Colorado University Athletics
Sunday, November 3
Maui, Hawai'i
All Day
Colorado
vs
Second Round
Dylan McDermott recorded a second straight 67, his 14th straight round of par or better,
Photo by: CUBuffs.com
Golfers Move Into Fifth At Ka'anapali Classic Collegiate
November 03, 2024 | Men's Golf
All Six Buffaloes Record Rounds of Par or Better
LAHAINA, Maui — The University of Colorado men's golf team started out like gangbusters before eventually cooling off in the tropical sun later in the day, but not before moving up a spot into fifth place after two rounds in Hawai'i's Ka'anapali Classic Collegiate.
No. 2 Oklahoma continued to lead the 21-team field, as the Sooners are in command with a 31-under par team score of 537. But six teams are within nine strokes of the lead, all bunched together between second and seventh by only four strokes. No. 67 Indiana and No. 52 Kansas are tied for second (542), with No. 110 North Florida fourth (543) and then the 32nd-ranked Buffaloes (544). Lurking right behind CU are No. 5 Louisiana State (545) and No. 26 Georgia (546).
On several occasions Sunday, the Buffaloes and Kansas pulled even with Oklahoma, the last time when all were 32-under par at one juncture. But the winds picked up late in the day, and CU, KU, East Tennessee State and San Jose State all were finishing on holes into the wind, including the scoring-friendly par-5, 519-yard 1st hole. Colorado at one time was 18-under par on the round, but lost eight strokes down the stretch; KU lost six and ETSU nine.
Still, the Buffs recorded a 10-under 274 team total, the sixth-best of the day, and their 24-under 544 gross score through the 36 holes is the second-best on a par-71 course in school history, fourth-best in relation to par on any configuration.
"We got off to a fast start but started on some of the more scoreable holes and we took advantage of them," head coach Roy Edwards said. "A bit of a rough finish coming in and weren't able to take advantage of the par-5 1st hole. But overall, we are in a really good spot heading into tomorrow, just seven shots back of first and only two out of second place. We are confident the guys will play well tomorrow."
For the 23rd time in school history – and the 12th time over the last five seasons including four times in 14 rounds this fall – all five designated scorers recorded scores of par or better.
Senior Dylan McDermott fashioned a second consecutive 4-under par 67 for an 8-under 134 total through 36 holes on the Ka'anapali Golf Resort's Royal Course (6,700-yards, par-71 layout). That has him tied for ninth, but the way he started his round, one would have thought carding a 61 – or lower – was in the works. He opened with a par on No. 5, and then proceeded eagle the two par-5's ahead of it, Nos. 6 and 9, before reeling off four straight birdies to start the back nine; he stood at 8-under through nine holes and had assumed the individual lead. But he would come back down to earth, finishing with four bogeys, all of which coming after the winds picked up and he played into it on most of his final holes.
He continued to add to his school record rounds of consecutive par or better, his 14th in as many rounds this fall.
Senior Justin Biwer is tied for 11th after following an opening 64 with an even-par 71; he's at 7-under 135 heading into Monday's final round. He had an eagle, one birdie and a team-high 13 pars opposite three bogeys en route to his 36-hole score. Biwer birdied his first hole, the 373-yard, par-4 4th, but bogeyed No. 5, a 474-yard par-4 – that ended an incredible run of 61 straight holes without a bogey, smashing the school record of 42 set by teammate Hunter Swanson in 2022. He had an eagle, 17 birdies and 43 pars in the run that went back to the last six holes in the first round of CU's Mark Simpson Invitational on Sept. 30, a tournament in which he shared medalist honors.
"That is truly a great record for Justin," Edwards said. "To play 61 holes in a row without a bogey is simply remarkable on any level in this game."
Sophomore Brandon Knight carded a 2-under 69, giving him a 6-under 136 total that has him tied for 20th. He was one of three CU players with five birdies in the second round, and he added 11 pars with one bogey and a double. Knight opened with six straight holes of par or better – including two birdies – before a double bogey on No. 10 that ended a streak of 24 bogey-free holes here. With back-to-back rounds in the 60's for the first time in his college career, he also posted a career-best 136 through 36 holes.
