Colorado University Athletics
Friday, February 3
Waikoloa, Hawaii
All Day
Colorado
vs
Second Round
Ethan Freeman matched his college low round -- 65 -- as he is leading CU's charge in Hawai'i.
Photo by: Chip Bromfield, ProMotion Ltd.
Golfers Move Into Third Place Tie In Hawai'i
February 03, 2017 | Men's Golf
Freeman Shoots 65, Tied For Second In Medalist Race
WAIKLOA, Hawai'i — The University of Colorado men's golf team moved up one spot into a tie for third place as the Buffaloes are enjoying their best effort in a spring opener in a decade through two rounds of the Hawai'i-Hilo Amer Ari Invitational.
No. 7 Southern California wrestled the lead away from No. 18 Texas Tech, as the Trojans scored a second round of 268 (20-under par) for a 35-under par score of 541. The Red Raiders, who led USC by three shots after 18 holes, are now one back of the lead with a 542 score as the two will likely duke it out amongst themselves for the team title.
Colorado, ranked 24th by Golfweek and 28th by GolfStat, followed its best first round spring score Thursday (281,-7) with a 9-under 279 for a 16-under 560 score, which has CU tied for third with No. 6 Stanford, the second-highest ranked team in the field, which features 11 schools ranked in the nation's Top 40. No. 20 Oregon rounds out the top five with a 561 total.
Senior Ethan Freeman continued to lead the Buffalo attach here, as he matched his previous collegiate best with a 7-under 65 on the 7,074-yard, par-72 Waikoloa King's Course. That gave him a 36-hole score of 11-under 133, which has him tied for second individually. He had six birdies Friday, giving him 13 over the two rounds which are third-most in the 120-man field, and he is playing the par-5 holes here at 8-under (tied for first) and the par-4 holes at 4-under (fifth-best). He had an eagle and 10 pars with those half dozen birdies against just one bogey.
Freeman had previous scored a 65 in his fourth collegiate meet as a freshman in the spring of 2014, but that came on a par-70 course, so this was his college best round in relation to par. The 65 also equaled CU's best single round of the year, which Morton Toft Hansen scored last September in CU's own Mark Simpson Invitational.
Senior Jeremy Paul improved by a shot in posting a 3-under 69, which has him at 5-under 139 and in a tie for 19th. He also had an eagle, one of three by the Buffaloes on the round, as CU has a tourney-best four through two rounds, with four birdies and nine pars opposite four bogeys. He added to all three of his school records as it was his 36th round in the 60s, his 60th subpar round and his 67th score of par or better.
Junior Yannik Paul turned in a 2-under par 70, giving him a 2-under 142 for 36 holes, tying him for 36th. Still recovering from a bout with strep throat earlier this week, he managed an eagle, four birdies and nine pars against just four bogeys for his second round breakdown. He was within one stroke of even for his first 16 holes until he closed the days with birdies on Nos. 11 and 12.
Junior John Souza fashioned a 3-over 75 as CU's fourth scorer for the day, and he sits in a tie for 79th with a 4-over 148 total. He had two birdies and 12 pars Friday against three bogeys and a double, with most of that damage coming early – he was 4-over after four holes but reined things in to play his last 14 holes at 1-under.
Hansen, a true freshman, struggled for most of his round, as he fired a 9-over 81 for a two round score of 8-over 152, which has him tied for 104th. Hanging in there at 4-over through eight holes, he had a rough patch where he was 7-over for the next eight holes. But as the saying goes in golf circles, end with something good that will bring you back the next day, he eagled the 601-yard, par-5 14th hole to get him back to a single digit overage for the day.
"Overall we are pleased with our first two rounds to open the spring," CU head coach Roy Edwards said. "We need to finish it off tomorrow as that will allow us to build momentum for the rest of the season.
"It was a great round by Ethan. He figured out his swing in the middle of the round and really got his putter going, and his game is really coming together. It was well deserved. Yannik and Jeremy did a really nice job shooting the scores that they did. They had similar rounds with good ball striking and a few minor struggles on the greens. "Souz" was plus-four early and struggling and I'm proud of him fighting back to help the team, while Morten had a really off day for him but we expect him to come back tomorrow at a high level."
USC's Rico Hoey shot a tournament-best 9-under 63 to take over the lead for medalist honors, as he goes into Saturday with a 14-under par 130 total and a three-shot lead over a trio of players, including CU's Freeman, whose 65 tied for the third-best score Friday. Freeman has five top five career finishes, four fifth-place efforts in major tournaments and a career-best second place last September in CU's Ballyneal Challenge, but an event that had only three teams participate.
The third and final round will commence at 10:30 a.m. MST, with the Buffs to be paired in the lead group with No. 7 USC, No. 18 Texas Tech and No. 6 Stanford. Colorado is gunning for its first top 10 finish to open the spring season since 2009, when it finished sixth (out of 17) in this same event, as well as it first top five effort to start the second half of the season since 2002, when the Buffs were third in a 15-team field in the Matlock Collegiate Classic in Lakeland, Fla.
No. 7 Southern California wrestled the lead away from No. 18 Texas Tech, as the Trojans scored a second round of 268 (20-under par) for a 35-under par score of 541. The Red Raiders, who led USC by three shots after 18 holes, are now one back of the lead with a 542 score as the two will likely duke it out amongst themselves for the team title.
Colorado, ranked 24th by Golfweek and 28th by GolfStat, followed its best first round spring score Thursday (281,-7) with a 9-under 279 for a 16-under 560 score, which has CU tied for third with No. 6 Stanford, the second-highest ranked team in the field, which features 11 schools ranked in the nation's Top 40. No. 20 Oregon rounds out the top five with a 561 total.
