Golfers Inch Up Into Sixth Place At UCLA's Gifford

Tuesday, November 3

Carlsbad, Calif.

All Day

Colorado

Round Two

Golfers Enjoy Solid Day, Finish 10th At Alister Mackenzie

November 03, 2015 | Men's Golf

By: David Plati, Associate AD/Sports Information

CARLSBAD, Calif. — The University of Colorado men's golf team turned in its best second round score since early in the season and in process moved up a couple of notches into a tie for sixth as the second round of UCLA's 11th Annual Gifford Collegiate was completed here Tuesday.

The Buffaloes have had their struggles in the second round in the last three tournaments, averaging 14 strokes over par and essentially ending any chance for a good finish in two of those events. But on Tuesday, Colorado turned in a 2-over 286 performance, the fourth-best score of the round and as a result are in a logjam where just seven strokes separate third through eighth.

Washington wrestled the lead away from No. 5 Stanford, as the Huskies have an 8-under total of 560 entering the final round, with the Cardinal two back at 562. Then comes the bunching, with No. 23 San Diego State (572), No. 28 UCLA (575) and No. 29 Oregon (577) rounding out the top five. CU and South Florida are tied for sixth at 10-over 578, with Arkansas eighth (579).

Senior Philip Juel-Berg continued to lead the Buffalo attack, recording a 1-under par 70 on the 6,996-yard, par-71 La Costa Legends Course layout, and thus remaining in the hunt for medalist honors. Tied for third overall with a 3-under 139 total, he's just two strokes out of the lead as he looks to complete the best fall season of his collegiate career. He had another five birdies on Tuesday to give him a tournament-best 11, and is one of just two players in the field to be playing both the par-4 and par-5 holes under par.

Junior Jeremy Paul had a rare rollercoaster round, scoring just six pars with everything from an eagle to a triple bogey, but when the dust settled, he finished with a 1-over 72 that has him in at 143, or 1-over par through 36 holes, tying him for 12th. He had five birdies along with an eagle on the 525-yard, par-5 17th to end his day. He's second in the 81-man field in par-4 scoring (minus-3) heading into the final round.

Junior Ethan Freeman and freshman Ross Macdonald are tied for 40th, both in at 6-over 148. Macdonald carded CU's second-best score for the second round with an even-par 71, doing so on the strength of two birdies and 14 pars; Freeman was almost as consistent, with three birdies and 11 pars, his only undoing coming early – very early, as he double-bogeyed the first hole.

Another true freshman, Wilson Belk, polished things off with a 3-over 74, giving him a 152 total which has him tied for 60th. He had four birdies Tuesday, but matched his par count of seven with as many bogeys.

"It was a good day overall,” CU head coach Roy Edwards said. “Ross played a very solid round. Both he and Wilson came back with nice rounds after yesterday. Ethan kept grinding after a slow start and struggling with his ball striking. He had an incredible birdie on 16 today when he had to hit a cut 3-wood into the green because his drive hit a tree close to the tee. Jeremy had a slow middle part of the round but he kept fighting and closed really strong. Philip had another very solid day and he is in a great position. He is driving the ball great and putting the ball in the right spot."

"We all feel good about our day and where we are heading into tomorrow,” he continued. “Everyone is focused on being patient and being smart and confident for the final round."

The par-3 holes have presented CU with the most problems, as the Buffs are next to last, playing the eight “shorties” at 19-over at this point. But Colorado has more than made up for it by ranking second on the par-5s (14-under) and fourth on the par-4s (15-over).

Washington's Corey Pereira moved into the lead after recording a 3-under 68 Tuesday, which gave him a 5-under 137 total; that's good for a one shot lead over Stanford's Jeffrey Swegle (68-138) and a two-stroke edger over Juel-Berg and Stanford's David Boote.

The third and final round is scheduled Wednesday, with the Buffaloes teeing off beginning at 9:55 a.m. MST and paired with Pac-12 rivals Oregon and UCLA. This is CU's final tournament of the fall season.

BUFFALO INDIVIDUALS

T3.	Philip Juel-Berg	69-70—139
T12.	Jeremy Paul	71-72—143
T40.	Ethan Freeman	75-73—148
T40.	Ross Macdonald	77-71—148
T60.	Wilson Belk	78-74—152

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

1.	Corey Pereira, Washington	69-68—137
2.	Jeffrey Swegle, Stanford	70-68—138
3.	Philip Juel-Berg, Colorado	69-70—139
3.	David Boote, Stanford	71-68—139
5.	Cole Madey, UCLA	67-73—140
5.	Riccardo Michelini, S.D. State	69-71—140
5.	Sulman Raza, Oregon	73-67—140

TEAM STANDINGS

1.	Washington	285-275—560
2.	Stanford	285-277—562
3.	San Diego State	290-282—572
4.	UCLA	287-288—575
5.	Oregon	287-290—577
6.	COLORADO	292-286—578
6.	South Florida	290-288—578
8.	Arkansas	290-289—579
9.	Northwestern	298-290—588
10.	Harvard	298-293—591
10.	Texas A & M	292-299—591
12.	Marquette	299-293—592
13.	Wisconsin	294-299—593
14.	Tennessee	296-298—594
15.	San Jose State	306-307—613