Colorado University Athletics
Tuesday, February 18
La Quinta, Calif.
All Day
Colorado
vs
Second Round
McDermott's 5-under 66 tied for the best round Tuesday in LaQuinta.
Photo by: Jimmy McDermott
Golfers Inch Up Into Ninth In The Prestige At PGA West
February 18, 2025 | Men's Golf
McDermott zooms Into eighth with low round of the day
LA QUINTA, Calif. -- The University of Colorado men's golf team inched up one spot into ninth place but remains very much in contention after the second round of the 26th Annual, "The Prestige of PGA West" was completed here Tuesday.
No. 64 San Diego jumped from third after one round into the 36-hole lead with an 11-under par 557 score, as the Toreros shot the day's best team score, an 8-under 276. No. 46 Kansas remained second (563), with No. 6 Northwestern moving into third (564) with Arkansas-Little Rock and No. 75 Princeton tied for fourth (565).
No. 36 Colorado moved up a spot into ninth after a second a straight even-par 284 round for a 568 total. The Buffs remain five strokes out of third in the middle of a logjam that separates third through 19th places in the standings by 14 strokes. At this juncture, CU trails four teams in the nation's top 50 but are besting six others.
The two days for the Buffaloes were eerily similar, as the Buffs rose into the lead early in their rounds before falling back in the standings. CU at one point was 6-under par for the day (and overall), with a one-shot lead over the Jayhawks who played in the morning. But the Buffs' eventual scorers were 6-over par from holes No. 18 through No. 3 that essentially returned the team closer to even.
Senior Dylan McDermott moved up 45 spots in the standings from a tie for 53rd into one for eighth, as he was one of two players to record the low score Tuesday, a 5-under 66. He's at 4-under 138 through 36 holes on the 7,129-yard, par-71 PGA West Greg Norman Course and is just three strokes out of the lead. He birdied five of his first 10 holes, which including draining a 40-foot putt from the deep fringe just off the green on the 180-yard, par-3 17th. He led CU with six birdies on the day, with 11 pars and a single bogey, playing all holes under par (2-under on the par-3's and par-5's and 1-under on the par-4's).
"I just played it same way as I did yesterday, I just didn't make the same mistakes I did coming down the stretch," McDermott said. "I'm excited (about Wednesday) -- I'm playing good enough right now, so it will be all about staying in the moment and focusing on each shot. You're not in this position to win a golf tournament a lot, so when you are, you have to take advantage of the opportunity."
Junior Hunter Swanson turned in a 3-over 74 for an even-par 142 total through two rounds that has him tied for 57th. He got off to a frustrating start, opening with a double bogey on the 415-yard, par-4 10th, but did come back and birdie the short par-4 11th (337 yards). But he went on to shoot a 42 on the back nine as he had two more doubles and a bogey before making the turn; he then rallied to play the front nine with three birdies and six pars for a 32 on that side.
Late birdies by McDermott (on No. 8) and Swanson (on No. 9) enabled the Buffs to finish the day at even-par.
Freshman Michael Fang is tied for 57th as he moved up 21 spots after turning in an even-par 71 that has him at 3-over 145 overall. He had a consistent showing with two birdies, 14 pars and two bogeys, and played all the par-3's, par-4's and par-5's even on the day (he's plus-3 on the par-3's through both days and even on the others). He opened his day with a birdie on No. 10 and closed playing his last five holes at 1-under.
Senior Justin Biwer shot a second straight 2-over 73, giving him a 4-over total of 146 that has him tied for 70th; he had three birdies and 12 pars with two bogeys and a triple, which came on the 409-yard, par-4 1st hole after he made the turn at 2-under (the Buffs started on No. 10 Tuesday). He then bogeyed No. 2 before finishing out the last seven holes of his day even. It is just the 12th time in his career – out of 128 rounds in 42 events – that he had back-to-back rounds that were both over par and only his sixth triple bogey in over 2300 holes played as a collegian. He is playing the par-3's at 1-under, tied for fifth-best in the field.
Senior Freddy Eisenbeis struggled a bit Tuesday, finishing with a 5-over 76 that pushed him to 5-over 147 for 26 holes, tying him for 77th. He had a birdie and 13 pars, with three bogeys and a triple, the latter coming on the 481-yard, par-4 6th hole. It was his first triple of the season in 14 rounds, but he did rally to finish with three pars. He's played the par-3's even and the par-5's at 2-under otherwise.
