Colorado University Athletics
Tuesday, March 11
San Diego, Calif.
All Day
Colorado
vs
Third Round
Justin Biwer recorded his 27th subpar tournament Tuesday, setting the school record.
Photo by: Matan Coll, CU Athletics
Golfers Tie For Second In San Diego RE Lamkin Invitational
March 11, 2025 | Men's Golf
Three Buffaloes Finish In Top Nine
CHULA VISTA, Calif. — The 33rd-ranked University of Colorado men's golf team recorded its fourth second place finish this season here Wednesday, as the Buffaloes tied for the runner-up spot for the second straight year in San Diego's R.E. Lamkin Invitational.
Co-host No. 25 San Diego State sizzled in the final round, turning in a 20-under par score of 268 and ran away from the field, finishing with a 43-under par 821 total. The Aztecs had led by one shot heading into the final 18 holes, but with all five scorers posting scores in the 60's, they left the rest of the field behind in the dust. Colorado and No. 35 San Diego finished 16 shots back with 27-under par 837 totals, with No. 22 Brigham Young fourth (846) and No. 80 St. Mary's rounding out the top five (851).
This was Colorado's sixth top three finish in seven tournaments so far in 2024-25, tying the school best done twice previously during the 1980-81 and 2022-23 seasons.
Three Buffaloes finished in the top 10 for the 31st time in school history, and for the second time this season; a trio placed in the top 10 last fall when CU won the New Mexico Tucker Invitational. Only champion San Diego State could make the same claim, as the Aztecs had four counting an individual who wasn't a designated scorer.
The seven toughest holes over the three rounds, in order, were Nos. 13, 11, 6, 3, 4, 18 and 9), Colorado played them the best at 9-over the first two rounds combined and a respectable 4-over Tuesday for 13-over in total; SDSU had played those 18-over combined on Monday but turned the tables and played them at 4-under in the final round (San Diego was 10-over Monday and 9-over Tuesday).
Seniors Justin Biwer and Dylan McDermott both tied for sixth after finishing up with 2-under 70s's on the 7,033-yard, par-72 San Diego Country Club course; they posted 9-under 207's overall. It was Biwer's 27th time under par for a tournament his career, breaking a tie with Jeremy Paul to set a CU record, while it was the 25th time for McDermott, now third all-time.
Biwer started the round two back of the lead but would get no closer, though he recorded four birdies and 12 pars with just two bogeys; he had 12 birdies and 39 pars – the latter tying for the most in the field –with just three bogeys. He played the par-4's here at 5-under, tied for the fourth-best in the 96-man field, and was 4-under on the par-5's and even on the par-3's, the ninth time in his career he played all the configurations either even or in the red, a team-best.
McDermott was also two back of the top spot when the day started, and at moved to 9-under through eight holes after birdies on Nos. 6 and 8; but three birdies, pars and bogeys on the back nine eventually kept him at 9-under overall. He played the tough combined 12 par-3's here at 2-under, tied for the best in the field, and the par-4's at 4-under, tied for 10. Under par on the par-5's as well (3-under), he was in the red on all three par configurations, just the fourth time a Buffalo accomplished that extraordinary feat this season. It was his first time this year and the second time in his career.
Junior Hunter Swanson tied for ninth – for the second straight year here – closing with an even-par 72 for an 8-under 208 score that tied him for ninth place. In contention for medalist honors at 8-under par and two off the lead when the day started, he birdied his first hole (No. 1) and was still 9-under par through eight holes, a double bogey on the par-4 9th combined with the leader, SDSU's Justin Hastings (whom was in Swanson's foursome) had four birdies at that point, the margin rose from two to seven. He finished with 13 birdies and 31 pars with six bogeys and the double, while playing the par-5's the best of any Buffalo at 8-under.
Senior Jack Holland was one of the day's big movers, jumping up 20 spots into a tie for 32nd after fashioning a 2-under 70 for a 1-under 215 score. He opened with a par and then bogeyed No. 4 before settling down to play his next 11 holes at 3-under. He matched Biwer's day of four birdies, 12 pars and just two bogeys, and had 13 birdies and 29 pars overall with 12 bogeys. He played the par-5's the best at 5-under, which helped him record his eighth career subpar tournament effort.
