Tuesday, September 9
Pullman, Wash.
All Day
Colorado
vs
First Two Rounds
Swanson opened his senior season with 35 straight holes of par or better.
Photo by: CUBuffs.com
Men's Golfers Tied For Fourth After Two Rounds In Season Opener
September 09, 2025 | Men's Golf
Swanson Once Again Leading The Buffalo Attack In The Pacific Northwest
PULLMAN, Wash. — The University of Colorado men's golf team opened its 102nd season of intercollegiate competition here Tuesday, ending the day in fourth place after two rounds of Washington State's Palouse Collegiate.
Host Washington State owns the lead with a 27-under par 541 score, good for a five-shot advantage over Santa Clara (546), with the University of the Pacific in third (547). The Buffaloes are tied with San Jose State in fourth place with 18-under par 550 totals.
Colorado, ranked 26th in the preseason by Golfweek, opened a bit pedestrian. But the Buffs eventually caught fire late in the first round and zoomed from 10th to into a tie for fifth after the morning round, turning in a 4-under par 280 score on the 7,302-yard, par-71 Palouse Ridge Golf Club course configuration. The 4-under effort was still the sixth-best season opening score in relation to par in CU history, and the Buffaloes would remain hot the rest of the day.
Some 12 strokes back of Santa Clara (16-under 268 to open the day), the Buffaloes ended the day nine back of the hosts after recording a 14-under 270 in the afternoon. Four of CU's designated scorers logged scores in the 60's, just the 12th time in program history that has occurred (includes one with all five posting sub-70 efforts). It was just the eighth time all five scorers recorded subpar tallies in the same round
"After a remarkably slow start, the team did a really good job the last 24 or 25 holes of the day," head coach Roy Edwards said. "We are in a good spot heading into the final round. If we can just play and be ourselves – and trust our games – we should have a great day tomorrow."
Senior Hunter Swanson was thisclose to setting a school standard – the first player to open a season with back-to-back bogey free rounds; starting on No. 2, he recorded a 3-under 68 in the morning with three birdies and 15 pars. The second time around the PRGC track, he was sizzling until he bogeyed his final hole – the 463-yard, par-4 No. 1. He settled for a 5-under 66 for an 8-under 134 heading into the final round, as he is tied for fourth, three back of the lead. He finished with nine birdies, 26 pars and the one bogey, but both rounds he was even or under par on all three par configurations, doubling his career total to four such instances (he played the par-3's at 1-under, the par-4's at 2-under and the par-5's at 5-under, birdying all four of the latter in the second round. The bogey-free round was the fifth of his career.
"It was a really nice day for Hunter," Edwards said of his team's lone senior. "He was in full command and did a wonderful job to open the season."
Swanson finished fourth here a year ago, with a near similar start of 28 straight holes of par or better en route to a 12-under 201 scorecard. He had 15 birdies and 36 pars with just three bogeys in what would be his best tournament of the year. He now has five straight scores in the 60's on Palouse Ridge.
Sophomore Parker Paxton, playing as a designated scorer for the first time in his young Buffalo career, did not disappoint; he recorded back-to-back 69's for a 4-under 138 total through two rounds, tying him for 18th. He enjoyed a fairly steady day, with nine birdies – matching Swanson for the team-high – with 23 pars opposite three bogeys and one double. He been consistent across the board, as on Tuesday he was 3-under on the par-5's, 1-under on the par-3's and even on the par-4's.
Junior Brandon Knight also struggled at the start, bogeying two his first three holes (Nos. 4 and 6, both par-3's); still 2-over after 15 and heading back to the No. 1 tee, he finished birdie-eagle-birdie – the eagle coming on the 379-yard, par-4 No. 2 hole when he buried a pitch from about 30 yards out – the flourish enabling him to card a 2-under 69. Combined with a 1-under in the afternoon, his 3-under 139 total has him tied for 24th. He had eight birdies and 21 pars to go with his eagle, against five bogeys and a double.
Junior Ty Holbrook is tied for 33rd fter fashioning a 74-67—141 (1-under) performance. After a bit of a rocky start – he was 5-over par through 15 holes, he closed his opening round with birdies on Nos. 16 and 18; he then solidified his play, with an eagle and five birdies on his second trek of the day, again birdying No. 18 to get his number for the day on the happy side of par. Tied for 59th after 18 holes, he zoomed up 26 spots in the standings, the second-biggest leap from after the first to after the second. In addition to the eagle, he had eight birdies and 19 pars with seven bogeys and a double. He was a team-best 6-under on the par-5 holes.
