Sunday, October 15
Biloxi, Miss.
All Day
Colorado
vs
First Round
Jack Holland's birdie on No. 18 -- one of just six on the hole Sunday -- helped CU finish strong.
Photo by: Mike Rasay
Golfers Open In Tie For Eighth In Mississippi
October 15, 2023 | Men's Golf
Late Birdies By Biwer, Holland Help CU Close Strong
SAUCIER, Miss. — The University of Colorado men's golf team opened in a tie for eighth here Sunday in its next-to-last competition of the fall season, the Fallen Oak Collegiate Invitational.
No. 11 and tri-host Mississippi State turned in the best first round score with a 12-under 276, with top-ranked Auburn the only other team to post a subpar score, a 6-under 282. After that due, the field is jammed with just four strokes separating the next seven teams, with No. 3 Ole Miss (289) third and No. 29 SMU and Southern Miss tied for fourth (290).
The Buffaloes are at the back-end of that logjam, turning in a 5-over 293 score which has them tied with old (and future) Big 12 rival Kansas, also the alma mater of their head coach. CU opened fairly strong, rising as high as in third early and at 2-under, but a tough patch in the middle of the round had the Buffs as much as 7-over before a strong finish.
Junior Justin Biwer led the Buffaloes in the first round, as he is tied for 19th after firing an even-par 72 on the 7,482-yard, par-72 Fallen Oak Golf Club course layout. He posted a team-best four birdies with 10 pars and four bogeys; he was 3-under through seven but slipped to make all his bogeys over the next five holes before finishing with five of his pars and his last birdie. It was his first even-par round of the season, but added to his team-best nine scores of par or better for 10 overall rounds.
Freshman Brandon Knight is tied for 25th after recording a 1-over 73. He had two birdies and tied for the team-high with 14 pars opposite one bogey and one double. He matched Biwer with playing the par-4s the best by a Buff Sunday at even-par, which was also tied for sixth-best in the 72-man field.
Juniors Jack Holland and Dylan McDermott are tied for 32nd after carding 2-over par 74s, basically arriving with that score in similar fashions. Holland had two birdies and 12 pars with four bogeys, and was the lone Buff to end the day with a birdie on No. 18. McDermott had one birdie, 14 pars and three bogeys and played the par-3s at even, a team-best for the opening round.
Sophomore Hunter Swanson had some uncharacteristic struggles to start here, as he shot a 7-over 79, which has him tied for 65th; his previous high round this season in nine tries was a 1-over 73. He had two birdies and eight pars that were opposite even bogeys and a double. CU's most dominant player on par-5 holes this season, coming in at 26-under, he played the four here Sunday at even par.
Junior Tucker Clark is competing here as an individual and opened with a 1-over 73, thus tying for 25th with Knight. He played the par-5s the best of all the Buffs at 3-under, which were all of his birdies; otherwise he had two bogeys and a double on his day. He played the back nine at 1-under, also a CU best Sunday, as was his finishing with a run of nine straight holes of par or better.
"We got off to a good start, then struggled in the middle of the round but played the tough last three-hole stretch well," CU head coach Roy Edwards said. "Brandon, Dutchy (Holland) and Tucker all hung in there the entire day. These guys are really close to playing well. We are really proud of how well they are competing, which is going to pay off."
Speaking of those last three holes (Nos. 16-18), they played among the eight toughest Sunday. The four scorers from CU and Auburn played them the best at 2-under, with Ole Miss the only other under par (-1). Holland was one of just six players to birdie the 493-yard, par-4 18th, while Biwer was one of only seven to birdie the 416-yard, par-4 16th.
The co-leaders through 18 holes are Mississippi State's Hunter Logan and Ole Miss' Michael La Sasso, both of whom fired 5-under 67s.
The second round is set for Monday, as Colorado will be paired with Louisiana Tech and Kansas and will tee off starting at 8:40 a.m. MDT off the No. 10 tee. The weather forecast for the final two rounds is calling for sunny skies with temperatures in the upper 60s to low 70s.