Sophomore Brandon Knight struggled a bit on Tuesday, finishing with a 6-over 78 for a 9-over 225 that tied him for 76th; he had entered the week with eight straight rounds of par or better, the last six subpar. He had nine birdies and 28 pars with 16 bogeys and a double which led him to post his highest score of the season; he owned a season average of exactly 70.0 (for 18 rounds) prior to coming here. His last time out two weeks ago in Wyoming's Desert Intercollegiate, he had his career-best finish (second), which also earned him CU's Male Athlete of the Week honors.
Freshman Parker Paxton participated here as an individual, finishing in a tie for 72nd after closing with a second straight 2-over 74 for an 8-over 224 total. He recorded four birdies and a matched Biwer with a team-high 39 pars against 10 bogeys and a double. The 39 pars also tied for the most in the field.
"The guys battled today despite not having our best stuff, which is something that is so, so important to do," head coach Roy Edwards said. "We had really strong events from Justin, Dylan and Hunter. Jack did a ton of things really well and was certainly a key component to a very good week for the team. Brandon struggled for the most part but he has been very good and will bounce back. Parker has some things to build on for the rest of the season as well.
"All-in-all, all six guys here really did a good job of working hard and competing all week."
San Diego State's Hastings, who led by one stroke entering the final round, pulled away from the pack with a 6-under 66, the second-best score in the event, to finish with a tournament record 16-under 200, good for a four-stroke win over two others.
The Buffaloes are now idle for the next two-a-half weeks before returning to action in Stanford's "The Goodwin," set for Palo Alto, March 28-30.
NOTES: CU also has seven top five finishes thus far this season, tied for the fifth-most in school history; the 2016-17 and 2022-23 teams finished in the top five nine times, the '92-93 and '13-14 teams eight times … The Buffaloes beat two teams ranked ahead of them, No. 22 Brigham Young and No. 32 Notre Dame, and beat seven of the top 60 schools in the tournament … In 21 rounds this season, the Buffaloes have now recorded 17 subpar scores and three others that were even (the only exception a 3-over 283); the 20 rounds of par or better are third-most all-time; the record of 25 was set in '17-18 … CU set its season record for rounds in the 60's here on Monday (56), and with three more subpar rounds Tuesday, that total is now 76 on the year with the record of 92 set in 2017-18 is well within reach … Of the 159 rounds played this season, CU has just of those in the 80's (an 80 exactly) … The average score for all 288 rounds was 72.70; there were 36 players who finished under par and four others ending up even … The Buffaloes (not including Paxton) combined for one eagle, 64 birdies (second; St. Mary's led with 65) and 159 pars (second; SDSU had 164); CU has the fourth-fewest bogeys (44) and just three doubles or more (tied for first) … In addition, Colorado played the par-3's at 4-over (the best in the field), the par-4's at 2-under (fourth) and the par-5's at 19-under (14th) … Knight owns two of the four times a Buff played an event under par on all three layouts (pars 3-4-5), Biwer had the other before McDermott did it this week … Biwer is closing in on CU's birdie record, as with 12 here over the last two days, he had 483, on the heels of Jeremy Paul (486); McDermott is not too far behind with 459 … The pair continue their friendly rivalry for the team lead in stroke average, as through 21 rounds, just one stroke continues to separate the duo, with Biwer's average 68.81 and McDermott's 68.86 (which stand to be the two best for a single-season in school history) … With Colorado going 13-1-1 here against the field, the Buffaloes are improved to 109-13-2, an .887 winning percentage; the 109 wins continue to lead the nation.
Co-host No. 25 San Diego State sizzled in the final round, turning in a 20-under par score of 268 and ran away from the field, finishing with a 43-under par 821 total. The Aztecs had led by one shot heading into the final 18 holes, but with all five scorers posting scores in the 60's, they left the rest of the field behind in the dust. Colorado and No. 35 San Diego finished 16 shots back with 27-under par 837 totals, with No. 22 Brigham Young fourth (846) and No. 80 St. Mary's rounding out the top five (851).
This was Colorado's sixth top three finish in seven tournaments so far in 2024-25, tying the school best done twice previously during the 1980-81 and 2022-23 seasons.