Junior Hunter Swanson rebounded from a rough opening round – a 5-over 76 – with a solid 3-under 68 that has him tied for 83rd with a 2-over 144 tally. He moved up 31 spots in the standings thanks to a solid day on five birdies, or four more than he had on Saturday.
Sophomore Ty Holbrook is tied for 64th after he turned in a 1-under 70 that pulled him back to even overall (142) for the weekend. In moving up 10 spots in the standings, he also tied for the team high with five birdies Sunday, with 10 pars, two bogeys and a double. He opened on fire, with back-to-back birdies and three on his first four holes and was 5-under at one time, before he finished bogey-double-bogey-par into the wind to end his round. He's only over on the par-3's (plus-3), as he is 2-under on the par-4's and 1-under on the par-5's here.
Freshman Parker Paxton is participating here as an individual (scores don't count toward CU team total), and he is tied for 24th after carding an even-par 71 Sunday for a 5-under 137 total. He got off to a rough start, bogeying two of his first three holes (Nos. 14 and 16), but bounced right back to play the next 14 at 4-under before closing with a third bogey on No. 13. He thus had three birdies and 12 pars opposite those trio of bogeys. His 10 birdies over the two days are the second-most by a Buff, and he's continued to be solid, playing the par-5's at 4-under, the par-4's at 2-under and the par-3's even. His 36-hole total of 137 is a career-best in just his fourth event.
Oklahoma's Jaxon Dowell remained on top of the leaderboard after following his opening 63 with a 66, as he owns a 36-hole total of 13-under 129, good for a two-stroke lead. Nine players are with five strokes of him however, all of whom have also recorded two rounds in the 60's.
The third and final round will once again commence with an 11:30 a.m. MST shotgun start on Monday. The Buffaloes will be paired with Georgia, LSU and TCU and once again for the third time tee off on holes 4 through 6. This will be the final action of the fall season for the Buffaloes, who won't play again until mid-February.
NOTES: The weather was fairly identical to Saturday, winds picked up later in the round (gusting to 18-20 miles per hour), temperatures reached the mid-80's but was a little less humid (52 percent) … The only lower score CU has ever had through 36 holes was a 26-under 542, which was recorded in the first event of the season in Washington State's Palouse Collegiate … Biwer, despite shooting an even-par 71, had this quirky thing occur: it was just the fifth time in 119 rounds that his score didn't count toward CU's team total … Biwer, who owns at 68.6 scoring average at present, has just 26 holes worse than bogey out of 252 thus far this fall (that's a rate of 90 percent of holes of par or better for the fourth-year Buffalo) … The average score for all 123 rounds on Sunday inflated just a bit to 70.98 from Saturday's 70.55 norm; for the 246 rounds combined it stands at 70.77 … The course continued to be scoring-friendly, as through 36 holes, 63 players are under par with another 18 in at even-par … The five Buff designated scorers have four eagles (tied for the most), 40 birdies (ninth, Oklahoma led with 56) and 110 pars (tied for eighth, Indiana has the most, 118); CU is tied for the second-fewest holes worse than par with just 26 (23 bogeys, three doubles, exact same as Oklahoma; Kansas has just 22 total (20, 2) … Colorado is playing the par-3's the fourth-best at 3-over, the par-5's at 18-under (tied for sixth-best) and the par-4's at 4-under (fifth).
No. 2 Oklahoma continued to lead the 21-team field, as the Sooners are in command with a 31-under par team score of 537. But six teams are within nine strokes of the lead, all bunched together between second and seventh by only four strokes. No. 67 Indiana and No. 52 Kansas are tied for second (542), with No. 110 North Florida fourth (543) and then the 32nd-ranked Buffaloes (544). Lurking right behind CU are No. 5 Louisiana State (545) and No. 26 Georgia (546).