NOTES: This is just the second event the Buffaloes have ever played in Mississippi; the other was in the fall of 2005 in the Tunica National Intercollegiate, which was the last tournament coordinated by long-time head coach Mark Simpson who would pass away six weeks later (senior Ed McGlasson won the event and dedicated it to the ailing CU coach, who was in treatment back in Colorado at the time) … Southern Miss, Ole Miss and Mississippi State are the tri-hosts of the event … Saucier is located in south central Mississippi, about 15 miles north of the Gulf Coast … Fallen Oaks, a Tom Fazio designed course, features plenty of trees and Bermuda grasses; it formally hosted a Champions Tour event … The average score for 72 rounds for the first round was 73.97, with 18 players recording subpar scores Sunday (just five in the 60s) and another six matching par … The Buff scorers are 11th in birdies (11; Auburn and Mississippi State lead with 20), but lead in pars (58) … Five Buffs opened with birdies on No. 1 (a 596-yard, par-5, all but McDermott posting a red 4) … Colorado is playing the par-4 holes at 9-over, tied for sixth-best in the field, while playing the par-5s at 3-under (ninth) and the par-3s at 6-over (tied for 10th) … This is one of those rare meets where the competing schools represent all four time zones on the mainland … The Buffaloes will close out the fall portion of their schedule in two weeks (Oct. 26-28), traveling to Maui to play in the Ka'anapali Classic Collegiate for the third straight year.
No. 11 and tri-host Mississippi State turned in the best first round score with a 12-under 276, with top-ranked Auburn the only other team to post a subpar score, a 6-under 282. After that due, the field is jammed with just four strokes separating the next seven teams, with No. 3 Ole Miss (289) third and No. 29 SMU and Southern Miss tied for fourth (290).
The Buffaloes are at the back-end of that logjam, turning in a 5-over 293 score which has them tied with old (and future) Big 12 rival Kansas, also the alma mater of their head coach. CU opened fairly strong, rising as high as in third early and at 2-under, but a tough patch in the middle of the round had the Buffs as much as 7-over before a strong finish.
Junior Justin Biwer led the Buffaloes in the first round, as he is tied for 19th after firing an even-par 72 on the 7,482-yard, par-72 Fallen Oak Golf Club course layout. He posted a team-best four birdies with 10 pars and four bogeys; he was 3-under through seven but slipped to make all his bogeys over the next five holes before finishing with five of his pars and his last birdie. It was his first even-par round of the season, but added to his team-best nine scores of par or better for 10 overall rounds.
Freshman Brandon Knight is tied for 25th after recording a 1-over 73. He had two birdies and tied for the team-high with 14 pars opposite one bogey and one double. He matched Biwer with playing the par-4s the best by a Buff Sunday at even-par, which was also tied for sixth-best in the 72-man field.
Juniors Jack Holland and Dylan McDermott are tied for 32nd after carding 2-over par 74s, basically arriving with that score in similar fashions. Holland had two birdies and 12 pars with four bogeys, and was the lone Buff to end the day with a birdie on No. 18. McDermott had one birdie, 14 pars and three bogeys and played the par-3s at even, a team-best for the opening round.
Sophomore Hunter Swanson had some uncharacteristic struggles to start here, as he shot a 7-over 79, which has him tied for 65th; his previous high round this season in nine tries was a 1-over 73. He had two birdies and eight pars that were opposite even bogeys and a double. CU's most dominant player on par-5 holes this season, coming in at 26-under, he played the four here Sunday at even par.
Junior Tucker Clark is competing here as an individual and opened with a 1-over 73, thus tying for 25th with Knight. He played the par-5s the best of all the Buffs at 3-under, which were all of his birdies; otherwise he had two bogeys and a double on his day. He played the back nine at 1-under, also a CU best Sunday, as was his finishing with a run of nine straight holes of par or better.
