Wednesday, February 19
La Quinta, Calif.
All Day
Colorado
vs
Third Round
McDermott stuck it close during Wednesday's final round.
Photo by: Jimmy McDermott
Golfers Finish Fifth in The Prestige at PGA West
February 19, 2025 | Men's Golf
McDermott Ties For Seventh; Biwer’s 65 second-best score in event
LA QUINTA, Calif. — The University of Colorado men's golf team played its best round of the tournament – the third best score in the final round – to move up four spots for a fifth place finish here Wednesday in the 26th Annual, "The Prestige at PGA West."
No. 65 San Diego was on fire the last 36 holes, and in particular in the final round with an 18-under par day to pull away in the 24-team field for a 16-stroke win, finishing with a 29-under par team score of 823. That outdistanced the next four in the field that were separated by just six strokes, as the Toreros toppled defending champion and No. 21 Texas Tech (839), No. 29 Northwestern (841), No. 42 Arkansas-Little Rock (842) and No. 34 Colorado (845).
While only two teams both higher and lower than CU in the latest rankings beat the Buffaloes here, Colorado did defeat three others ranked ahead of it (No. 6 North Carolina, No. 17 Pepperdine and No. 32 Oregon), in the end it bested eight teams ranked in the top 50 and 14 overall in the top 75 (308 are ranked weekly).
The Buffaloes started the day in ninth and climbed as high as fourth before settling in fifth, their best finish in a spring opener that wasn't an eight-team match play since 2017, when CU tied for fourth in Hawai'i-Hilo's Amer Ari Invitational. Otherwise, it's the second-best since 2002 (third in the Matlock Collegiate Classic) and third-best dating back to 1992 (tied for fourth in the Pan American Invitational).
Senior Dylan McDermott led the Buffaloes as he tied for seventh individually, closing with a second straight round in the 60's – a 3-under 69 – which gave him a 6-under 207 total for the 54 holes on the 7,129-yard, par-71 PGA West Greg Norman Course. One of 15 players to record at least two rounds in the 60's in the 120-man field, he closed out with three birdies and 14 pars with a single bogey, and led the Buffs for the week with 13 birdies, to go with 36 pars countered by three bogeys and two doubles. His first birdie of the day came on the 216-yard, par-3 13th, which played as the third toughest hole during the week; he also birdied it Tuesday and was the only player in the field to birdie it twice. He played the par-5's at 4-under, tied for 10th-best in the field, and the par-3's at 2-under, tied for 15th-best.
It was his fourth top 10 finish this season, and the 15th of his career, tying him for the sixth-most in school history.
Senior Justin Biwer opened with two over-par rounds here, and never had an in-season tournament where he didn't have at least one round even par or better – in fact, in 38 events entering the spring, he had at least one subpar round in 37 of them, including the last 18 in row. How did he respond? Starting on No. 10, he made par, and then he reeled off five straight birdies, making the turn at 5-under and finished the round with a 6-under 65, which tied for both the second-best score of the day and the tournament). That enabled him to move up 43 spots in the final standings for a 27th-place finish with a 2-under 211. He made seven birdies in all, with 10 pars and a single bogey, and had 12 birdies and 35 pars for the week. After the playing the par-4's at 5-over the first two rounds, he was 3-under on them Wednesday. He also birdied the 216-yard, par-3 13th in the final round, the second-toughest hole during the event. He played the par-3's at 2-under, tied for second-best in the field.
Biwer was pretty sure that was the first time in college he birdied five holes in a row; he recalled back in high school he once had four birdies with an eagle in succession. "I was just hitting the ball good and placing it in the right spots. On 11, 13, 14 and 15, all the putts were within eight feet; on 12, it was a two-putt birdie from the fringe."
Junior Hunter Swanson finished with a second straight 3-over 74, that positioned him in a tie for 47th with an even 216 overall total. Unlike Tuesday when three double bogeys inflated his score, on Wednesday he couldn't get many birdie putts to fall (just two), to go with 12 pars against three birdies and one double. He did start strong as he was 2-under through seven holes, but a rough patch over holes 18 through 2, where he went bogey-bogey-double, sent him to the unhappy side of par for the round.
