Colorado University Athletics
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NCAA Championships
Oraee Opens With A 71 At NCAA Golf Championship Finals
May 29, 2015 | Men's Golf
BRADENTON, Fla. — University of Colorado senior David Oraee made it through the first day of the NCAA Golf Championship Finals, as he opened with 1-under par 71 here Friday.
Oraee, playing as an individual, is tied for 13th place, as much of the field was over par on the challenging 7,483-yard, par-72 Concession Golf Club course layout. There will be a cut following Sunday's third round, as the top 15 teams (out of 30) and the best nine individuals not associated with those teams will advance into Monday's final round.
Oraee turned in one of just 11 rounds under par out of 78 played in the morning when he played (just one of those in the 60s); on the day, there were 23 under par (four in the 60s). Of the six players who qualified as individuals for the tournament, he posted Friday's best score (tied), and of the 31 golfers from the Pac-12 Conference, only USC's Rico Hoey (2-under 70) bested Oraee in the first round, while three others matched him.
The individual lead is shared by Illinois' Thomas Denty and USF's Claudio Correa, both of whom carded 4-under 68s.
As has been the case the entire season, Oraee had a very consistent round, scoring five birdies and nine pars with just four bogeys. Now averaging exactly 72.0 strokes per round for 36 total this season, it marked his 23rd round where he didn't have a hole where he scored worse than a bogey. His five birdies tied for the fourth-most in the field (and for the most in the morning round).
“David had a pretty solid day, a fairly conservative game plan,” CU head coach Roy Edwards said. “He managed his mistakes really well and made a couple of putts early to establish some momentum, one being a great save on No. 2 out of the bunker. He just had one bad swing off the tee (on No. 5), and he still managed to make bogey. He really played the par-5s well, really as good as he could (tied for fourth-best in the field at 3-under; he just missed an eagle on one).
“This golf course is so tough, that it literally forces you take it one shot at a time, and that's David's game.”
Oraee's 71 was the fourth lowest-ever in the Finals by a Buff playing without his team present – two that were better were by Hale Irwin when he won in 1967, a first round 70 and then a third round 65, the best postseason score in CU history. John Lindberg shot a final round 68 in 1987 that helped him finish 13th. Overall, it tied for the 14th-best out of 231.
“I putted really well, I wasn't very sharp with my shots around the course starting the round, so my putting definitely kept me in it,” Oraee said. “This course is brutal – there are some holes out here where bogey is a good score so you can't let that bother you. The pin placements were about as tough as I've ever seen for a first round, but the nature of this course is that they're never going to be easy. If I had to sum it up, it was a pretty messy round, but I managed to put up a score.”
One concern for Oraee and really many of the golfers who don't play many tournaments in the south was the Bermuda grass at Concession, but it has turned out to be a non-factor.
“The Bermuda here is really well-kept,” Oraee said. “It's really not an issue, the greens are pristine, and the rough around the greens are shaved down. It's in such good shape that it's similar to bent grass, and that's a good thing.”
In the team competition, No. 4 Illinois was the only team to shoot under par, recording a 2-under 286; No. 33 Georgia came in at even (288). No. 13 USC (289), No. 28 San Diego State (290) and No. 9 LSU (292) round out the top five.
Oraee will tee off on No. 10 at 12:20 p.m. (MDT) Saturday, and again will be paired Gudmundur Kristjansson (East Tennessee State) and Tolver Dozier (Troy), two others who qualified as individuals out of regional play. They both shot 8-over par 80s in the first round, though Oraee witnessed Kristjansson make a hole-in-one on the 183-yard, par-3 sixth hole.
NOTES: The first day weather was typical of Florida, with 86 degree temperatures by early afternoon; winds were mild (7 mph) and the humidity hovering around 50 percent under cloudy skies ... The average score was 75.24 in the morning when Oraee played and 75.54 for the 156 rounds overall ... Oraee is now tied with Jeremy Paul for the team lead in stroke average... Fourth in all-time rounds played by a Buff with 148, he is threatening to end his career with the second-best stroke average in school history: Oraee's current number – 73.46 – trails only Kane Webber (72.90), as his 71 score on Friday inched him by Scott Petersen (73.47) ... He added to his school record for under par rounds for a career (39), and it was his 49th of par or better, trailing only Webber (52); he snapped a tie with current teammate, senior-to-be Philip Juel-Berg.
