Oraee Wraps CU Career With A 78 At NCAA Finals

Sunday, May 31

The Concession Golf Club: Bradenton, Fla.

All Day

Colorado

NCAA Championships

Photo by: CUBuffs.com

June 01, 2015 | Men's Golf

By: David Plati, Associate AD/Sports Information

BRADENTON, Fla. — University of Colorado senior David Oraee couldn't match his first round success over the final 36 holes and missed the cut in the NCAA Golf Championship Finals here Monday, but nevertheless completed one of the most outstanding overall careers in school history.

Oraee, who qualified as an individual out of regional action when the Buffaloes missed as a team by one spot, finished with a six-over par 78 on the 7,483-yard, par-72 Concession Golf Club course, giving him an 18-over 234 total. That tied him for 126th place after the third round; he opened with a 71 that had him tied for 13th, but was essentially derailed by a second round 85.

The 156-man field that consisted of 30 five-man teams plus six individuals was cut to the low 15 schools and the top nine players not associated with those teams. Oraee missed the cut by 16 strokes, as those nine golfers all placed in the top 23.

He had the difficult task of knowing he didn't make the cut but had to return to the course early Monday morning to finish the last four holes of his round after play had been suspended due to lightning on Sunday. He was on No. 15 when play was called; Oraee responded by scoring par on what would be the last four holes of his collegiate career.

“He wasn't going to bag it today, he went out with focus to finish it right” CU head coach Roy Edwards said. “It certainly wasn't what he wanted the last two days, but it was still a tremendous accomplishment being here and had a great first round. He was just a little off these last two rounds, and when that happens on this golf course, you have a real hard time scoring.

“Over four years, he basically exceeded all expectations you can have for any player,” Edwards added. “The consummate teammate, golfer, student, person – the total package. I think we should all look back on his career with great fondness. He did about everything you can do as a player and as a Colorado Buffalo.”

Oraee had six birdies, 31 pars, 11 bogeys, five doubles and one triple here this weekend, the latter counts very unusual for him but it had a lot to do with the challenges the Concession Club gave the golfers. The average score through three rounds was 75.36, with just two holes – Nos. 3 and 17, both par-5s – playing under par for the tournament. He opened with five birdies in his first round but had just one over the last 36 holes.

“You can hit great shots and end up in really bad spots, and that seemed to what happened to me,” Oraee said. “And the few bad shots I hit did as well. This golf course is really difficult, and I didn't make many putts the last two days like I did in the first round. All my birdie putts weren't going in, and then some of my par putts stopped falling. If you get a little timid, this course will eat you alive.”

He reflected briefly on his CU career. “It's been awesome. I have a lot of memories these last four years, my experience as a whole with my teammates and coaches. Academically it's been great, and I don't regret anything over the last four years.” He will graduate in December with a degree in Integrated Physiology with designs on becoming a surgeon after his playing days.

Oraee is not certain when he will turn professional, and has a few exemptions into some summer tournaments as an amateur, including the Colorado Open. He may or may not try to defend his title in the state's stroke play championship in August.

He finished his career with the fourth-best stroke average in CU history –73.57 – and wound up with a 72.5 mark his senior year, the ninth best in school annals although third on this year's squad. He helped the team set a record for overall stroke average at 73.51, eclipsing the marks set the previous two seasons. He set the record for the most rounds under par (39) and had the second-most rounds of par or better (49). He also played in six team tournament wins, another record as the old mark had been four.

Including these NCAA Finals, Oraee played in all 50 tournaments that he could possibly have played in as a Buff, with his 150 rounds played the fourth-most ever at the school. While several players played in all but one major tournament in their CU careers, including Steve Jones, Rick Cramer, Knut Ekjord and Kane Webber among others, Oraee is the first four-year letterman to play in all he could have qualified for with the team (49). Ironically, junior teammate Philip Juel-Berg is in position to accomplish the same feat, as he's played in all 38 events he could have.

SMU's Bryson Dechambeau maintained his individual lead after three rounds, carding a 72 for a 7-under 209. That led Alabama-Birmingham's Paul Dunne by one stroke. They were two of just 13 players under par through 54 holes.

NOTES: In the team standings, Georgia led through three rounds (3-over 867), with USC and UCLA advancing from the Pac-12; SMU defeated Washington in a playoff for the 15th and final spot, while Stanford (21st), Oregon (23rd) and Arizona State (tie for 24th) were also eliminated from title contention (two of the nine individuals were from Pac-12 schools) … Oraee was one of 45 players who had not completed their rounds when play was suspended on Sunday due to lightning; he completed it starting at 7 a.m. Monday local time … Sunday's third round was “crazy slow” according to Edwards, as Oraee's first nine took 2 hours and 50 minutes to play (and still had four holes left to play when play was suspended 4½ hours into his round) … Hale Irwin didn't play in every possible tournament as he never could compete in the fall – he played quarterback and then cornerback on the football team from 1964-66 … Among the 31 golfers here from the Pac-12, Oraee tied for 25th … Oraee's incredible streak of scoring no worse than a double bogey came to an end this weekend when he had a triple on No. 8 on his next-to-last hole of the second round; it had been 26 months and 1,563 holes between them. Still, he finished his career with just seven triple bogeys and one quadruple in 2,700 holes (150 rounds).