Freshman Michael Fang wrapped things with a 1-over 72 that him close with a 4-over 217, tying him for 54th. He had 10 birdies and 31 pars opposite 12 bogeys a double for the week, with his one hole worse than bogey the team low as everyone else had two or more. His final birdie of the day – on the 181-yard, par-3 7th, not only helped keep the Buffs in the top five, but came on the toughest hole over the three days, as just 24 birdies were scored out of 358 attempts.
Senior Freddy Eisenbeis rebounded from a 76 in the second round to close with an even-par 71, giving him a 2-over 218 total that tied him for 61st. He did score par in a round-about way, however. He opened with a birdie on No. 10, and would birdie No. 15 as well, but turned at even par. He then rose again to 3-over after a triple bogey on the 499-yard, par- 4 2nd hole before reeling off five straight pars. He then eagled the 617-yard, par-5 8th, his first eagle of the season and only the third on the hole all week, and then closed his day and the tournament with a birdie on No. 9 to get back to even par. He had a team-high 38 pars for the event (tied for ninth-most in the field) to go with the eagle and six birdies opposite seven bogeys and two triples.
"A really nice tournament overall"," head coach Roy Edwards said. "In both a very deep and big field and to finish fifth in it is a really good start to the spring. A foundation of this team is always competing and we did a really good job of that this week and in preparation for the tournament. That is going to be a key factor for us as we continue through the season. Our good golf was as good, or possibly better, than anyone in the field. However, we made too many big mistakes that cost us a chance at winning. But making that a positive, it provides us with some good areas to focus on for improvement.
"It was another really good tournament from Dylan, especially considering he got off to a tough start in round one," he added. "Justin's round today was spectacular. He found something in his putting and that helped him out a lot today. Everyone else had good rounds in the tournament and all six guys here, including Ty Holbrook in the individual event, did a lot of positive things we can use to build on."
San Diego's Ryan Abuan scored the other 65 in the final round to zoom into medalist honors, as he finished with an 11-under 202 score. That bested Washington State's Sam Renner and Little Rock's Freddie Turnell by three strokes, as McDermott wound up five shots off the pace after rising as high as third early in the day (but well before others teed off).
Up next for the Buffaloes: the remaining four CU team members who did not compete here, seniors Tucker Clark and Jack Holland, sophomore Brandon Knight and freshman Parker Paxton will head to this same area next week for Wyoming's Desert Intercollegiate, Feb. 24-26 at the Classic Club in Palm Desert. Colorado will compete next as a full team in the Lamkin San Diego Invitational in Chula Vista, Calif., Mar. 10-11.
THE PRESTIGE INDIVIDUAL: Sophomore Ty Holbrook participated here in a companion event, The Prestige Individual, in nearby Indio at the 7,060-yard, par-72 Golf Club at Terra Lago North. In third and in contention for medalist honors when the third and final round started Wednesday, North Carolina's Sihan Sandhu, pulled away from the pack with a 3-under 69 for a 7-under 209 effort to claim the top spot. Holbrook and Little Rock's Ed Featherstone, both playing with Sandhu, wound up tying for second with even par 216 totals.
Holbrook began the day 4-under par and increased it to 5-under after birdying the 576-yard, par-5 5th hole. But a rough three-hole stretch where he shot bogey-bogey-double on holes 8 through 10 started his separation, and birdies on Nos. 13 and 17 were negated by a double on No. 18m and thus, a final round 75. His opening round 68 was the second-lowest score of the 117 overall in the event, and he scored one of the only five eagles in playing the par-5's third-best (5-under) and the par-3's the fourth-best (1-over).