On several occasions Sunday, the Buffaloes and Kansas pulled even with Oklahoma, the last time when all were 32-under par at one juncture. But the winds picked up late in the day, and CU, KU, East Tennessee State and San Jose State all were finishing on holes into the wind, including the scoring-friendly par-5, 519-yard 1st hole. Colorado at one time was 18-under par on the round, but lost eight strokes down the stretch; KU lost six and ETSU nine.
Still, the Buffs recorded a 10-under 274 team total, the sixth-best of the day, and their 24-under 544 gross score through the 36 holes is the second-best on a par-71 course in school history, fourth-best in relation to par on any configuration.
"We got off to a fast start but started on some of the more scoreable holes and we took advantage of them," head coach Roy Edwards said. "A bit of a rough finish coming in and weren't able to take advantage of the par-5 1st hole. But overall, we are in a really good spot heading into tomorrow, just seven shots back of first and only two out of second place. We are confident the guys will play well tomorrow."
For the 23rd time in school history – and the 12th time over the last five seasons including four times in 14 rounds this fall – all five designated scorers recorded scores of par or better.
Senior Dylan McDermott fashioned a second consecutive 4-under par 67 for an 8-under 134 total through 36 holes on the Ka'anapali Golf Resort's Royal Course (6,700-yards, par-71 layout). That has him tied for ninth, but the way he started his round, one would have thought carding a 61 – or lower – was in the works. He opened with a par on No. 5, and then proceeded eagle the two par-5's ahead of it, Nos. 6 and 9, before reeling off four straight birdies to start the back nine; he stood at 8-under through nine holes and had assumed the individual lead. But he would come back down to earth, finishing with four bogeys, all of which coming after the winds picked up and he played into it on most of his final holes.
He continued to add to his school record rounds of consecutive par or better, his 14th in as many rounds this fall.
Senior Justin Biwer is tied for 11th after following an opening 64 with an even-par 71; he's at 7-under 135 heading into Monday's final round. He had an eagle, one birdie and a team-high 13 pars opposite three bogeys en route to his 36-hole score. Biwer birdied his first hole, the 373-yard, par-4 4th, but bogeyed No. 5, a 474-yard par-4 – that ended an incredible run of 61 straight holes without a bogey, smashing the school record of 42 set by teammate Hunter Swanson in 2022. He had an eagle, 17 birdies and 43 pars in the run that went back to the last six holes in the first round of CU's Mark Simpson Invitational on Sept. 30, a tournament in which he shared medalist honors.
"That is truly a great record for Justin," Edwards said. "To play 61 holes in a row without a bogey is simply remarkable on any level in this game."
Sophomore Brandon Knight carded a 2-under 69, giving him a 6-under 136 total that has him tied for 20th. He was one of three CU players with five birdies in the second round, and he added 11 pars with one bogey and a double. Knight opened with six straight holes of par or better – including two birdies – before a double bogey on No. 10 that ended a streak of 24 bogey-free holes here. With back-to-back rounds in the 60's for the first time in his college career, he also posted a career-best 136 through 36 holes.
Junior Hunter Swanson rebounded from a rough opening round – a 5-over 76 – with a solid 3-under 68 that has him tied for 83rd with a 2-over 144 tally. He moved up 31 spots in the standings thanks to a solid day on five birdies, or four more than he had on Saturday.
Sophomore Ty Holbrook is tied for 64th after he turned in a 1-under 70 that pulled him back to even overall (142) for the weekend. In moving up 10 spots in the standings, he also tied for the team high with five birdies Sunday, with 10 pars, two bogeys and a double. He opened on fire, with back-to-back birdies and three on his first four holes and was 5-under at one time, before he finished bogey-double-bogey-par into the wind to end his round. He's only over on the par-3's (plus-3), as he is 2-under on the par-4's and 1-under on the par-5's here.
Freshman Parker Paxton is participating here as an individual (scores don't count toward CU team total), and he is tied for 24th after carding an even-par 71 Sunday for a 5-under 137 total. He got off to a rough start, bogeying two of his first three holes (Nos. 14 and 16), but bounced right back to play the next 14 at 4-under before closing with a third bogey on No. 13. He thus had three birdies and 12 pars opposite those trio of bogeys. His 10 birdies over the two days are the second-most by a Buff, and he's continued to be solid, playing the par-5's at 4-under, the par-4's at 2-under and the par-3's even. His 36-hole total of 137 is a career-best in just his fourth event.
