Colorado University Athletics
Monday, September 30
Erie, Colo.
All Day
Colorado
vs
First Two Rounds
Biwer is in second, one out of the lead, after rounds of 67 & 68 Monday.
Photo by: Matan Coll, CU Athletics
Golfers Leading Own Simpson-CU Invitational
September 30, 2024 | Men's Golf
All nine Buffaloes under par; six in Top 25
ERIE — Darkness ended the second round of the 14th Mark Simpson-Colorado Invitational, but the host University of Colorado Buffaloes didn't mind as the Buffaloes owned a six-shot lead with just two holes to complete the round.
The Buffaloes are currently 27-under par, with two players having just the par-4 18th hole to finish. St. Mary's is second at 21-under, with nine holes to finish as none of its players were able to finish before the sun set behind the Rocky Mountains. Colorado State was in third – 20-under par – with four players having to finish up on the par-5 2nd hole. Texas-El Paso is in fourth, as the Miners did finish and have a 19-under team score of 557, with Wyoming in fifth at 16-under, also with four players to finish up first thing Wednesday on No. 2.
CU's 27-under par for 36 holes currently is the third-best in Simpson tourney history, and is in position to the school's all-time best; the Buffaloes were 26-under par after two rounds in the season opener in the Washington State Palouse Collegiate.
Play will resume at 8:30 a.m. with 28 players needing to finish one hole, and then the 19 teams here will roll right into the third and final round.
CU's 13-under 275 first round score was bolstered by all five designated scorers finishing with under-par rounds, just the sixth time that has happened in school history and all since the spring of 2014. The Buffaloes were in second after the first round, trailing St. Mary's, which posted a tournament record score for the first round with a 20-under 268.
All nine Buffaloes competing here are under par heading into Wednesday.
"A really good overall full day for all nine guys," CU head coach Roy Edwards said. "I saw a lot of really good things from everyone. What was impressive to me is that they weren't in trouble very much, but on those rare occasions they were, they all made good decisions and came back with great pars or solid bogeys. I thought the golf course played harder than the scores across the board, because when the wind came up halfway through the first round, the course got a lot harder but didn't seem to affect the scores that much. That's a testament to the quality of the field. Tomorrow will be a battle and should be a lot of fun."
Senior Justin Biwer is alone in second place after turning in a 9-under par, 67-68—135 scorecard on the 7,787-yard, par-72 Colorado National Golf Club course layout. An impressive day, he had 10 birdies and 25 pars with just one bogey, ending his day with 24 straight holes of par or better. He leads the 104-man field in par-4 scoring, playing the 20 of them combined Tuesday at 7-under (he was 2-under on the par-5's and even on the par-3's). He now has six rounds in the 60' and nine of par or better to start in his fourth and final year as a Buff.
One stroke back of the lead, Biwer is in contention for his first collegiate win.
"The course is going to be set up more difficult, but the conditions will probably be easier, so I just need to stay within myself and my own game," Biwer said. "My putting and short game are the only reasons I'm in this tournament right now. I got up and down from almost everywhere. In the second round, I hit a lot of greens the first 10 holes, but just couldn't make anything before some putts started to fall (he parred all 10 and then birdied four of his last eight). I think I had under 30 putts in both rounds. Regardless, the game plan doesn't change, it's going to be the same: go out and play well, and the rest will take care of itself."
Sophomore Brandon Knight is tied for fifth, as he was 7-under par with the par-4 18th yet to play in the second round (he made par on it in the morning, when he shot a 2-under 70). He was cruising in the afternoon, with five birdies and 12 pars when the horn sounded to suspend play. He had five birds and 10 pars in the morning.
Senior Dylan McDermott is tied for eighth after back-to-back 69's, good for a 6-under 138. Those were his 10th and 11th rounds at or under par to open his senior season, which is one shy of his school record 12 he set during his sophomore season. He had nine birdies and 25 pars with only three bogeys, and played the challenged CNGC par-3's at 1-under, fourth-best in the field, and was also under on the par-4's (-2) and par-5's (-3). He opened with a 69 for his third straight tournament.
Junior Hunter Swanson is tied for 12th, as he completed play with a 69-70—139 (5-under) effort. He had team-high 13 birdies – the most in the field by two – with 16 pars, six bogeys and one double. He birdied three of his first eight holes, which extended a streak to 23 of par or better, his third run this season of 23 or more, and ended that round with three straight birds as well.
Senior Freddy Eisenbeis is presently tied for 24th, firing a 2-under 70 in the morning and was 1-under the second time around the track with No. 18 to finish it up. He had eight birdies and just four bogeys through 35 holes and goes into Wednesday with 20 holes in a row of par or better at one juncture.
