Colorado University Athletics
Edwards Adds Trio To Men's Golf Program
November 22, 2019 | Men's Golf
BOULDER —University of Colorado men's golf coach Roy Edwards has added three star prep performers to the Buffalo program, as all signed national letters-of-intent to attend CU beginning next fall in the recent fall signing period.
Jacob Mason from Holy Family High School in Westminster and teammates Justin Biwer (pronounced be-were) and Ryan Mendez from Torrey Pines High School in San Diego will be the newest Buffs come August 2020. It's one of rare occasions that two players from the same high school class signed in the same year with the Buffaloes, the third time under Edwards.
"We are pleased with the signings of Jacob, Justin, and Ryan," Edwards said. "All three are talented players. We feel they all have great work ethics, are coachable, understand the sacrifice it takes to be great golfers, and will represent the University of Colorado very well."
Mason earned first-team all-state (3A) honors as determined by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps for the recently completed fall season, when he owned a stroke average of under 71. He finished third in the state championship with a 78-73—151 (+7) score, helping Holy Family to a runner-up finish. He is a four-time all-state performer, as he was sixth in the state meet as a junior (74-71—146, +5) which was held at Boulder Country Club, 16th as a sophomore when the event was limited to one round due to weather and sixth as a freshman; those first two years he attended Jefferson Academy before transferring to Holy Family, where he had a sub-70 average (69.8) as a junior.
He has also recorded several top finishes on the junior amateur circuits. He won an AGJA Qualifier in Garden City, Kan., in 2018 (and is ranked fifth on its points list in Colorado for 2019). He has been an active participant in the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado (JGAC), winning its event at Collindale Golf Club in Fort Collins (145, +3), and on the Future Collegians World Tour (FCWT), where he won the Nevada Wolf Run event in Reno (150, +6) this past summer.
"I picked CU because I've loved the school since I was a little kid," Mason said. "I've gone to football games for as long as I can remember and was raised by members of my family to be a Buff so it's always been my dream school. I also think Coach Edwards and Coach Grady are great coaches that can help me further my game, and being able to be coached by them will help me maximize my potential."
Edwards on Mason: "Jacob is a young man we have evaluated for a long time and we are so impressed with his drive to succeed and his positive energy. He continues to get better and better and we expect big things from Jacob during his career at CU."
Biwer resumed playing competitive golf in January 2018 after a four-year layoff when he concentrated on basketball and baseball. He qualified for the IMG Junior World seven months later and dating back to this past February, he's had seven top five finishes, including earning co-medalist honors in the AJGA Preview in San Bernardino (142, -2). In the Future Champions Golf (FCG) Western States Players Cup in Menifee, Calif., he recorded a 70-68-68—206 (-10) scorecard and finished second after losing in a playoff, and he also nabbed a runner-up finish in the Southern California's PGA Toyota Tour Cup (140, -4). Another top AJGA finish was a tie for sixth in the Open at The Oaks Club in Valencia (213, -3).
In high school competition, he earned first-team All-CIF San Diego Section honors, as he tied for seventh in the CIF Championship (140, -4). His scoring differential of 0.16 was seventh-best in all of the San Diego Section (in lieu of stroke averages, they use a format involving course ratings and slope). He and Mendez helped Torrey Pines finish third as a team in regional play and then second in the state championship.
"I chose the University of Colorado because I felt like it was the best school to improve my game as well as play against highly competitive schools in the Pac 12 and beyond," Biwer said. "I felt like I'd be able to make an immediate impact on the team in hopes of earning a national championship."
Edwards on Biwer: "Justin (along with Ryan) comes from one of the premier high school golf programs in the country. He is one of the best players in all of California in the class of 2020. He just came back to tournament golf about two years ago after being very successful as an athlete in other sports. He is very competitive and has the physical skills to be an extremely good player. He is elite academically as well and will be a great fit at CU."
Mendez earned second-team All-CIF San Diego Section honors as a junior, translating he was one of the top 12 prep players in the heavily competition region. His scoring differential was a solid 0.29.
He has an impressive resume in amateur play. In the past year, he won the North County Cup (139, -4), tied for second in the San Diego City Cup (137, -6) and in the Toyota Tour Cup Qualifying (140, -4). He tied for seventh in the San Diego Junior Amateur (73-70-67—210, -6) and placed eighth in the Charley Hoffman Foundation Junior at Encinitas Ranch (141, -3). In the FCGT Callaway World Championship at Palm Desert, he tied for 18th (70-74-70—214, -2), but was the eighth finisher from the U.S.
"The reason I chose CU was because of the great facilities and support system they offer for the student-athletes," Mendez said. "Also I felt that the coaches and I had a strong connection both personality-wise and golf-wise. This was a huge decision in my life and I feel CU is a great place to call home."
Edwards on Mendez: "Ryan has only played golf for about three years and is really starting to understand how good he can be. If he continues to work hard to improve he has huge upside as a golfer. He is high school teammates of Justin's on maybe the most competitive high school golf team I have personally ever seen. We are fortunate to add Ryan to our team."
The Buffaloes recently completed the fall portion of their 2019-20 schedule, defending their titles in two tournaments (Air Force Miranda and their own Mark Simpson-CU invitationals). CU has to replace four seniors on its roster, as Victor Bjorlow, Andre Leveque, Ross Macdonald and Daniel O'Loughlin are all on schedule to graduate next spring.