Oklahoma's Jaxon Dowell remained on top of the leaderboard after following his opening 63 with a 66, as he owns a 36-hole total of 13-under 129, good for a two-stroke lead. Nine players are with five strokes of him however, all of whom have also recorded two rounds in the 60's.
The third and final round will once again commence with an 11:30 a.m. MST shotgun start on Monday. The Buffaloes will be paired with Georgia, LSU and TCU and once again for the third time tee off on holes 4 through 6. This will be the final action of the fall season for the Buffaloes, who won't play again until mid-February.
NOTES: The weather was fairly identical to Saturday, winds picked up later in the round (gusting to 18-20 miles per hour), temperatures reached the mid-80's but was a little less humid (52 percent) … The only lower score CU has ever had through 36 holes was a 26-under 542, which was recorded in the first event of the season in Washington State's Palouse Collegiate … Biwer, despite shooting an even-par 71, had this quirky thing occur: it was just the fifth time in 119 rounds that his score didn't count toward CU's team total … Biwer, who owns at 68.6 scoring average at present, has just 26 holes worse than bogey out of 252 thus far this fall (that's a rate of 90 percent of holes of par or better for the fourth-year Buffalo) … The average score for all 123 rounds on Sunday inflated just a bit to 70.98 from Saturday's 70.55 norm; for the 246 rounds combined it stands at 70.77 … The course continued to be scoring-friendly, as through 36 holes, 63 players are under par with another 18 in at even-par … The five Buff designated scorers have four eagles (tied for the most), 40 birdies (ninth, Oklahoma led with 56) and 110 pars (tied for eighth, Indiana has the most, 118); CU is tied for the second-fewest holes worse than par with just 26 (23 bogeys, three doubles, exact same as Oklahoma; Kansas has just 22 total (20, 2) … Colorado is playing the par-3's the fourth-best at 3-over, the par-5's at 18-under (tied for sixth-best) and the par-4's at 4-under (fifth).
| BUFFALO INDIVIDUALS |
| T9. | Dylan McDermott | 67-67—134 |
| T11. | Justin Biwer | 64-71—135 |
| T20. | Brandon Knight | 67-69—136 |
| T24. | *Parker Paxton | 66-71—137 |
| T64. | Ty Holbrook | 72-70—142 |
| T83. | Hunter Swanson | 76-68—144 |
| INDIVIDUAL LEADERS |
| 1. | Jaxon Dowell, Oklahoma | 63-66—129 |
| 2. | Kristian Bressum, ETSU | 65-66—131 |
| T3. | Clay Merchent, Indiana | 67-65—132 |
| T3. | Jase Summy, Oklahoma | 65-67—132 |
| T3. | Jack Beauchamp, TCU | 68-64—132 |
| TEAM STANDINGS |
| 1. | Oklahoma | 264-273—537 |
| T2. | Indiana | 268-274—542 |
| T2. | Kansas | 269-273—542 |
| 4. | North Florida | 266-277—543 |
| 5. | COLORADO | 270-274—544 |
| 6. | Louisiana State | 268-277—545 |
| 7. | Georgia | 275-271—546 |
| 8. | TCU | 277-272—549 |
| T9. | San Jose State | 274-278—552 |
| T9. | Liberty | 275-277—552 |
| 11. | East Tennessee State | 271-282—553 |
| 12. | Sacramento State | 276-279—555 |
| 13. | Connecticut | 284-273—557 |
| 14. | Louisiana Tech | 282-277—559 |
| 15. | Wyoming | 287-275—562 |
| 16. | CSU Northridge | 286-281—567 |
| 17. | Southern Illinois | 288-285—568 |
| 18. | UC Irvine | 286-284—570 |
| T19. | Boise State | 286-287—573 |
| T19. | Southern Illinois | 288-285—573 |
| 21. | Hawai'i | 287-291—578 |
Players Mentioned
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