Four Buffaloes are competing here individually, two of whom finished play with one hole remaining for the other pair:
Senior Jack Holland is tied for 17th after turning in a 4-under par 69-71—140 effort. He had six birdies and 28 pars with just two bogeys, second-fewest by a Buff, and played both the par-4's and par-5's at 2-under. At one point, he had 26 straight holes of par or better, a career-best topping his old streak of 23.
Freshman Parker Paxton opened with a 1-over 73 but came back with his best round in his brief college career, a bogey-free, 3-under 69 for a 2-under 142 total that has him tied for 31st overall. He had six birdies and 26 pars with just four bogeys, played the par-4's even and the par-5's at 4-under. He ended his day with 21 straight holes of par or better (18 pars), and among the 18 freshmen competing here, he is currently third; he was eighth after his morning round. He's behind only CSU's Ralf Kivi (137) and Wyoming's Brody Leid (4-under with one hole to play Tuesday).
Sophomore Ty Holbrook opened his day with a season-best 4-under 68, but was 2-over in the second round with the par-4, 17th hole to wrap his second round. He had five birdies and 12 pars in the morning, but was having a bit of a rollercoaster ride in the afternoon, as he had CU's lone eagle but also a double bogey.
Senior Tucker Clark is tied for 31st as he stood a 1-under par, also with No. 17 to finish round two. He opened with a 1-over 73 and but had it at 2-under the second time around CNGC, bolstered by being 4-under on the back nine. He had 10 birdies through 35 holes.
Biwer is chasing Texas-El Paso's Dylan Teeter, who is at 10-under 134. He mastered Colorado National with an eagle, nine birdies and 25 pars with a single bogey. Eleven players in all are within four strokes of the lead, and 16 within five.
The third and final round is set for Tuesday with the 8:30 shotgun start; the pairings will remain the same as Monday since the second round could not be completed in full. Colorado will have four players again be paired with Utah and one with Wyoming, with its individuals matched up with Southern Utah.
NOTES: Sunny skies prevailed most of the day and the temperatures reached the upper 70s (dipping into the mid-60s by days' end), but winds picked up progressively as the day progressed, gusting from 15 to 20 miles per hour at times … Biwer and McDermott have been involved in three of the six times the five designated scorers finished under par in the same round, doing previously in the 2021 and 2022 Ka'anapali Collegiate Classic in Hawai'i … The five going under par today in the first round also marked the 21st time all five scored par or better, the second time this season that has occurred … Biwer is in great position to become the first Buff to be under par in the two different tournaments four times, as he did it last time out in New Mexico's Tucker Intercollegiate; he joined Ethan Freeman as the only CU player to accomplish that feat. McDermott is also in position to play the Simpson four times and finish under par each time out as well … How tough are Colorado National's par-3's? The four (that add to 891 yards) were among the seven-toughest Tuesday overall … CU now has nine subpar and one even-par team rounds out of 11 so far this season, easily the best at this point of the season (the record is 25 during the 2017-18 season; the Buffs had just 12 last year) … The average score for Monday's 180 completed rounds was 72.56; it was 72.62 for the morning round and 72.45 in the afternoon … There are 46 players under par and eight even at this juncture; CU has the most with nine, and is the only team with all five designated scorers on the happy side of par (in red numbers) … The five Buff designated scorers have one eagle, a tournament-best 49 birdies (UTEP is next with 41), 111 pars (tied for ninth; Creighton leads with 120) and had just 15 bogeys and one double … Colorado played the par-5's at 14-under (tied for fourth), the par-3's at 2-over (second-best) and the par-4's at 18-under (first) … All nine CU players here birdied the 576-yard, par-5 7th hole in the first round (and five did so the second time around) … The outright winner (10) or co-winners (6) of the Simpson has led after two rounds 12 times, was in second twice and in third twice (Washington State in 2013, Wyoming in 2022).
(*—competing as an individual.)
The Buffaloes are currently 27-under par, with two players having just the par-4 18th hole to finish. St. Mary's is second at 21-under, with nine holes to finish as none of its players were able to finish before the sun set behind the Rocky Mountains. Colorado State was in third – 20-under par – with four players having to finish up on the par-5 2nd hole. Texas-El Paso is in fourth, as the Miners did finish and have a 19-under team score of 557, with Wyoming in fifth at 16-under, also with four players to finish up first thing Wednesday on No. 2.
CU's 27-under par for 36 holes currently is the third-best in Simpson tourney history, and is in position to the school's all-time best; the Buffaloes were 26-under par after two rounds in the season opener in the Washington State Palouse Collegiate.
Play will resume at 8:30 a.m. with 28 players needing to finish one hole, and then the 19 teams here will roll right into the third and final round.