Jacob Mason from Holy Family High School in Westminster and teammates Justin Biwer (pronounced be-were) and Ryan Mendez from Torrey Pines High School in San Diego will be the newest Buffs come August 2020. It's one of rare occasions that two players from the same high school class signed in the same year with the Buffaloes, the third time under Edwards.
"We are pleased with the signings of Jacob, Justin, and Ryan," Edwards said. "All three are talented players. We feel they all have great work ethics, are coachable, understand the sacrifice it takes to be great golfers, and will represent the University of Colorado very well."
Mason earned first-team all-state (3A) honors as determined by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps for the recently completed fall season, when he owned a stroke average of under 71. He finished third in the state championship with a 78-73—151 (+7) score, helping Holy Family to a runner-up finish. He is a four-time all-state performer, as he was sixth in the state meet as a junior (74-71—146, +5) which was held at Boulder Country Club, 16th as a sophomore when the event was limited to one round due to weather and sixth as a freshman; those first two years he attended Jefferson Academy before transferring to Holy Family, where he had a sub-70 average (69.8) as a junior.
He has also recorded several top finishes on the junior amateur circuits. He won an AGJA Qualifier in Garden City, Kan., in 2018 (and is ranked fifth on its points list in Colorado for 2019). He has been an active participant in the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado (JGAC), winning its event at Collindale Golf Club in Fort Collins (145, +3), and on the Future Collegians World Tour (FCWT), where he won the Nevada Wolf Run event in Reno (150, +6) this past summer.
"I picked CU because I've loved the school since I was a little kid," Mason said. "I've gone to football games for as long as I can remember and was raised by members of my family to be a Buff so it's always been my dream school. I also think Coach Edwards and Coach Grady are great coaches that can help me further my game, and being able to be coached by them will help me maximize my potential."
Edwards on Mason: "Jacob is a young man we have evaluated for a long time and we are so impressed with his drive to succeed and his positive energy. He continues to get better and better and we expect big things from Jacob during his career at CU."
Biwer resumed playing competitive golf in January 2018 after a four-year layoff when he concentrated on basketball and baseball. He qualified for the IMG Junior World seven months later and dating back to this past February, he's had seven top five finishes, including earning co-medalist honors in the AJGA Preview in San Bernardino (142, -2). In the Future Champions Golf (FCG) Western States Players Cup in Menifee, Calif., he recorded a 70-68-68—206 (-10) scorecard and finished second after losing in a playoff, and he also nabbed a runner-up finish in the Southern California's PGA Toyota Tour Cup (140, -4). Another top AJGA finish was a tie for sixth in the Open at The Oaks Club in Valencia (213, -3).
In high school competition, he earned first-team All-CIF San Diego Section honors, as he tied for seventh in the CIF Championship (140, -4). His scoring differential of 0.16 was seventh-best in all of the San Diego Section (in lieu of stroke averages, they use a format involving course ratings and slope). He and Mendez helped Torrey Pines finish third as a team in regional play and then second in the state championship.
"I chose the University of Colorado because I felt like it was the best school to improve my game as well as play against highly competitive schools in the Pac 12 and beyond," Biwer said. "I felt like I'd be able to make an immediate impact on the team in hopes of earning a national championship."
Edwards on Biwer: "Justin (along with Ryan) comes from one of the premier high school golf programs in the country. He is one of the best players in all of California in the class of 2020. He just came back to tournament golf about two years ago after being very successful as an athlete in other sports. He is very competitive and has the physical skills to be an extremely good player. He is elite academically as well and will be a great fit at CU."
Mendez earned second-team All-CIF San Diego Section honors as a junior, translating he was one of the top 12 prep players in the heavily competition region. His scoring differential was a solid 0.29.
He has an impressive resume in amateur play. In the past year, he won the North County Cup (139, -4), tied for second in the San Diego City Cup (137, -6) and in the Toyota Tour Cup Qualifying (140, -4). He tied for seventh in the San Diego Junior Amateur (73-70-67—210, -6) and placed eighth in the Charley Hoffman Foundation Junior at Encinitas Ranch (141, -3). In the FCGT Callaway World Championship at Palm Desert, he tied for 18th (70-74-70—214, -2), but was the eighth finisher from the U.S.
"The reason I chose CU was because of the great facilities and support system they offer for the student-athletes," Mendez said. "Also I felt that the coaches and I had a strong connection both personality-wise and golf-wise. This was a huge decision in my life and I feel CU is a great place to call home."
Edwards on Mendez: "Ryan has only played golf for about three years and is really starting to understand how good he can be. If he continues to work hard to improve he has huge upside as a golfer. He is high school teammates of Justin's on maybe the most competitive high school golf team I have personally ever seen. We are fortunate to add Ryan to our team."
The Buffaloes recently completed the fall portion of their 2019-20 schedule, defending their titles in two tournaments (Air Force Miranda and their own Mark Simpson-CU invitationals). CU has to replace four seniors on its roster, as Victor Bjorlow, Andre Leveque, Ross Macdonald and Daniel O'Loughlin are all on schedule to graduate next spring.
Players Mentioned
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