Colorado University Athletics
Players and coaches in Norman Sunday for this week's NCAA Regional.
Photo by: Brent DePaepe/CU Athletics
Buff Golfers In Final Preparations For NCAA Regional
May 13, 2023 | Men's Golf
CU set to compete in Norman as No. 9 seed
NORMAN, Okla. — The University of Colorado men's golf team arrived here Friday evening to begin final preparations for the first leg of NCAA Championships, as the Buffaloes will participate in the Central/Norman Regional which begin here Monday.
The Buffaloes squeezed in an early morning practice round Friday at Castle Pine Golf Club before departing for Norman, and played a round at Twin Hills Golf & Country Club northeast of Oklahoma City Saturday afternoon. On Sunday, all 14 teams and five individuals here played a shotgun practice round on the 7,452-yard, par-72 Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club.
The first round is scheduled for Monday, the second round Tuesday and final round Wednesday; CU is penciled in to tee off at 9:55 a.m. MDT (revised late Sunday from 7:55; that could be adjusted even later). Rain is in the forecast beginning before sunrise and could continue throughout Monday; with temperatures expected to be in the mid-60 before warming a bit for the final two days.
CU head coach Roy Edwards, in his 17th season at the reins of the program, is very familiar with the golf course the Buffaloes will be playing, which he refers to as "The Jimmie." A Kansas golf letterman, he coached the Buffaloes in their final five years in the Big 12 and believes the course will be good for his young team: four sophomores and a true freshman are the five designated scorers going in.
"It's a really good course for us and sets up well, fair but tough," Edwards said. "Jimmie Austin is one of the most historic courses in college golf. We have a motivated group and look forward to getting to 'The Jimmie' to play and compete. He feels good about the Buffaloes making the trip and the amount of practice CU was able to get in back in Boulder despite final exams, graduation and the rain late in the week.
Edwards and associate coach Derek Tolan have brought a familiar line-up to Norman. The starting lineup will feature four sophomores, Justin Biwer, Tucker Clark, Jack Holland and Dylan McDermott and a true freshman, Hunter Swanson. Senior Jack Hughes will also be on trip at the substitute alternate, new to the NCAA's from six years ago. All competed in the Pac-12's at Stanford and the five scorers in almost every tournament this spring.
"As I said before the Pac-12's, we're actually a lot more experienced team than it shows on paper, and I believe our finish bore that out," Edwards said of his team's third place effort in the conference. "Dylan and Justin have had outstanding years. We knew Tucker would be a great addition and he has been great for us. Hunter has had one of the best freshman years in CU history. Jack Holland has really developed from his freshman year to now. Jack Hughes will start out as our sub and he will ready to go if we need him, as he has all year."
Colorado, ranked No. 52 in the nation (GolfStat; No. 66 Golfweek) is the No. 9 seed in the regional, in which No. 5 Texas Tech is the top seed. Host and No. 9 Oklahoma, the Big 12 champion, is the second seed with No. 17 Alabama the third seed; CU is the only school from west of the Central Time Zone in the event as most are from the southeast. The Buffaloes had qualifying for regionals a season-long goal and are definitely hungry to compete well.
"That was one of our goals from the start and was something that has been driving us all year," Edwards said. "It's been the source of our motivation, work ethic and preparation. But we just can't be satisfied getting there, the next step is to focus on our course management, take things one at a time and to play well overall. The team has done a great job of practicing and getting through their final projects and finals."
The remainder of the field, in seeded order, includes No. 20 Mississippi, No. 29 Wake Forest, No. 32 Duke, No. 41 LSU, No. 44 North Florida, CU, No. 56 Kansas, No. 77 North Carolina-Wilmington, No. 131 Louisiana, No. 182 Princeton and No. 269 Arkansas Pine Bluff (the latter four were their conference champions).
McDermott leads the team in stroke average with a 69.76 figure, which is also good for third in the Pac-12, while Biwer is next at 70.85, which is 10th. McDermott is having an All-America caliber season, and leads the conference in subpar rounds (25), rounds in the 60s (20), and in top five, 10 and 20 finishes (five, eight and nine, respectively). Those same numbers lead all players in the regional field.
Five individuals from schools that did not advance as a team will also compete in Norman, thus 75 total players will be in the field. Nationally, 81 teams and 45 individuals qualified for the postseason; schools must have a .500 record or better to qualify for the postseason. Colorado was a superb 127-52-5 in the regular season. There are six regional sites and those competing will play 54 holes with the top five teams and top individual who is not a member of those squads earning the right to advance to the NCAA Championship Finals.
NOTES: Several family members are also in Norman to follow the team … This is the 23rd time that Colorado has been selected as a team to play in the regionals, which were created in 1989 with the help of CU's head coach at the time, the late Mark Simpson. CU individuals were invited to compete on six other occasions … The NCAA Finals are scheduled for May 26-31 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. (Arizona State is serving as the host institution) … The Buffaloes will be paired with No. 7-seed LSU and No. 8-seed North Florida in Monday's first round in their bid to return to the NCAA Finals for the first time since the 2001-02 season … Several Buffs participated in U.S. Open Local Qualifying: alum Ryan Schmitz ('17) tied for fourth (2-under 69) at Collindale Golf Club in Fort Collins on May 2 to advance to sectionals. On May 9 at The Broadlands in Broomfield, Dylan McDermott tied for second to advance to sectionals (34-33—67, -5); assistant coach Derek Tolan ('09), just missed by one shot, tying for 11th (70, -2). On May 11, cold and steady rain affected play at the Walnut Creek Golf Preserve in Westminster; Hunter Swanson shot a 5-over 77, missing the cut by three; recruit Wesley Erling posted an 81. Sectional Qualifying will take place on May 22 (Dallas) and on June 5 (at 10 sites, nine in the U.S. and one in Canada; but only two west of the Mississippi, in Los Angeles and Tacoma).