CU's 13-under 275 first round score was bolstered by all five designated scorers finishing with under-par rounds, just the sixth time that has happened in school history and all since the spring of 2014. The Buffaloes were in second after the first round, trailing St. Mary's, which posted a tournament record score for the first round with a 20-under 268.
All nine Buffaloes competing here are under par heading into Wednesday.
"A really good overall full day for all nine guys," CU head coach Roy Edwards said. "I saw a lot of really good things from everyone. What was impressive to me is that they weren't in trouble very much, but on those rare occasions they were, they all made good decisions and came back with great pars or solid bogeys. I thought the golf course played harder than the scores across the board, because when the wind came up halfway through the first round, the course got a lot harder but didn't seem to affect the scores that much. That's a testament to the quality of the field. Tomorrow will be a battle and should be a lot of fun."
Senior Justin Biwer is alone in second place after turning in a 9-under par, 67-68—135 scorecard on the 7,787-yard, par-72 Colorado National Golf Club course layout. An impressive day, he had 10 birdies and 25 pars with just one bogey, ending his day with 24 straight holes of par or better. He leads the 104-man field in par-4 scoring, playing the 20 of them combined Tuesday at 7-under (he was 2-under on the par-5's and even on the par-3's). He now has six rounds in the 60' and nine of par or better to start in his fourth and final year as a Buff.
One stroke back of the lead, Biwer is in contention for his first collegiate win.
"The course is going to be set up more difficult, but the conditions will probably be easier, so I just need to stay within myself and my own game," Biwer said. "My putting and short game are the only reasons I'm in this tournament right now. I got up and down from almost everywhere. In the second round, I hit a lot of greens the first 10 holes, but just couldn't make anything before some putts started to fall (he parred all 10 and then birdied four of his last eight). I think I had under 30 putts in both rounds. Regardless, the game plan doesn't change, it's going to be the same: go out and play well, and the rest will take care of itself."
Sophomore Brandon Knight is tied for fifth, as he was 7-under par with the par-4 18th yet to play in the second round (he made par on it in the morning, when he shot a 2-under 70). He was cruising in the afternoon, with five birdies and 12 pars when the horn sounded to suspend play. He had five birds and 10 pars in the morning.
Senior Dylan McDermott is tied for eighth after back-to-back 69's, good for a 6-under 138. Those were his 10th and 11th rounds at or under par to open his senior season, which is one shy of his school record 12 he set during his sophomore season. He had nine birdies and 25 pars with only three bogeys, and played the challenged CNGC par-3's at 1-under, fourth-best in the field, and was also under on the par-4's (-2) and par-5's (-3). He opened with a 69 for his third straight tournament.
Junior Hunter Swanson is tied for 12th, as he completed play with a 69-70—139 (5-under) effort. He had team-high 13 birdies – the most in the field by two – with 16 pars, six bogeys and one double. He birdied three of his first eight holes, which extended a streak to 23 of par or better, his third run this season of 23 or more, and ended that round with three straight birds as well.
Senior Freddy Eisenbeis is presently tied for 24th, firing a 2-under 70 in the morning and was 1-under the second time around the track with No. 18 to finish it up. He had eight birdies and just four bogeys through 35 holes and goes into Wednesday with 20 holes in a row of par or better at one juncture.
Four Buffaloes are competing here individually, two of whom finished play with one hole remaining for the other pair:
Senior Jack Holland is tied for 17th after turning in a 4-under par 69-71—140 effort. He had six birdies and 28 pars with just two bogeys, second-fewest by a Buff, and played both the par-4's and par-5's at 2-under. At one point, he had 26 straight holes of par or better, a career-best topping his old streak of 23.
Freshman Parker Paxton opened with a 1-over 73 but came back with his best round in his brief college career, a bogey-free, 3-under 69 for a 2-under 142 total that has him tied for 31st overall. He had six birdies and 26 pars with just four bogeys, played the par-4's even and the par-5's at 4-under. He ended his day with 21 straight holes of par or better (18 pars), and among the 18 freshmen competing here, he is currently third; he was eighth after his morning round. He's behind only CSU's Ralf Kivi (137) and Wyoming's Brody Leid (4-under with one hole to play Tuesday).
Sophomore Ty Holbrook opened his day with a season-best 4-under 68, but was 2-over in the second round with the par-4, 17th hole to wrap his second round. He had five birdies and 12 pars in the morning, but was having a bit of a rollercoaster ride in the afternoon, as he had CU's lone eagle but also a double bogey.
Senior Tucker Clark is tied for 31st as he stood a 1-under par, also with No. 17 to finish round two. He opened with a 1-over 73 and but had it at 2-under the second time around CNGC, bolstered by being 4-under on the back nine. He had 10 birdies through 35 holes.
