Tuesday, October 3
Erie, Colo.
All Day
Colorado
vs
Third Round
Biwer was one of four players to record three subpar rounds in this year's Simpson-CU meet.
Photo by: Mike Rasay
Golfers Finish Second In Own Mark Simpson-CU Invitational
October 03, 2023 | Men's Golf
Buffs record best score in final round, fall just short of title
ERIE — The University of Colorado men's golf team recorded the best score in the final round by some seven strokes but the Buffaloes came up just short of the title in finishing second here Tuesday in its own 13th annual Mark Simpson-Colorado Invitational.
San Francisco led from wire-to-wire in claiming the title with a 19-under par 845 team score. Colorado, which started the day nine back of the lead and in fourth place, made its move after a slow start with a tremendous charge on the back nine, assuming the lead on several occasions by either one or two strokes. In the end, it couldn't overtake the Dons and finished with a 17-under 847 score. Texas-El Paso and Colorado State tied for third with 10-under 854 scores, with Washington State rounding out the top five (859).
Starting on the front nine (holes 4 through 7), the five designated scorers got off to a rough start, and we a collective 6-over three-to-six holes in (plus-3 net); then the quintet caught fire, between them scoring an eagle and 14 birdies with just two birdies to take a one-stroke lead over San Francisco with four-to-six holes remaining. USF grabbed the lead back briefly, then the two were tied for a bit and then see-sawed in and out first, until the Dons four scorers on the day played the 17th hole 5-under, scoring an eagle and three birdies to hold off the CU charge.
"I'm proud of the run today by the team, though again got off to a bit of a rocky start," CU head coach Roy Edwards said. "But then we really played well the last 10 to 12 holes. Any time you're seven (strokes) clear of the field, you've had a good day. And that was in addition to the course being set up much harder today, and it was even tougher because of the wind."
Colorado had three players finish in the top 10 for the first time since the 2018 Simpson, and for the 30th time overall; it was the eighth time three Buffs finished in the top six, also since the '18 event named for its late former coach.
Junior Justin Biwer paced the Buffaloes here with a career-best second place finish, as finished with a 7-under par 209 scorecard after a 2-under 70 Tuesday the 7,787-yard, par-72 Colorado National Golf Club course layout. He started the day in third place, but briefly fell out of the top 10 after being 3-over six holes into his round. But he caught fire, making all six of his birdies on the round on his next 10 holes (Nos. 11 through 2), at one point pulling to within one stroke of the lead.
Biwer's 17 birdies for the two days tied for the most in the field, and he also made 28 pars with eight bogeys and a double. He played the par-4s at 6-under, tied with two others for the best among the 100 who competed here; he also played the par-5s at 6-under, fourth-best.
"I obviously starter off poorly both days – I had to leave the cart and walk to the next tee to give myself a breather and clear my head a little," Biwer said. "I'm not happy that I was 7-under with 17 birdies, but I am proud that I was able to come back and put myself in contention with shots like that. I thought I was pretty good off the tee, and I made a lot more mid-range putts than usual (15-20 footers), but I still feel that I left a lot out there."
Sophomore Hunter Swanson fashioned a 1-under 71 to finish with a 5-under 211, tying him for sixth. He had his team-leading fourth eagle of the season with three birdies and 11 pars opposite two bogeys and a double to wrap things Tuesday, and had 11 birdies and 35 pars overall. He played both the par-4s and par-5s at 5-under, fifth- and seventh-best, respectively among the field.
Junior Dylan McDermott made a charge and at one point was within two of the lead, as he fashioned a 4-under 68 to finish with a 5-under 211 effort, also eventually tying for sixth. He opened with a par and then birdied five of his next 12 holes, only to lose one back with his lone bogey coming down the stretch. Had 13 birdies and 34 pars with the team's fewest holes worse than par – seven – in the event. His 68 was one of just seven rounds in the 60s on Tuesday, and for the year, his final round average is also in the 60s (69.0). He played the par-5s at 7-under, tied for fourth-best in the field.
Freshman Brandon Knight tied for 26th after closing with a 1-under 71, which brought him back to an even 216 for the meet. He had five birdies and 10 pars with two bogeys and a double in the final round, and now has an eagle in all three events as a collegian, the first Buff to accomplish that feat in recent memory. Of CU's five designated scorers, he played the par-3s the best at 2-over (15th overall), and he finished sixth out of the 23 freshmen who competed here.