NOTES: The weather was perfect most of the event, temperatures from the low 70's into the low 80's with mainly clear skies other than partly cloudy for a time Wednesday with winds seldom a factor … The latest scoreboard rankings were updated Wednesday morning, and the Buffaloes moved from No. 36 to No. 34 without this event counting … Biwer and McDermott also jumped up a few spots, Biwer to No. 73 (from 79th) and McDermott to No. 94 (from 103rd) … The average score for 358 rounds in the event was 72.49; Wednesday's 72.17 was the lowest of the three rounds (well down from 72.77 Tuesday as well as Monday's 72.53); there were 38 players who finished under par and another four who finished with even 216's … The Buffaloes in the main event combined for one eagle, 52 birdies (tied for the fourth-most in the field; Texas Tech led with 59) and 173 pars (fifth; Stanford led with 185), with 44 holes of bogey (33, the second-fewest as only San Diego had fewer with 31) or worse … In addition, Colorado played the par-3's 3-over (second), the par-4's at 12-over (tied for 12th) and the par-5's at 11-under (tied for fourth) … McDermott scored his 10th round of the 60's this season – upping his CU record to 44 in his career, while Biwer recorded also recorded his 10th of the year, which was his 42nd of his career breaking a tie for the second-most with Jeremy Paul … With two subpar rounds here, McDermott now has 17 of par or better this season, giving him 80 for his career; only Biwer has more (now 87 and counting) … Biwer's seven birdies moved him closer to the all-time school record, as now with 471, he is closing in on the Paul twins, Jeremy (486) and Yannik (475) … The duo are continuing their friendly duel for the team lead in stroke average, as now through 18 rounds, just one stroke separates the duo, with Biwer's average 68.78 and McDermott's 68.83 … With Colorado going 19-4 here against the field, the Buffaloes are now 96-12-1, an .885 winning percentage; the 96 wins are the nation's high.
No. 65 San Diego was on fire the last 36 holes, and in particular in the final round with an 18-under par day to pull away in the 24-team field for a 16-stroke win, finishing with a 29-under par team score of 823. That outdistanced the next four in the field that were separated by just six strokes, as the Toreros toppled defending champion and No. 21 Texas Tech (839), No. 29 Northwestern (841), No. 42 Arkansas-Little Rock (842) and No. 34 Colorado (845).
While only two teams both higher and lower than CU in the latest rankings beat the Buffaloes here, Colorado did defeat three others ranked ahead of it (No. 6 North Carolina, No. 17 Pepperdine and No. 32 Oregon), in the end it bested eight teams ranked in the top 50 and 14 overall in the top 75 (308 are ranked weekly).
The Buffaloes started the day in ninth and climbed as high as fourth before settling in fifth, their best finish in a spring opener that wasn't an eight-team match play since 2017, when CU tied for fourth in Hawai'i-Hilo's Amer Ari Invitational. Otherwise, it's the second-best since 2002 (third in the Matlock Collegiate Classic) and third-best dating back to 1992 (tied for fourth in the Pan American Invitational).
Senior Dylan McDermott led the Buffaloes as he tied for seventh individually, closing with a second straight round in the 60's – a 3-under 69 – which gave him a 6-under 207 total for the 54 holes on the 7,129-yard, par-71 PGA West Greg Norman Course. One of 15 players to record at least two rounds in the 60's in the 120-man field, he closed out with three birdies and 14 pars with a single bogey, and led the Buffs for the week with 13 birdies, to go with 36 pars countered by three bogeys and two doubles. His first birdie of the day came on the 216-yard, par-3 13th, which played as the third toughest hole during the week; he also birdied it Tuesday and was the only player in the field to birdie it twice. He played the par-5's at 4-under, tied for 10th-best in the field, and the par-3's at 2-under, tied for 15th-best.
It was his fourth top 10 finish this season, and the 15th of his career, tying him for the sixth-most in school history.
Senior Justin Biwer opened with two over-par rounds here, and never had an in-season tournament where he didn't have at least one round even par or better – in fact, in 38 events entering the spring, he had at least one subpar round in 37 of them, including the last 18 in row. How did he respond? Starting on No. 10, he made par, and then he reeled off five straight birdies, making the turn at 5-under and finished the round with a 6-under 65, which tied for both the second-best score of the day and the tournament). That enabled him to move up 43 spots in the final standings for a 27th-place finish with a 2-under 211. He made seven birdies in all, with 10 pars and a single bogey, and had 12 birdies and 35 pars for the week. After the playing the par-4's at 5-over the first two rounds, he was 3-under on them Wednesday. He also birdied the 216-yard, par-3 13th in the final round, the second-toughest hole during the event. He played the par-3's at 2-under, tied for second-best in the field.
Biwer was pretty sure that was the first time in college he birdied five holes in a row; he recalled back in high school he once had four birdies with an eagle in succession. "I was just hitting the ball good and placing it in the right spots. On 11, 13, 14 and 15, all the putts were within eight feet; on 12, it was a two-putt birdie from the fringe."