Three Buffaloes finished in the top 10 for the 31st time in school history, and for the second time this season; a trio placed in the top 10 last fall when CU won the New Mexico Tucker Invitational. Only champion San Diego State could make the same claim, as the Aztecs had four counting an individual who wasn't a designated scorer.
The seven toughest holes over the three rounds, in order, were Nos. 13, 11, 6, 3, 4, 18 and 9), Colorado played them the best at 9-over the first two rounds combined and a respectable 4-over Tuesday for 13-over in total; SDSU had played those 18-over combined on Monday but turned the tables and played them at 4-under in the final round (San Diego was 10-over Monday and 9-over Tuesday).
Seniors Justin Biwer and Dylan McDermott both tied for sixth after finishing up with 2-under 70s's on the 7,033-yard, par-72 San Diego Country Club course; they posted 9-under 207's overall. It was Biwer's 27th time under par for a tournament his career, breaking a tie with Jeremy Paul to set a CU record, while it was the 25th time for McDermott, now third all-time.
Biwer started the round two back of the lead but would get no closer, though he recorded four birdies and 12 pars with just two bogeys; he had 12 birdies and 39 pars – the latter tying for the most in the field –with just three bogeys. He played the par-4's here at 5-under, tied for the fourth-best in the 96-man field, and was 4-under on the par-5's and even on the par-3's, the ninth time in his career he played all the configurations either even or in the red, a team-best.
McDermott was also two back of the top spot when the day started, and at moved to 9-under through eight holes after birdies on Nos. 6 and 8; but three birdies, pars and bogeys on the back nine eventually kept him at 9-under overall. He played the tough combined 12 par-3's here at 2-under, tied for the best in the field, and the par-4's at 4-under, tied for 10. Under par on the par-5's as well (3-under), he was in the red on all three par configurations, just the fourth time a Buffalo accomplished that extraordinary feat this season. It was his first time this year and the second time in his career.
Junior Hunter Swanson tied for ninth – for the second straight year here – closing with an even-par 72 for an 8-under 208 score that tied him for ninth place. In contention for medalist honors at 8-under par and two off the lead when the day started, he birdied his first hole (No. 1) and was still 9-under par through eight holes, a double bogey on the par-4 9th combined with the leader, SDSU's Justin Hastings (whom was in Swanson's foursome) had four birdies at that point, the margin rose from two to seven. He finished with 13 birdies and 31 pars with six bogeys and the double, while playing the par-5's the best of any Buffalo at 8-under.
Senior Jack Holland was one of the day's big movers, jumping up 20 spots into a tie for 32nd after fashioning a 2-under 70 for a 1-under 215 score. He opened with a par and then bogeyed No. 4 before settling down to play his next 11 holes at 3-under. He matched Biwer's day of four birdies, 12 pars and just two bogeys, and had 13 birdies and 29 pars overall with 12 bogeys. He played the par-5's the best at 5-under, which helped him record his eighth career subpar tournament effort.
Sophomore Brandon Knight struggled a bit on Tuesday, finishing with a 6-over 78 for a 9-over 225 that tied him for 76th; he had entered the week with eight straight rounds of par or better, the last six subpar. He had nine birdies and 28 pars with 16 bogeys and a double which led him to post his highest score of the season; he owned a season average of exactly 70.0 (for 18 rounds) prior to coming here. His last time out two weeks ago in Wyoming's Desert Intercollegiate, he had his career-best finish (second), which also earned him CU's Male Athlete of the Week honors.
Freshman Parker Paxton participated here as an individual, finishing in a tie for 72nd after closing with a second straight 2-over 74 for an 8-over 224 total. He recorded four birdies and a matched Biwer with a team-high 39 pars against 10 bogeys and a double. The 39 pars also tied for the most in the field.
"The guys battled today despite not having our best stuff, which is something that is so, so important to do," head coach Roy Edwards said. "We had really strong events from Justin, Dylan and Hunter. Jack did a ton of things really well and was certainly a key component to a very good week for the team. Brandon struggled for the most part but he has been very good and will bounce back. Parker has some things to build on for the rest of the season as well.