Junior Frederik Eisenbeis had his best round here, a 2-over 74, which gave him a 10-over 226 for the tourney and a tie for 68th place. He had two birdies and 13 pars in the final round and seven and 32, respectively, overall.
Four Buffaloes participated as individuals, led by junior Jack Holland who tied for 26th with an even 216 total after closing with an even par 72. He had a balanced day with four birdies and 10 pars opposite four bogeys, and overall recorded 11 birdies and 32 pars for the event. He tied for the top spot in playing the par-3s the best overall, doing so at 1-under.
Junior Tucker Clark finished in a tie for 41st after carding an even-par 72, as he was a par machine Tuesday. He had a team-high for the season with 16 pars, with a birdie and a bogey. He had seven birdies and 37 pars in all, the latter also a team-best for the young season.
Sophomore Robby Keilch finished up with a 1-under 71 for a 2-over 218 total, as he had a steady round with four birdies, 11 pars and three bogeys. He tied for 35th and had 11 birdies and 33 pars overall.
Rounding out the CU contingent was freshman Ty Holbrook, who tied for 73rd after firing a second straight 2-over 74 for an 11-over 227 total. He had seven birdies and 30 pars over the three rounds.
"Overall, really good tournaments from Justin, Dylan and Hunter, and freshman Brandon (Knight) had some really good moments as well," Edwards said. "I'm really encouraged about the progress of the team. We really didn't play that great today, but our short game allowed us to shoot a lower score. The guys have really been working hard at that and it's always good to see hard work be rewarded.
"Jack, Robby, Tucker and Ty all had their best rounds today, so we're seeing some good signs form the entire roster and developing depth"
Mercer's Tobias Jonsson, the co-leader through 36 holes, claimed medalist honors after closing with a 3-under 69 for a 9-under 207 total. That bested Biwer by one shot and three others by three strokes.
Colorado has two remaining team events in its fall season, as next up is the Fallen Oak Collegiate Invitational Oct. 15-17 in Biloxi, Miss.; there are three tri-hosts of the event: Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Southern Mississippi.
NOTES: San Francisco is the ninth different school to claim the title in the Simpson … The Buffaloes actually moved up a spot into fourth right before play began on Tuesday, as Nevada had a player's second round score disqualified, moving the Wolfpack from third down into seventh … Northern Colorado's Antti Vahvaselka was the top freshman performer here, topping all 23 frosh in the event with a 4-under 212 score that also tied him for 11th overall … The average score for 299 rounds overall was 73.88, with a high of 74.58 for the final round, which had winds gusting much of the day up to as high as 20 miles per hour … In the end, 25 players finished under par with three others ending even; there were just seven rounds in the 60s on Tuesday, CSU's Matthew Wilkinson had the low of 67 with McDermott's the lone 68 … The Buffs were third in birdies (57) and seventh in pars (163), tying for second in eagles (2; Valparaiso led with 3) … The Buffs played the par-5 holes the best in the field at 21-under, and the par-4s the second-best at 8-under; where CU struggled was on the par-3s, eighth-best at 22-over (USF played them the best at 7-over) … Biwer now has 18 subpar tournaments (and one even) in 27 career events, while McDermott has 17 and one; those rank fourth and fifth in CU history and are closing in on the leaders, twins Jeremy and Yannik Paul (22 each) … Biwer has eight subpar rounds (out of nine overall) this season and 48 for his career (fourth-most in CU annals) … Biwer continues to lead the team in stroke average (69.56 for nine rounds), with Swanson (70.0) and McDermott (70.5) right behind him … The tournament is named for CU's longtime head coach Mark Simpson, who after 29 years coaching the Buffs passed away on Dec. 5, 2005 at the age of 55 … This is just the second time all six Division I Front Range schools are participating in the Simpson (Air Force, CU, CSU, Denver, Northern Colorado and Wyoming); the other year was the 2012 event.
San Francisco led from wire-to-wire in claiming the title with a 19-under par 845 team score. Colorado, which started the day nine back of the lead and in fourth place, made its move after a slow start with a tremendous charge on the back nine, assuming the lead on several occasions by either one or two strokes. In the end, it couldn't overtake the Dons and finished with a 17-under 847 score. Texas-El Paso and Colorado State tied for third with 10-under 854 scores, with Washington State rounding out the top five (859).
Starting on the front nine (holes 4 through 7), the five designated scorers got off to a rough start, and we a collective 6-over three-to-six holes in (plus-3 net); then the quintet caught fire, between them scoring an eagle and 14 birdies with just two birdies to take a one-stroke lead over San Francisco with four-to-six holes remaining. USF grabbed the lead back briefly, then the two were tied for a bit and then see-sawed in and out first, until the Dons four scorers on the day played the 17th hole 5-under, scoring an eagle and three birdies to hold off the CU charge.