"In the end, it was really a similar day to yesterday," head coach Roy Edwards said. "Dylan had a really nice round and has a real shot to contend for medalist honors, especially if he plays the way he did today. But we saw a lot of good golf from everyone at one time or another – Michael played very solid and Hunter had a nice comeback after a tough start. We are right in the mix going into tomorrow. If we can continue to make birdies and mitigate mistakes will be right in the mix to win."
Kansas State's Kobe Valociek was tied for third entering the second round but emerged a top the individual standings after recording a 2-under 69 for a 7-under 135 total; that leads two players by a single stroke, with scores in the 60's again at a minimum: just 24 out of 120 Tuesday after only 23 Monday.
The third and final round is set for Wednesday, with the Buffaloes to be paired with defending champion and No. 23 Texas Tech and No. 65 Kansas State, starting on the No. 10 tee for the second straight day at 8:45 a.m. MST.
As luck of the draw will have it, McDermott and Valociek are in the same pairing Wednesday, along with Texas Tech's Charles DeLong who is tied for fifth.
THE PRESTIGE INDIVIDUAL: Sophomore Ty Holbrook is participating here in the companion event, The Prestige Individual, in nearby Indio at the Golf Club at Terra Lago North. In second after a first round, 4-under par 68 the 7,060-yard, par-72 course, he bounced around between 1-over and 1-under nine times on Tuesday before settling for a 1-over 73, which has him now in third place by himself with a 3-under 141 total. That is still his third best 36-hole score in 12 collegiate events. He again had five birdies for the second straight day, with eight pars against four bogeys and one double. He is two off the lead, as Arkansas-Little Rock's Ed Featherstone shot a 3-under 69 for a 5-under 139 total, with North Carolina's Sihan Sandhu also posting a 73 in round two and holds second at 4-under 140. Those three will be paired together for the second straight day, teeing off on No. 1 for the third and final round at 9:30 a.m. MST.
"Ty's right there in the hunt has a real opportunity – it would be a really good individual win," Edwards said. "He ran into trouble a couple of times in the second round but bounced right back for the most part. This has been a really good test for him, he's playing very well and we're all looking forward to seeing how he wraps it up."
Holbrook is well under the average score here, which now is now 76.6 for 78 rounds. He has the second-most birdies (10) and has played the par-5's the best at 5-under over the two days. He has one of just three eagles thus far in the event.
NOTES: The weather was again near perfect, with temperatures in the upper 70's and clear skies; the winds again weren't a factor (5-8 miles per hour at the most) … The average score for 238 rounds in the event is 72.65, Tuesday's 72.77 was up a tick from Monday (72.53); there are 32 players under par (10 of whom though at just minus-1) and another nine at even entering the final round … The Buffaloes have one eagle, 33 birdies (seventh in the field) and 117 pars (sixth), with 31 holes of bogey (21, tied for the fewest) or worse (eight doubles, two triples) … Colorado is playing the par-3's 3-over (second), the par-4's at 11-over (14th) and the par-5's at 6-under (sixth) … After seeing his school record streak of 15 straight rounds of par or better end Monday, McDermott bounced back with his ninth round of the 60's this season – adding to his CU record as he now has 43 in his career … Swanson's 68 on Monday gave him 23 for his career, which moved him into sole possession of sixth on that same chart … Biwer is poised to become the school's all-time leader in birdies: now with 464, he trails only the Paul twins, Jeremy (486) and Yannik (475) … Louisville's Brady Smith had the other 66 on the day, but did not finish the first round and is thus last in the standings.
No. 64 San Diego jumped from third after one round into the 36-hole lead with an 11-under par 557 score, as the Toreros shot the day's best team score, an 8-under 276. No. 46 Kansas remained second (563), with No. 6 Northwestern moving into third (564) with Arkansas-Little Rock and No. 75 Princeton tied for fourth (565).
No. 36 Colorado moved up a spot into ninth after a second a straight even-par 284 round for a 568 total. The Buffs remain five strokes out of third in the middle of a logjam that separates third through 19th places in the standings by 14 strokes. At this juncture, CU trails four teams in the nation's top 50 but are besting six others.
The two days for the Buffaloes were eerily similar, as the Buffs rose into the lead early in their rounds before falling back in the standings. CU at one point was 6-under par for the day (and overall), with a one-shot lead over the Jayhawks who played in the morning. But the Buffs' eventual scorers were 6-over par from holes No. 18 through No. 3 that essentially returned the team closer to even.