The Buffaloes squeezed in an early morning practice round Friday at Castle Pine Golf Club before departing for Norman, and played a round at Twin Hills Golf & Country Club northeast of Oklahoma City Saturday afternoon. On Sunday, all 14 teams and five individuals here played a shotgun practice round on the 7,452-yard, par-72 Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club.
The first round is scheduled for Monday, the second round Tuesday and final round Wednesday; CU is penciled in to tee off at 9:55 a.m. MDT (revised late Sunday from 7:55; that could be adjusted even later). Rain is in the forecast beginning before sunrise and could continue throughout Monday; with temperatures expected to be in the mid-60 before warming a bit for the final two days.
CU head coach Roy Edwards, in his 17th season at the reins of the program, is very familiar with the golf course the Buffaloes will be playing, which he refers to as "The Jimmie." A Kansas golf letterman, he coached the Buffaloes in their final five years in the Big 12 and believes the course will be good for his young team: four sophomores and a true freshman are the five designated scorers going in.
"It's a really good course for us and sets up well, fair but tough," Edwards said. "Jimmie Austin is one of the most historic courses in college golf. We have a motivated group and look forward to getting to 'The Jimmie' to play and compete. He feels good about the Buffaloes making the trip and the amount of practice CU was able to get in back in Boulder despite final exams, graduation and the rain late in the week.
Edwards and associate coach Derek Tolan have brought a familiar line-up to Norman. The starting lineup will feature four sophomores, Justin Biwer, Tucker Clark, Jack Holland and Dylan McDermott and a true freshman, Hunter Swanson. Senior Jack Hughes will also be on trip at the substitute alternate, new to the NCAA's from six years ago. All competed in the Pac-12's at Stanford and the five scorers in almost every tournament this spring.
"As I said before the Pac-12's, we're actually a lot more experienced team than it shows on paper, and I believe our finish bore that out," Edwards said of his team's third place effort in the conference. "Dylan and Justin have had outstanding years. We knew Tucker would be a great addition and he has been great for us. Hunter has had one of the best freshman years in CU history. Jack Holland has really developed from his freshman year to now. Jack Hughes will start out as our sub and he will ready to go if we need him, as he has all year."
Colorado, ranked No. 52 in the nation (GolfStat; No. 66 Golfweek) is the No. 9 seed in the regional, in which No. 5 Texas Tech is the top seed. Host and No. 9 Oklahoma, the Big 12 champion, is the second seed with No. 17 Alabama the third seed; CU is the only school from west of the Central Time Zone in the event as most are from the southeast. The Buffaloes had qualifying for regionals a season-long goal and are definitely hungry to compete well.
"That was one of our goals from the start and was something that has been driving us all year," Edwards said. "It's been the source of our motivation, work ethic and preparation. But we just can't be satisfied getting there, the next step is to focus on our course management, take things one at a time and to play well overall. The team has done a great job of practicing and getting through their final projects and finals."
The remainder of the field, in seeded order, includes No. 20 Mississippi, No. 29 Wake Forest, No. 32 Duke, No. 41 LSU, No. 44 North Florida, CU, No. 56 Kansas, No. 77 North Carolina-Wilmington, No. 131 Louisiana, No. 182 Princeton and No. 269 Arkansas Pine Bluff (the latter four were their conference champions).
McDermott leads the team in stroke average with a 69.76 figure, which is also good for third in the Pac-12, while Biwer is next at 70.85, which is 10th. McDermott is having an All-America caliber season, and leads the conference in subpar rounds (25), rounds in the 60s (20), and in top five, 10 and 20 finishes (five, eight and nine, respectively). Those same numbers lead all players in the regional field.
Five individuals from schools that did not advance as a team will also compete in Norman, thus 75 total players will be in the field. Nationally, 81 teams and 45 individuals qualified for the postseason; schools must have a .500 record or better to qualify for the postseason. Colorado was a superb 127-52-5 in the regular season. There are six regional sites and those competing will play 54 holes with the top five teams and top individual who is not a member of those squads earning the right to advance to the NCAA Championship Finals.
NOTES: Several family members are also in Norman to follow the team … This is the 23rd time that Colorado has been selected as a team to play in the regionals, which were created in 1989 with the help of CU's head coach at the time, the late Mark Simpson. CU individuals were invited to compete on six other occasions … The NCAA Finals are scheduled for May 26-31 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. (Arizona State is serving as the host institution) … The Buffaloes will be paired with No. 7-seed LSU and No. 8-seed North Florida in Monday's first round in their bid to return to the NCAA Finals for the first time since the 2001-02 season … Several Buffs participated in U.S. Open Local Qualifying: alum Ryan Schmitz ('17) tied for fourth (2-under 69) at Collindale Golf Club in Fort Collins on May 2 to advance to sectionals. On May 9 at The Broadlands in Broomfield, Dylan McDermott tied for second to advance to sectionals (34-33—67, -5); assistant coach Derek Tolan ('09), just missed by one shot, tying for 11th (70, -2). On May 11, cold and steady rain affected play at the Walnut Creek Golf Preserve in Westminster; Hunter Swanson shot a 5-over 77, missing the cut by three; recruit Wesley Erling posted an 81. Sectional Qualifying will take place on May 22 (Dallas) and on June 5 (at 10 sites, nine in the U.S. and one in Canada; but only two west of the Mississippi, in Los Angeles and Tacoma).
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