"I'm proud of the run today by the team, though again got off to a bit of a rocky start," CU head coach Roy Edwards said. "But then we really played well the last 10 to 12 holes. Any time you're seven (strokes) clear of the field, you've had a good day. And that was in addition to the course being set up much harder today, and it was even tougher because of the wind."
Colorado had three players finish in the top 10 for the first time since the 2018 Simpson, and for the 30th time overall; it was the eighth time three Buffs finished in the top six, also since the '18 event named for its late former coach.
Junior Justin Biwer paced the Buffaloes here with a career-best second place finish, as finished with a 7-under par 209 scorecard after a 2-under 70 Tuesday the 7,787-yard, par-72 Colorado National Golf Club course layout. He started the day in third place, but briefly fell out of the top 10 after being 3-over six holes into his round. But he caught fire, making all six of his birdies on the round on his next 10 holes (Nos. 11 through 2), at one point pulling to within one stroke of the lead.
Biwer's 17 birdies for the two days tied for the most in the field, and he also made 28 pars with eight bogeys and a double. He played the par-4s at 6-under, tied with two others for the best among the 100 who competed here; he also played the par-5s at 6-under, fourth-best.
"I obviously starter off poorly both days – I had to leave the cart and walk to the next tee to give myself a breather and clear my head a little," Biwer said. "I'm not happy that I was 7-under with 17 birdies, but I am proud that I was able to come back and put myself in contention with shots like that. I thought I was pretty good off the tee, and I made a lot more mid-range putts than usual (15-20 footers), but I still feel that I left a lot out there."
Sophomore Hunter Swanson fashioned a 1-under 71 to finish with a 5-under 211, tying him for sixth. He had his team-leading fourth eagle of the season with three birdies and 11 pars opposite two bogeys and a double to wrap things Tuesday, and had 11 birdies and 35 pars overall. He played both the par-4s and par-5s at 5-under, fifth- and seventh-best, respectively among the field.
Junior Dylan McDermott made a charge and at one point was within two of the lead, as he fashioned a 4-under 68 to finish with a 5-under 211 effort, also eventually tying for sixth. He opened with a par and then birdied five of his next 12 holes, only to lose one back with his lone bogey coming down the stretch. Had 13 birdies and 34 pars with the team's fewest holes worse than par – seven – in the event. His 68 was one of just seven rounds in the 60s on Tuesday, and for the year, his final round average is also in the 60s (69.0). He played the par-5s at 7-under, tied for fourth-best in the field.
Freshman Brandon Knight tied for 26th after closing with a 1-under 71, which brought him back to an even 216 for the meet. He had five birdies and 10 pars with two bogeys and a double in the final round, and now has an eagle in all three events as a collegian, the first Buff to accomplish that feat in recent memory. Of CU's five designated scorers, he played the par-3s the best at 2-over (15th overall), and he finished sixth out of the 23 freshmen who competed here.
Junior Frederik Eisenbeis had his best round here, a 2-over 74, which gave him a 10-over 226 for the tourney and a tie for 68th place. He had two birdies and 13 pars in the final round and seven and 32, respectively, overall.
Four Buffaloes participated as individuals, led by junior Jack Holland who tied for 26th with an even 216 total after closing with an even par 72. He had a balanced day with four birdies and 10 pars opposite four bogeys, and overall recorded 11 birdies and 32 pars for the event. He tied for the top spot in playing the par-3s the best overall, doing so at 1-under.
Junior Tucker Clark finished in a tie for 41st after carding an even-par 72, as he was a par machine Tuesday. He had a team-high for the season with 16 pars, with a birdie and a bogey. He had seven birdies and 37 pars in all, the latter also a team-best for the young season.
Sophomore Robby Keilch finished up with a 1-under 71 for a 2-over 218 total, as he had a steady round with four birdies, 11 pars and three bogeys. He tied for 35th and had 11 birdies and 33 pars overall.
Rounding out the CU contingent was freshman Ty Holbrook, who tied for 73rd after firing a second straight 2-over 74 for an 11-over 227 total. He had seven birdies and 30 pars over the three rounds.
"Overall, really good tournaments from Justin, Dylan and Hunter, and freshman Brandon (Knight) had some really good moments as well," Edwards said. "I'm really encouraged about the progress of the team. We really didn't play that great today, but our short game allowed us to shoot a lower score. The guys have really been working hard at that and it's always good to see hard work be rewarded.
