (his scores did not count toward the CU team total); he finished with a 7-over par 151 total after a second round 75 that featured a birdie and 14 pars. He had a team-best 26 pars over the two rounds, which also tied for the fourth most in the field.
“David obviously really played well,” Edwards said. “We have all kind of sensed that he was on the verge of some really good golf, and he showed it this week. He played well at Air Force (CU's season opener) and had a chance to win that tournament but made a couple of mistakes late, and then had a few struggles our last two times out. But he's improved every year he's been here and we expect him to both continue that improvement and gain a lot of confidence from this week.”
Oraee owned a one-shot lead over UMKC's Mitch Tucker after the first round, but wound up winning by five shots over DU's Petter Mikalsen, who also turned in a 67 Tuesday for an 8-under 136 score. Loyola-Marymount's Lawrence Ree set a tournament record for stroke improvement from one round to the next, scoring a 75 in the second round after an opening 96; the 21-shot upgrade wasn't enough to lift him out of the 91st, or final, position.
The Buffaloes now have two weeks off before resuming action in California's Alister Mackenzie Invitational in Fairfax on Oct. 13-14; CU tied for sixth in the tournament a year ago.
|
BUFFALO INDIVIDUALS |
|
1. |
64-67—131 |
|
|
T6. |
69-72—141 |
|
|
T6. |
72-69—141 |
|
|
T29. |
75-72—147 |
|
|
T29. |
71-76—147 |
|
|
T58. |
76-75—151 |
*—competed individually.
|
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS |
|
1. |
David Oraee, Colorado |
64-67—131 |
|
2. |
Petter Mihalsen, Denver |
69-67—136 |
|
T3. |
Mitch Tucker, UMKC |
65-74—139 |
|
T3. |
Calvin Freeman, Nebraska |
68-71—139 |
|
T3. |
Mathias Dahl, San Diego |
72-67—139 |
|
TEAM STANDINGS |
|
1. |
COLORADO |
276-280—556 |
|
2. |
San Diego |
287-281—568 |
|
3. |
Denver |
284-285—569 |
|
4. |
Missouri-Kansas City |
282-292—574 |
|
5. |
Houston Baptist |
287-292—579 |
|
5. |
Utah State |
290-289—579 |
|
7. |
Texas-San Antonio |
288-292—580 |
|
8. |
Seattle |
289-298—587 |
|
9. |
Nebraska |
291-297—588 |
|
9. |
Towson |
289-299—588 |
|
11. |
Loyola-Marymount |
296-293—589 |
|
12. |
Missouri State |
298-292—590 |
|
13. |
Air Force |
294-299—593 |
|
13. |
Northern Colorado |
295-298—593 |
|
15. |
Wyoming |
302-296—598 |
|
15. |
McNeese State |
298-300—598 |
|
17. |
CSU-Fullerton |
297-303—600 |
