Colorado University Athletics
Golfers Jump Into Third Place At Stanford's The Goodwin
March 26, 2016 | Men's Golf
PALO ALTO, Calif. — The University of Colorado men's golf team recorded its best single round score of its spring season here Friday, propelling the Buffaloes to jump from seventh place into third through two rounds of Stanford's 48th Annual "The Goodwin."
Colorado jumped four spots in the standings after firing a 7-under 273 team score, the second-best in the tournament through 36 holes and one of just five rounds under par. That gave the 69th-ranked Buffaloes an even-par 560 score heading into the final round. The 273 tied CU's second-best gross score and fourth-best score in relation to par this season, and was the fourth-best team score in school history on a par-70 course.
UC Davis, ranked No. 101 nationally, extended its lead by scoring the best round in the meet – an 8-under 272 – for an 11-under par 549. No. 8 and host Stanford remained in second, but fell from three to 10 strokes off the lead with a 559 total. No. 33 UNLV (562) and No. 26 Oregon (564) round out the top five.
Junior Jeremy Paul continued to lead the Buffaloes through 36 holes, as he followed an opening round 67 with a 68 to give him a 5-under 135 score on the 6,727-yard, par-70 Stanford University Golf Course layout; that has him tied for third individually, just three shots out of the lead. He had another steady day, with five birdies and 10 pars, giving him 10 and 21, respectively, the latter the third-most in the 138-man field. He again added to his all-time school best of rounds in the 60s with his 25th Friday. Paul was 1-over at the turn, but for the second straight day shot a 3-under 32 on the back nine.
Senior Philip Juel-Berg also turned in a 2-under 68, giving him a 2-under 138 total that has him tied for eighth. He became the first CU player to score two eagles in the same round in at least a decade when he made 3s on two of the three par-5s (Nos. 1 and 16). Otherwise, he had three birdies and eight pars en route to his sixth straight round of par or better, the second longest streak in school history and one shy of the record, held by Paul. It was the 63rd time in his career she shot under- or even-par, adding to his school record. He has literally feasted on the six par-5 holes here, playing them at a tournament best 8-under, with two eagles and four birdies.
Junior Ethan Freeman did it again: after opening with a 6-over 76, he came back with a nine-stroke improvement with CU's best round Friday – a 3-under 67, which has him tied for 31st with a 3-over 143. He opened with an eagle on No. 1 and went on to score four birdies and 10 pars against just three bogeys after making seven of the latter in the first round. In the five tournaments this year he opened with a 75 or worse, he has come back to average 69.4 in the second round of those events.
Sophomore John Souza shot an even-par 70 for a 4-over 144 through two rounds, which has him tied for 37th. He had solid round with three birdies and 12 pars as he was either 1-over or even after each of the 18 holes after he started with a bogey. Par was still considered a good score through two days of competition, with the average score in the field still well over par at 73.4.
Freshman Ross Macdonald, like Freeman, has had a knack for rebounding from a high first round score, and he did so again on Friday. He shaved five strokes off from his first lap around the Stanford course and turned in a 2-over 72, giving him a 9-over total of 149 that has him tied for 94th. He had three birdies and 11 pars in the second round, and headed for an under par finish until he closed with a double and a bogey after spending his first 16 holes of the day at either 1- or 2-under par.
"It obviously was a very good round, our best of the spring," CU head coach Roy Edwards said. "We got off to a really good start with two eagles and a birdie on No. 1. The course really rewards the smart play and we did that today almost all of the time. The guys weren't all playing their best but they were very impressive in their calm and focus.
"Jeremy and Philip were struggling a little bit most of the day but they kept at it to post two very good scores," he added. "Ethan was very good and bounced back from strong from his first round here. He has been working really hard and it came together for him today. John and Ross did some good things. Today also showed the importance of having five players all being competitive."
UC Davis' Luke Vivolo maintained the individual lead, firing a 3-under 67 that sent him to an 8-under 132 through two rounds; that's good for a one stroke lead over Oregon's Aaron Wise, who also turned in a 67. CU's Paul remained in a three-way tie for third.
The third and final round is set for Saturday; the Buffaloes will be paired with UC Davis and Stanford and will tee off last among the 25-team field on No. 1 with tee times starting at 2:50 p.m. MDT. The weather is expected to be sunny with temperatures in the upper 60s, but winds could gust up to 15 miles per hour from the northwest.
The Buffs are now second out of six Pac-12 teams competing here, in addition to being ahead of seven of the eight programs ranked in the top 40, including top-ranked USC, as Colorado is some 23 strokes ahead of the Trojans. A solid finish here could move the Buffaloes up in the rankings anywhere from 15-to-20 spots depending on what else happens around the nation.
CU is also gunning for its best finish in the four times it has participated in this tournament, trying to top an eighth place effort in 2013; the Buffs finished 21st here a year ago and Friday's 273 was easily their best single round in this event.
|
BUFFALO INDIVIDUALS |
|
T3. |
67-68—135 |
|
|
T8. |
70-68—138 |
|
|
T31. |
76-67—143 |
|
|
T37. |
74-70—144 |
|
|
T94. |
77-72—149 |
|
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS |
|
1. |
Luke Vivolo, UC Davis |
65-67—132 |
|
2. |
Aaron Wise, Oregon |
66-67—133 |
|
3. |
Jeremy Paul, Colorado |
67-68—135 |
|
3. |
John Oda, UNLV |
68-67—135 |
|
3. |
Ben Corfee, UC Davis |
68-67—135 |
|
TEAM STANDINGS |
|
1. |
UC Davis |
277-272—549 |
|
2. |
Stanford |
280-279—559 |
|
3. |
COLORADO |
287-273—560 |
|
4. |
UNLV |
280-282—562 |
|
5. |
Oregon |
286-278—564 |
|
6. |
Northwestern |
286-283—569 |
|
7. |
Pepperdine |
287-283—570 |
|
8. |
St. Mary's |
285-288—573 |
|
9. |
SMU |
293-281—574 |
|
10. |
Pacific |
289-287—576 |
|
11. |
Nevada |
293-284—577 |
|
11. |
Brigham Young |
293-284—577 |
|
13. |
UCLA |
292-287—579 |
|
14. |
Santa Clara |
296-284—580 |
|
15. |
Southern California |
293-290—583 |
|
15. |
San Francisco |
296-287—583 |
|
17. |
Northern Colorado |
288-297—585 |
|
18. |
Colorado State |
298-288—586 |
|
19. |
Loyola-Marymount |
289-299—588 |
|
19. |
Fresno State |
293-295—588 |
|
21. |
San Jose State |
292-300—592 |
|
21. |
Marquette |
301-291—592 |
|
21. |
Arizona |
293-299—592 |
|
24. |
Denver |
305-294—599 |
|
25. |
Yale |
305-297—602 |