"All-in-all, all six guys here really did a good job of working hard and competing all week."
San Diego State's Hastings, who led by one stroke entering the final round, pulled away from the pack with a 6-under 66, the second-best score in the event, to finish with a tournament record 16-under 200, good for a four-stroke win over two others.
The Buffaloes are now idle for the next two-a-half weeks before returning to action in Stanford's "The Goodwin," set for Palo Alto, March 28-30.
NOTES: CU also has seven top five finishes thus far this season, tied for the fifth-most in school history; the 2016-17 and 2022-23 teams finished in the top five nine times, the '92-93 and '13-14 teams eight times … The Buffaloes beat two teams ranked ahead of them, No. 22 Brigham Young and No. 32 Notre Dame, and beat seven of the top 60 schools in the tournament … In 21 rounds this season, the Buffaloes have now recorded 17 subpar scores and three others that were even (the only exception a 3-over 283); the 20 rounds of par or better are third-most all-time; the record of 25 was set in '17-18 … CU set its season record for rounds in the 60's here on Monday (56), and with three more subpar rounds Tuesday, that total is now 76 on the year with the record of 92 set in 2017-18 is well within reach … Of the 159 rounds played this season, CU has just of those in the 80's (an 80 exactly) … The average score for all 288 rounds was 72.70; there were 36 players who finished under par and four others ending up even … The Buffaloes (not including Paxton) combined for one eagle, 64 birdies (second; St. Mary's led with 65) and 159 pars (second; SDSU had 164); CU has the fourth-fewest bogeys (44) and just three doubles or more (tied for first) … In addition, Colorado played the par-3's at 4-over (the best in the field), the par-4's at 2-under (fourth) and the par-5's at 19-under (14th) … Knight owns two of the four times a Buff played an event under par on all three layouts (pars 3-4-5), Biwer had the other before McDermott did it this week … Biwer is closing in on CU's birdie record, as with 12 here over the last two days, he had 483, on the heels of Jeremy Paul (486); McDermott is not too far behind with 459 … The pair continue their friendly rivalry for the team lead in stroke average, as through 21 rounds, just one stroke continues to separate the duo, with Biwer's average 68.81 and McDermott's 68.86 (which stand to be the two best for a single-season in school history) … With Colorado going 13-1-1 here against the field, the Buffaloes are improved to 109-13-2, an .887 winning percentage; the 109 wins continue to lead the nation.
| BUFFALO INDIVIDUALS |
| T6. | Dylan McDermott | 69-68-70—207 |
| T6. | Justin Biwer | 68-69-70—207 |
| T9. | Hunter Swanson | 68-68-72—208 |
| T32. | Jack Holland | 71-74-70—215 |
| T72. | *Parker Paxton | 76-74-74—224 |
| T76. | Brandon Knight | 73-74-78—225 |
| INDIVIDUAL LEADERS |
| 1. | Justin Hastings, San Diego State | 68-66-66—200 |
| T2. | Harry Takis, San Diego State | 67-68-69—204 |
| T2. | Simon Kwon, BYU | 68-70-66—204 |
| T4. | Ian Maspat, San Diego State | 68-68-70—206 |
| T4. | Jacob Modleski, Notre Dame | 68-67-71—206 |
| TEAM STANDINGS |
| 1. | San Diego State | 277-276-268—821 |
| T2. | COLORADO | 276-279-282—837 |
| T2. | San Diego | 276-278-283—837 |
| 4. | Brigham Young | 284-286-276—846 |
| 5. | St. Mary's | 279-284-288—851 |
| T6. | Colorado State | 280-284-289—853 |
| T6. | Santa Clara | 274-287-292—853 |
| T8. | Loyola Marymount | 289-280-289—858 |
| T8. | New Mexico | 287-283-288—858 |
| 10. | Notre Dame | 287-283-292—862 |
| 11. | Fresno State | 284-287-295—866 |
| 12. | Wyoming | 284-286-298—868 |
| 13. | Cal Poly | 286-294-290—870 |
| 14. | UC Davis | 293-285-299—877 |
| 15. | UC San Diego | 294-286-299—878 |
| 16. | Hawai'i | 290-297-305—892 |
Players Mentioned
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