Senior Dylan McDermott moved up 45 spots in the standings from a tie for 53rd into one for eighth, as he was one of two players to record the low score Tuesday, a 5-under 66. He's at 4-under 138 through 36 holes on the 7,129-yard, par-71 PGA West Greg Norman Course and is just three strokes out of the lead. He birdied five of his first 10 holes, which including draining a 40-foot putt from the deep fringe just off the green on the 180-yard, par-3 17th. He led CU with six birdies on the day, with 11 pars and a single bogey, playing all holes under par (2-under on the par-3's and par-5's and 1-under on the par-4's).
"I just played it same way as I did yesterday, I just didn't make the same mistakes I did coming down the stretch," McDermott said. "I'm excited (about Wednesday) -- I'm playing good enough right now, so it will be all about staying in the moment and focusing on each shot. You're not in this position to win a golf tournament a lot, so when you are, you have to take advantage of the opportunity."
Junior Hunter Swanson turned in a 3-over 74 for an even-par 142 total through two rounds that has him tied for 57th. He got off to a frustrating start, opening with a double bogey on the 415-yard, par-4 10th, but did come back and birdie the short par-4 11th (337 yards). But he went on to shoot a 42 on the back nine as he had two more doubles and a bogey before making the turn; he then rallied to play the front nine with three birdies and six pars for a 32 on that side.
Late birdies by McDermott (on No. 8) and Swanson (on No. 9) enabled the Buffs to finish the day at even-par.
Freshman Michael Fang is tied for 57th as he moved up 21 spots after turning in an even-par 71 that has him at 3-over 145 overall. He had a consistent showing with two birdies, 14 pars and two bogeys, and played all the par-3's, par-4's and par-5's even on the day (he's plus-3 on the par-3's through both days and even on the others). He opened his day with a birdie on No. 10 and closed playing his last five holes at 1-under.
Senior Justin Biwer shot a second straight 2-over 73, giving him a 4-over total of 146 that has him tied for 70th; he had three birdies and 12 pars with two bogeys and a triple, which came on the 409-yard, par-4 1st hole after he made the turn at 2-under (the Buffs started on No. 10 Tuesday). He then bogeyed No. 2 before finishing out the last seven holes of his day even. It is just the 12th time in his career – out of 128 rounds in 42 events – that he had back-to-back rounds that were both over par and only his sixth triple bogey in over 2300 holes played as a collegian. He is playing the par-3's at 1-under, tied for fifth-best in the field.
Senior Freddy Eisenbeis struggled a bit Tuesday, finishing with a 5-over 76 that pushed him to 5-over 147 for 26 holes, tying him for 77th. He had a birdie and 13 pars, with three bogeys and a triple, the latter coming on the 481-yard, par-4 6th hole. It was his first triple of the season in 14 rounds, but he did rally to finish with three pars. He's played the par-3's even and the par-5's at 2-under otherwise.
"In the end, it was really a similar day to yesterday," head coach Roy Edwards said. "Dylan had a really nice round and has a real shot to contend for medalist honors, especially if he plays the way he did today. But we saw a lot of good golf from everyone at one time or another – Michael played very solid and Hunter had a nice comeback after a tough start. We are right in the mix going into tomorrow. If we can continue to make birdies and mitigate mistakes will be right in the mix to win."
Kansas State's Kobe Valociek was tied for third entering the second round but emerged a top the individual standings after recording a 2-under 69 for a 7-under 135 total; that leads two players by a single stroke, with scores in the 60's again at a minimum: just 24 out of 120 Tuesday after only 23 Monday.
The third and final round is set for Wednesday, with the Buffaloes to be paired with defending champion and No. 23 Texas Tech and No. 65 Kansas State, starting on the No. 10 tee for the second straight day at 8:45 a.m. MST.
As luck of the draw will have it, McDermott and Valociek are in the same pairing Wednesday, along with Texas Tech's Charles DeLong who is tied for fifth.
THE PRESTIGE INDIVIDUAL: Sophomore Ty Holbrook is participating here in the companion event, The Prestige Individual, in nearby Indio at the Golf Club at Terra Lago North. In second after a first round, 4-under par 68 the 7,060-yard, par-72 course, he bounced around between 1-over and 1-under nine times on Tuesday before settling for a 1-over 73, which has him now in third place by himself with a 3-under 141 total. That is still his third best 36-hole score in 12 collegiate events. He again had five birdies for the second straight day, with eight pars against four bogeys and one double. He is two off the lead, as Arkansas-Little Rock's Ed Featherstone shot a 3-under 69 for a 5-under 139 total, with North Carolina's Sihan Sandhu also posting a 73 in round two and holds second at 4-under 140. Those three will be paired together for the second straight day, teeing off on No. 1 for the third and final round at 9:30 a.m. MST.