Senior Ethan Freeman continued to lead the Buffalo attach here, as he matched his previous collegiate best with a 7-under 65 on the 7,074-yard, par-72 Waikoloa King's Course. That gave him a 36-hole score of 11-under 133, which has him tied for second individually. He had six birdies Friday, giving him 13 over the two rounds which are third-most in the 120-man field, and he is playing the par-5 holes here at 8-under (tied for first) and the par-4 holes at 4-under (fifth-best). He had an eagle and 10 pars with those half dozen birdies against just one bogey.
Freeman had previous scored a 65 in his fourth collegiate meet as a freshman in the spring of 2014, but that came on a par-70 course, so this was his college best round in relation to par. The 65 also equaled CU's best single round of the year, which Morton Toft Hansen scored last September in CU's own Mark Simpson Invitational.
Senior Jeremy Paul improved by a shot in posting a 3-under 69, which has him at 5-under 139 and in a tie for 19th. He also had an eagle, one of three by the Buffaloes on the round, as CU has a tourney-best four through two rounds, with four birdies and nine pars opposite four bogeys. He added to all three of his school records as it was his 36th round in the 60s, his 60th subpar round and his 67th score of par or better.
Junior Yannik Paul turned in a 2-under par 70, giving him a 2-under 142 for 36 holes, tying him for 36th. Still recovering from a bout with strep throat earlier this week, he managed an eagle, four birdies and nine pars against just four bogeys for his second round breakdown. He was within one stroke of even for his first 16 holes until he closed the days with birdies on Nos. 11 and 12.
Junior John Souza fashioned a 3-over 75 as CU's fourth scorer for the day, and he sits in a tie for 79th with a 4-over 148 total. He had two birdies and 12 pars Friday against three bogeys and a double, with most of that damage coming early – he was 4-over after four holes but reined things in to play his last 14 holes at 1-under.
Hansen, a true freshman, struggled for most of his round, as he fired a 9-over 81 for a two round score of 8-over 152, which has him tied for 104th. Hanging in there at 4-over through eight holes, he had a rough patch where he was 7-over for the next eight holes. But as the saying goes in golf circles, end with something good that will bring you back the next day, he eagled the 601-yard, par-5 14th hole to get him back to a single digit overage for the day.
"Overall we are pleased with our first two rounds to open the spring," CU head coach Roy Edwards said. "We need to finish it off tomorrow as that will allow us to build momentum for the rest of the season.
"It was a great round by Ethan. He figured out his swing in the middle of the round and really got his putter going, and his game is really coming together. It was well deserved. Yannik and Jeremy did a really nice job shooting the scores that they did. They had similar rounds with good ball striking and a few minor struggles on the greens. "Souz" was plus-four early and struggling and I'm proud of him fighting back to help the team, while Morten had a really off day for him but we expect him to come back tomorrow at a high level."
USC's Rico Hoey shot a tournament-best 9-under 63 to take over the lead for medalist honors, as he goes into Saturday with a 14-under par 130 total and a three-shot lead over a trio of players, including CU's Freeman, whose 65 tied for the third-best score Friday. Freeman has five top five career finishes, four fifth-place efforts in major tournaments and a career-best second place last September in CU's Ballyneal Challenge, but an event that had only three teams participate.
The third and final round will commence at 10:30 a.m. MST, with the Buffs to be paired in the lead group with No. 7 USC, No. 18 Texas Tech and No. 6 Stanford. Colorado is gunning for its first top 10 finish to open the spring season since 2009, when it finished sixth (out of 17) in this same event, as well as it first top five effort to start the second half of the season since 2002, when the Buffs were third in a 15-team field in the Matlock Collegiate Classic in Lakeland, Fla.
| BUFFALO INDIVIDUALS |
| T2. | Ethan Freeman | 68-65—133 |
| T19. | Jeremy Paul | 70-69—139 |
| T36. | Yannik Paul | 72-70—142 |
| T79. | John Souza | 73-75—148 |
| T104. | Morten Toft Hansen | 71-81—152 |
| INDIVIDUAL LEADERS |
| 1. | Rico Hoey, USC | 67-63—130 |
| T2. | Ethan Freeman, Colorado | 68-65—133 |
| T2. | Fredrik Nilehn, Texas Tech | 66-67—133 |
| T2. | Kyle Suppa, USC | 64-69—133 |
| T5. | Jared duToit, Arizona State | 64-70—134 |
| T5. | Maverick McNealy, Stanford | 68-66—134 |
| TEAM STANDINGS |
| 1. | Southern California | 273-268—541 |
| 2. | Texas Tech | 270-272—542 |
| T3. | COLORADO | 281-279—560 |
| T3. | Stanford | 278-282—560 |
| 5. | Oregon | 285-276—561 |
| 6. | Oklahoma State | 286-278—564 |
| T7. | Arizona State | 286-279—565 |
| T7. | TCU | 281-284—565 |
| T9. | Texas | 284-282—566 |
| T9. | Georgia Tech | 288-278—566 |
| T9. | UCLA | 285-281—566 |
| 12. | Oregon State | 292-284—576 |
| 13. | St. Mary's | 300-279—579 |
| 14. | San Jose State | 292-289—581 |
| T15. | UC Davis | 295-287—582 |
| T15. | Auburn | 290-292—582 |
| 17. | Hawai'i | 294-290—584 |
| 18. | Osaka Gakuin | 298-292—590 |
| 19. | Pacific | 298-295—593 |
| 20. | Chico State | 292-303—595 |
| 21. | Hawai'i-Hilo | 304-300—604 |
Players Mentioned
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