Junior Hunter Swanson finished with a second straight 3-over 74, that positioned him in a tie for 47th with an even 216 overall total. Unlike Tuesday when three double bogeys inflated his score, on Wednesday he couldn't get many birdie putts to fall (just two), to go with 12 pars against three birdies and one double. He did start strong as he was 2-under through seven holes, but a rough patch over holes 18 through 2, where he went bogey-bogey-double, sent him to the unhappy side of par for the round.
Freshman Michael Fang wrapped things with a 1-over 72 that him close with a 4-over 217, tying him for 54th. He had 10 birdies and 31 pars opposite 12 bogeys a double for the week, with his one hole worse than bogey the team low as everyone else had two or more. His final birdie of the day – on the 181-yard, par-3 7th, not only helped keep the Buffs in the top five, but came on the toughest hole over the three days, as just 24 birdies were scored out of 358 attempts.
Senior Freddy Eisenbeis rebounded from a 76 in the second round to close with an even-par 71, giving him a 2-over 218 total that tied him for 61st. He did score par in a round-about way, however. He opened with a birdie on No. 10, and would birdie No. 15 as well, but turned at even par. He then rose again to 3-over after a triple bogey on the 499-yard, par- 4 2nd hole before reeling off five straight pars. He then eagled the 617-yard, par-5 8th, his first eagle of the season and only the third on the hole all week, and then closed his day and the tournament with a birdie on No. 9 to get back to even par. He had a team-high 38 pars for the event (tied for ninth-most in the field) to go with the eagle and six birdies opposite seven bogeys and two triples.
"A really nice tournament overall"," head coach Roy Edwards said. "In both a very deep and big field and to finish fifth in it is a really good start to the spring. A foundation of this team is always competing and we did a really good job of that this week and in preparation for the tournament. That is going to be a key factor for us as we continue through the season. Our good golf was as good, or possibly better, than anyone in the field. However, we made too many big mistakes that cost us a chance at winning. But making that a positive, it provides us with some good areas to focus on for improvement.
"It was another really good tournament from Dylan, especially considering he got off to a tough start in round one," he added. "Justin's round today was spectacular. He found something in his putting and that helped him out a lot today. Everyone else had good rounds in the tournament and all six guys here, including Ty Holbrook in the individual event, did a lot of positive things we can use to build on."
San Diego's Ryan Abuan scored the other 65 in the final round to zoom into medalist honors, as he finished with an 11-under 202 score. That bested Washington State's Sam Renner and Little Rock's Freddie Turnell by three strokes, as McDermott wound up five shots off the pace after rising as high as third early in the day (but well before others teed off).
Up next for the Buffaloes: the remaining four CU team members who did not compete here, seniors Tucker Clark and Jack Holland, sophomore Brandon Knight and freshman Parker Paxton will head to this same area next week for Wyoming's Desert Intercollegiate, Feb. 24-26 at the Classic Club in Palm Desert. Colorado will compete next as a full team in the Lamkin San Diego Invitational in Chula Vista, Calif., Mar. 10-11.
THE PRESTIGE INDIVIDUAL: Sophomore Ty Holbrook participated here in a companion event, The Prestige Individual, in nearby Indio at the 7,060-yard, par-72 Golf Club at Terra Lago North. In third and in contention for medalist honors when the third and final round started Wednesday, North Carolina's Sihan Sandhu, pulled away from the pack with a 3-under 69 for a 7-under 209 effort to claim the top spot. Holbrook and Little Rock's Ed Featherstone, both playing with Sandhu, wound up tying for second with even par 216 totals.
Holbrook began the day 4-under par and increased it to 5-under after birdying the 576-yard, par-5 5th hole. But a rough three-hole stretch where he shot bogey-bogey-double on holes 8 through 10 started his separation, and birdies on Nos. 13 and 17 were negated by a double on No. 18m and thus, a final round 75. His opening round 68 was the second-lowest score of the 117 overall in the event, and he scored one of the only five eagles in playing the par-5's third-best (5-under) and the par-3's the fourth-best (1-over).