"We got off to a good start, then struggled in the middle of the round but played the tough last three-hole stretch well," CU head coach Roy Edwards said. "Brandon, Dutchy (Holland) and Tucker all hung in there the entire day. These guys are really close to playing well. We are really proud of how well they are competing, which is going to pay off."
Speaking of those last three holes (Nos. 16-18), they played among the eight toughest Sunday. The four scorers from CU and Auburn played them the best at 2-under, with Ole Miss the only other under par (-1). Holland was one of just six players to birdie the 493-yard, par-4 18th, while Biwer was one of only seven to birdie the 416-yard, par-4 16th.
The co-leaders through 18 holes are Mississippi State's Hunter Logan and Ole Miss' Michael La Sasso, both of whom fired 5-under 67s.
The second round is set for Monday, as Colorado will be paired with Louisiana Tech and Kansas and will tee off starting at 8:40 a.m. MDT off the No. 10 tee. The weather forecast for the final two rounds is calling for sunny skies with temperatures in the upper 60s to low 70s.
NOTES: This is just the second event the Buffaloes have ever played in Mississippi; the other was in the fall of 2005 in the Tunica National Intercollegiate, which was the last tournament coordinated by long-time head coach Mark Simpson who would pass away six weeks later (senior Ed McGlasson won the event and dedicated it to the ailing CU coach, who was in treatment back in Colorado at the time) … Southern Miss, Ole Miss and Mississippi State are the tri-hosts of the event … Saucier is located in south central Mississippi, about 15 miles north of the Gulf Coast … Fallen Oaks, a Tom Fazio designed course, features plenty of trees and Bermuda grasses; it formally hosted a Champions Tour event … The average score for 72 rounds for the first round was 73.97, with 18 players recording subpar scores Sunday (just five in the 60s) and another six matching par … The Buff scorers are 11th in birdies (11; Auburn and Mississippi State lead with 20), but lead in pars (58) … Five Buffs opened with birdies on No. 1 (a 596-yard, par-5, all but McDermott posting a red 4) … Colorado is playing the par-4 holes at 9-over, tied for sixth-best in the field, while playing the par-5s at 3-under (ninth) and the par-3s at 6-over (tied for 10th) … This is one of those rare meets where the competing schools represent all four time zones on the mainland … The Buffaloes will close out the fall portion of their schedule in two weeks (Oct. 26-28), traveling to Maui to play in the Ka'anapali Classic Collegiate for the third straight year.
| BUFFALO INDIVIDUALS | |||
| T19. | Justin Biwer | 35-37—72 | |
| T25. | Brandon Knight | 36-37—73 | |
| T25. | *Tucker Clark | 38-35—73 | |
| T32. | Dylan McDermott | 36-38—74 | |
| T32. | Jack Holland | 37-37—74 | |
| T65. | Hunter Swanson | 39-40—79 | |
| (*—competing individually) | |||
| INDIVIDUAL LEADERS |
| T1. | Hunter Logan, Mississippi State | 31-36—67 |
| T1. | Michael La Sasso, Mississippi | 32-35—67 |
| T3. | Josep Serra, Mississippi State | 35-33—68 |
| T3. | Jackson Kolvun, Auburn | 33-35—68 |
| 5. | Matthew Foster, SMU | 34-35—69 |
| TEAM STANDINGS |
| 1. | Mississippi State | 276 |
| 2. | Auburn | 282 |
| 3. | Mississippi | 289 |
| T4. | Southern Mississippi | 290 |
| T4. | SMU | 290 |
| T6. | Nevada-Las Vegas | 291 |
| T6. | Louisiana Tech | 291 |
| T8. | COLORADO | 293 |
| T8. | Kansas | 293 |
| 10. | Central Florida | 296 |
| 11. | Iowa | 298 |
| 12. | Wisconsin | 302 |
Players Mentioned
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