Biwer is chasing Texas-El Paso's Dylan Teeter, who is at 10-under 134. He mastered Colorado National with an eagle, nine birdies and 25 pars with a single bogey. Eleven players in all are within four strokes of the lead, and 16 within five.
The third and final round is set for Tuesday with the 8:30 shotgun start; the pairings will remain the same as Monday since the second round could not be completed in full. Colorado will have four players again be paired with Utah and one with Wyoming, with its individuals matched up with Southern Utah.
NOTES: Sunny skies prevailed most of the day and the temperatures reached the upper 70s (dipping into the mid-60s by days' end), but winds picked up progressively as the day progressed, gusting from 15 to 20 miles per hour at times … Biwer and McDermott have been involved in three of the six times the five designated scorers finished under par in the same round, doing previously in the 2021 and 2022 Ka'anapali Collegiate Classic in Hawai'i … The five going under par today in the first round also marked the 21st time all five scored par or better, the second time this season that has occurred … Biwer is in great position to become the first Buff to be under par in the two different tournaments four times, as he did it last time out in New Mexico's Tucker Intercollegiate; he joined Ethan Freeman as the only CU player to accomplish that feat. McDermott is also in position to play the Simpson four times and finish under par each time out as well … How tough are Colorado National's par-3's? The four (that add to 891 yards) were among the seven-toughest Tuesday overall … CU now has nine subpar and one even-par team rounds out of 11 so far this season, easily the best at this point of the season (the record is 25 during the 2017-18 season; the Buffs had just 12 last year) … The average score for Monday's 180 completed rounds was 72.56; it was 72.62 for the morning round and 72.45 in the afternoon … There are 46 players under par and eight even at this juncture; CU has the most with nine, and is the only team with all five designated scorers on the happy side of par (in red numbers) … The five Buff designated scorers have one eagle, a tournament-best 49 birdies (UTEP is next with 41), 111 pars (tied for ninth; Creighton leads with 120) and had just 15 bogeys and one double … Colorado played the par-5's at 14-under (tied for fourth), the par-3's at 2-over (second-best) and the par-4's at 18-under (first) … All nine CU players here birdied the 576-yard, par-5 7th hole in the first round (and five did so the second time around) … The outright winner (10) or co-winners (6) of the Simpson has led after two rounds 12 times, was in second twice and in third twice (Washington State in 2013, Wyoming in 2022).
| BUFFALO INDIVIDUALS |
| 2. | Justin Biwer | 67-68—135 (-9) |
| T5. | Brandon Knight | 70-(-5)—(-7) |
| T8. | Dylan McDermott | 69-69—138 (-6) |
| T12. | Hunter Swanson | 69-70—139 (-5) |
| T17. | *Jack Holland | 69-71—140 (-4) |
| T24. | Freddy Eisenbeis | 70-(-1)—(-3) |
| T31. | *Ty Holbrook | 68-(+2)—(-2) |
| T31. | *Parker Paxton | 73-69—142 (-2) |
| T38. | *Tucker Clark | 73-(-2)—(-1) |
| INDIVIDUAL LEADERS |
| 1. | Dylan Teeter, UTEP | 69-65—134 (-10) |
| 2. | Justin Biwer, Colorado | 67-68—135 (-9) |
| T3. | Zack Missigman, St. Mary's | 65-(-1)—(-8) |
| T3. | Aidan Lee, St. Mary's | 66-(-2)—(-8) |
| T5. | Brandon Knight, Colorado | 70-(-5)—(-7) |
| T5. | Ralf Kivi, Colorado State | 70-67—137 (-7) |
| T5. | Jaren Calkins, Wyoming | 67-70—137 (-7) |
| TEAM STANDINGS |
| 1. | COLORADO | 275-(-14)—(-27) |
| 2. | St. Mary's | 268-(- 1)—(-21) |
| 3. | Colorado State | 282(-14)—(-20) |
| 4. | Texas-El Paso | 285-272—557 (-19) |
| 5. | Wyoming | 278-(- 6)—(-16) |
| 6. | Boise State | 287-278—565 |
| 7. | Utah | 285-(- 7)—(-10) |
| 8. | New Mexico State | 285-284—569 |
| 9. | Tarleton State | 284-288—572 |
| T10. | CSU Fullerton | 282-(+ 4)—(- 2) |
| T10. | Utah State | 285-289—574 |
| T10. | Northern Colorado | 290-284—574 |
| 13. | Denver | 289-(- 2)—(-1) |
| 14. | Creighton | 289-289—578 |
| 15. | Valparaiso | 294-(- 2)—(+ 4) |
| 16. | Air Force | 295-292—587 |
| 17. | Central Arkansas | 295-295—590 |
| 18. | Colorado Mines | 301-294—595 |
| 19. | Southern Utah | 308-(+16)—(+36) |
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