NOTES: The weather was perfect most of the event, temperatures from the low 70's into the low 80's with mainly clear skies other than partly cloudy for a time Wednesday with winds seldom a factor … The latest scoreboard rankings were updated Wednesday morning, and the Buffaloes moved from No. 36 to No. 34 without this event counting … Biwer and McDermott also jumped up a few spots, Biwer to No. 73 (from 79th) and McDermott to No. 94 (from 103rd) … The average score for 358 rounds in the event was 72.49; Wednesday's 72.17 was the lowest of the three rounds (well down from 72.77 Tuesday as well as Monday's 72.53); there were 38 players who finished under par and another four who finished with even 216's … The Buffaloes in the main event combined for one eagle, 52 birdies (tied for the fourth-most in the field; Texas Tech led with 59) and 173 pars (fifth; Stanford led with 185), with 44 holes of bogey (33, the second-fewest as only San Diego had fewer with 31) or worse … In addition, Colorado played the par-3's 3-over (second), the par-4's at 12-over (tied for 12th) and the par-5's at 11-under (tied for fourth) … McDermott scored his 10th round of the 60's this season – upping his CU record to 44 in his career, while Biwer recorded also recorded his 10th of the year, which was his 42nd of his career breaking a tie for the second-most with Jeremy Paul … With two subpar rounds here, McDermott now has 17 of par or better this season, giving him 80 for his career; only Biwer has more (now 87 and counting) … Biwer's seven birdies moved him closer to the all-time school record, as now with 471, he is closing in on the Paul twins, Jeremy (486) and Yannik (475) … The duo are continuing their friendly duel for the team lead in stroke average, as now through 18 rounds, just one stroke separates the duo, with Biwer's average 68.78 and McDermott's 68.83 … With Colorado going 19-4 here against the field, the Buffaloes are now 96-12-1, an .885 winning percentage; the 96 wins are the nation's high.
| BUFFALO INDIVIDUALS |
| T7. | Dylan McDermott | 72-66-69—207 |
| T27. | Justin Biwer | 73-73-65—211 |
| T47. | Hunter Swanson | 68-74-74—216 |
| T54. | Michael Fang | 74-71-72—217 |
| T61. | Freddy Eisenbeis | 71-76-71—218 |
| INDIVIDUAL LEADERS (PRESTIGE AT PGA WEST) |
| 1. | Ryan Abuan, San Diego | 68-69-65—202 |
| T2. | Sam Renner, Washington State | 67-69-69—205 |
| T2. | Freddie Turnell, Little Rock | 68-70-67—205 |
| T4. | Kobe Valociek, Kansas State | 66-69-71—206 |
| T4. | Charles DeLong, Texas Tech | 68-69-69—206 |
| T4. | I an Maspat, San Diego | 71-69-66—206 |
| INDIVIDUAL LEADERS (PRESTIGE INDIVIDUAL) |
| 1. | Sihan Sandhu, North Carolina | 67-73-69—209 |
| T2. | Ty Holbrook, Colorado | 68-73-75—216 |
| T2. | Ed Featherstone, Little Rock | 70-69-77—216 |
| T4. | Ben Gregg, Texas Tech | 74-74-69—217 |
| T4. | Sean Keeling, Texas Tech | 77-71-69--217 |
| TEAM STANDINGS |
| 1. | San Diego | 281-276-266—823 |
| 2. | Texas Tech | 284-283-272—839 |
| 3. | Northwestern | 283-281-277—841 |
| 4. | Arkansas-Little Rock | 283-282-278—842 |
| 5. | COLORADO | 284-284-277—845 |
| 6. | Kansas State | 284-282-284—850 |
| 7. | Kansas | 278-285-288—851 |
| 8. | North Carolina | 275-297-280—852 |
| T9. | Oregon | 282-290-282—854 |
| T9. | Princeton | 286-279-289—854 |
| T11. | Stanford | 283-288-285—856 |
| T11. | UNC-Wilmington | 282-291-283—856 |
| T13. | Colorado State | 285-289-284—858 |
| T13. | Loyola-Marymount | 286-290-282—858 |
| 15. | Pepperdine | 290-279-290—859 |
| T6. | Florida Atlantic | 282-284-296—862 |
| T17. | Baylor | 290-288-285—863 |
| T17. | Louisville | 293-278-292—863 |
| 19. | Iowa State | 289-286-291—866 |
| T20. | Nevada | 290-290-293—873 |
| T20. | Oregon State | 290-292-291—873 |
| 22. | Washington State | 296-297-282—875 |
| 23. | UC Davis | 291-297-292—880 |
| 24. | Yale | 298-300-300—898 |
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