"Ty's right there in the hunt has a real opportunity – it would be a really good individual win," Edwards said. "He ran into trouble a couple of times in the second round but bounced right back for the most part. This has been a really good test for him, he's playing very well and we're all looking forward to seeing how he wraps it up."
Holbrook is well under the average score here, which now is now 76.6 for 78 rounds. He has the second-most birdies (10) and has played the par-5's the best at 5-under over the two days. He has one of just three eagles thus far in the event.
NOTES: The weather was again near perfect, with temperatures in the upper 70's and clear skies; the winds again weren't a factor (5-8 miles per hour at the most) … The average score for 238 rounds in the event is 72.65, Tuesday's 72.77 was up a tick from Monday (72.53); there are 32 players under par (10 of whom though at just minus-1) and another nine at even entering the final round … The Buffaloes have one eagle, 33 birdies (seventh in the field) and 117 pars (sixth), with 31 holes of bogey (21, tied for the fewest) or worse (eight doubles, two triples) … Colorado is playing the par-3's 3-over (second), the par-4's at 11-over (14th) and the par-5's at 6-under (sixth) … After seeing his school record streak of 15 straight rounds of par or better end Monday, McDermott bounced back with his ninth round of the 60's this season – adding to his CU record as he now has 43 in his career … Swanson's 68 on Monday gave him 23 for his career, which moved him into sole possession of sixth on that same chart … Biwer is poised to become the school's all-time leader in birdies: now with 464, he trails only the Paul twins, Jeremy (486) and Yannik (475) … Louisville's Brady Smith had the other 66 on the day, but did not finish the first round and is thus last in the standings.
| BUFFALO INDIVIDUALS |
| T8. | Dylan McDermott | 72-66—138 |
| T33. | Hunter Swanson | 68-74—142 |
| T57. | Michael Fang | 74-71—145 |
| T70. | Justin Biwer | 73-73—146 |
| T77. | Freddy Eisenbeis | 71-76—147 |
| INDIVIDUAL LEADERS (PRESTIGE AT PGA WEST) |
| 1. | Kobe Valociek, Kansas State | 66-69—135 |
| T2. | Sam Renner, Washington State | 67-69—136 |
| T2. | Collin Hodgkinson, Oregon State | 67-69—136 |
| T2. | Jake Hibbert, Florida Atlantic | 69-67—136 |
| T5. | Charles DeLong, Texas Tech | 68-69—137 |
| T5. | Ethan Tseng, Northwestern | 70-67—137 |
| INDIVIDUAL LEADERS (PRESTIGE INDIVIDUAL) |
| 1. | Ed Featherstone, Little Rock | 70-69—139 |
| 2. | Sihan Sandhu, North Carolina | 67-73—140 |
| 3. | Ty Holbrook, Colorado | 68-73—141 |
| 4. | Logan Kim, Stanford | 70-74—144 |
| T5. | Four tied | 145 |
| TEAM STANDINGS |
| 1. | San Diego | 281-276—557 |
| 2. | Kansas | 278-285—563 |
| 3. | Northwestern | 283-281—564 |
| T4. | Arkansas-Little Rock | 283-282—565 |
| T4. | Princeton | 286-279—565 |
| T6. | Florida Atlantic | 282-284—566 |
| T6. | Kansas State | 284-282—566 |
| 8. | Texas Tech | 284-283—567 |
| 9. | COLORADO | 284-284—568 |
| 10. | Pepperdine | 290-279—569 |
| T11. | Stanford | 283-288—571 |
| T11. | Louisville | 293-278—571 |
| T13. | North Carolina | 275-297—572 |
| T13. | Oregon | 282-290—572 |
| 15. | UNC-Wilmington | 282-291—573 |
| 16. | Colorado State | 285-289—574 |
| 17. | Iowa State | 289-286—575 |
| 18. | Loyola-Marymount | 286-290—576 |
| 19. | Baylor | 290-288—578 |
| 20. | Nevada | 290-290—580 |
| 21. | Oregon State | 290-292—582 |
| 22. | UC Davis | 291-297—588 |
| 23. | Washington State | 296-297—593 |
| 24. | Yale | 298-300—598 |
Players Mentioned
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