"Jack, Robby, Tucker and Ty all had their best rounds today, so we're seeing some good signs form the entire roster and developing depth"
Mercer's Tobias Jonsson, the co-leader through 36 holes, claimed medalist honors after closing with a 3-under 69 for a 9-under 207 total. That bested Biwer by one shot and three others by three strokes.
Colorado has two remaining team events in its fall season, as next up is the Fallen Oak Collegiate Invitational Oct. 15-17 in Biloxi, Miss.; there are three tri-hosts of the event: Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Southern Mississippi.
NOTES: San Francisco is the ninth different school to claim the title in the Simpson … The Buffaloes actually moved up a spot into fourth right before play began on Tuesday, as Nevada had a player's second round score disqualified, moving the Wolfpack from third down into seventh … Northern Colorado's Antti Vahvaselka was the top freshman performer here, topping all 23 frosh in the event with a 4-under 212 score that also tied him for 11th overall … The average score for 299 rounds overall was 73.88, with a high of 74.58 for the final round, which had winds gusting much of the day up to as high as 20 miles per hour … In the end, 25 players finished under par with three others ending even; there were just seven rounds in the 60s on Tuesday, CSU's Matthew Wilkinson had the low of 67 with McDermott's the lone 68 … The Buffs were third in birdies (57) and seventh in pars (163), tying for second in eagles (2; Valparaiso led with 3) … The Buffs played the par-5 holes the best in the field at 21-under, and the par-4s the second-best at 8-under; where CU struggled was on the par-3s, eighth-best at 22-over (USF played them the best at 7-over) … Biwer now has 18 subpar tournaments (and one even) in 27 career events, while McDermott has 17 and one; those rank fourth and fifth in CU history and are closing in on the leaders, twins Jeremy and Yannik Paul (22 each) … Biwer has eight subpar rounds (out of nine overall) this season and 48 for his career (fourth-most in CU annals) … Biwer continues to lead the team in stroke average (69.56 for nine rounds), with Swanson (70.0) and McDermott (70.5) right behind him … The tournament is named for CU's longtime head coach Mark Simpson, who after 29 years coaching the Buffs passed away on Dec. 5, 2005 at the age of 55 … This is just the second time all six Division I Front Range schools are participating in the Simpson (Air Force, CU, CSU, Denver, Northern Colorado and Wyoming); the other year was the 2012 event.
| BUFFALO INDIVIDUALS | |||
| 2. | Justin Biwer | 71-68-70—209 | |
| T6. | Hunter Swanson | 72-68-71—211 | |
| T6. | Dylan McDermott | 71-72-68—211 | |
| T26. | *Jack Holland | 74-70-72—216 | |
| T26. | Brandon Knight | 71-74-71—216 | |
| T35. | *Robby Keilch | 75-72-71—218 | |
| T41. | *Tucker Clark | 71-76-72—219 | |
| T68. | Frederik Eisenbeis | 76-76-74—226 | |
| T73. | *Ty Holbrook | 79-74-74—227 | |
| INDIVIDUAL LEADERS |
| 1. | Tobias Jonsson, Mercer | 68-70-69—207 |
| 2. | Justin Biwer, Colorado | 71-68-70—209 |
| T3. | Aaron Kanth, UT-Arlington | 68-72-70—210 |
| T3. | Benjamin Partridge, USF | 67-71-72—210 |
| T3. | Renato Naula, USF | 70-69-71—210 |
| TEAM STANDINGS |
| 1. | San Francisco | 276-282-287—845 |
| 2. | COLORADO | 285-282-280—847 |
| T3. | Texas-El Paso | 281-284-289—854 |
| T3. | Colorado State | 283-283-288—854 |
| 5. | Washington State | 282-289-288—859 |
| 6. | Northern Colorado | 285-286-293—864 |
| 7. | Nevada | 280-293-292—865 |
| 8. | Wyoming | 289-290-287—866 |
| 9. | Mercer | 288-288-291—867 |
| T10. | Valparaiso | 287-302-290—879 |
| T10. | Grand Canyon | 290-293-296—879 |
| 12. | UT-Arlington | 290-292-298—880 |
| 13. | Denver | 293-290-298—881 |
| 14. | Utah Valley | 294-293-297—884 |
| 15. | Rice | 293-294-299—886 |
| 16. | Boise State | 291-291-312—894 |
| 17. | Air Force | 301-308-305—914 |
Players Mentioned
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