USC graduate transfer Jackson Rivera is tied for 63rd after an 80-68—148 (4-over) performance. He had a rollercoaster debut for the Buffs in his first round, with a birdie, 10 pars, five bogeys, a double and a triple, shooting a 40 on each nine with most of his overage coming on the par-3's when he was 6-over. But talk about a turnaround – he played those same five par-3 holes at 1-under in the second round, when he had four birdies and 13 pars with a single bogey. The 12-stroke improvement from one round to the next came up just short of cracking that all-time CU list (where on 18 occasions a player improved 14 or more shots).
Freshman Tyler Long is playing as an individual; he was originally slated in the No. 4 spot after team qualifying, Long was having some mild back trouble and switched out with Rivera, but still decided to give it a go. Considering he couldn't really be at his best, he turned in a most respectable 73-71—144 effort that has him tied for 51st. He also tied for the most birdies by a Buff with nine, to go with 19 pars opposite five bogeys and two doubles, playing the par-5's his best at 4-under.
Santa Clara's Calder Overfelt owns the individual lead with an 11-under 131 total after rounds of 65 and 66; that leads WSU's Dylan Burcham and Idaho's Josh McCartain by a single shot, though 16 players are within six shots of the lead.
The third and final round is set for Wednesday with an 9:45 mountain time shotgun start. Colorado will be paired with Washington State, Santa Clara and Pacific and will begin play off the No. 1 through No. 4 tees.
NOTES: The original forecast called for temperatures in the upper 60s and a 50 percent chance on rain showers for both days; but on Tuesday, the high reached 80 under mostly sunny skies. More of the same is expected for the final round Wednesday, though a 30 percent of storms later in the day is possible … Ten of the 12 rounds with at least four players in the 60's have occurred on Edwards' watch as coach … Swanson now has 31 career rounds in the 60's, which ranks him sixth all-time on the CU list; his 40 subpar rounds is now tied for sixth … His 35 holes of par or better to open the event is the second-longest streak in his career; he had a run of 42 in the 2023 Maui Jim Individual; it was his fifth run of 30-plus in his career …Paxton saw action in seven tournaments as a true freshman last year, all as an individual, but his 72.62 stroke average landed as the fifth-best by a frosh in CU annals… Only Pacific's Timothy Jung improved more than Holbrook; he jumped 29 spots from 47th into 18th … John Nyuli owns the biggest stroke improvement from one round to the next – 18 strokes in the 1990 Miami-Doral Invitational (second round 90, final round 72) … The average score for all 164 rounds so far is 73.73 … There are 37 players under par and 7 others who are even in the 82-man field through two rounds … Four of the six toughest holes Tuesday were par-3's (Nos. 13, 16, 11 and 4), along with Nos. 17 and 1 (par-4's); CU's scorers played those at 11-over in round one but at just 2-over in round two … The scorers played the par-3's at 8-over (rank in field not available), the par-4's at 2-under and the par-5's at 20-under, while recording two eagles, 43 birdies, 108 pars against 25 bogeys and five doubles … CU finished second here last year with a 34-under par team score, the fourth-best by a CU team in relation to par (with the team total of 818 the second-lowest gross score).
Host Washington State owns the lead with a 27-under par 541 score, good for a five-shot advantage over Santa Clara (546), with the University of the Pacific in third (547). The Buffaloes are tied with San Jose State in fourth place with 18-under par 550 totals.
Colorado, ranked 26th in the preseason by Golfweek, opened a bit pedestrian. But the Buffs eventually caught fire late in the first round and zoomed from 10th to into a tie for fifth after the morning round, turning in a 4-under par 280 score on the 7,302-yard, par-71 Palouse Ridge Golf Club course configuration. The 4-under effort was still the sixth-best season opening score in relation to par in CU history, and the Buffaloes would remain hot the rest of the day.
Some 12 strokes back of Santa Clara (16-under 268 to open the day), the Buffaloes ended the day nine back of the hosts after recording a 14-under 270 in the afternoon. Four of CU's designated scorers logged scores in the 60's, just the 12th time in program history that has occurred (includes one with all five posting sub-70 efforts). It was just the eighth time all five scorers recorded subpar tallies in the same round
"After a remarkably slow start, the team did a really good job the last 24 or 25 holes of the day," head coach Roy Edwards said. "We are in a good spot heading into the final round. If we can just play and be ourselves – and trust our games – we should have a great day tomorrow."
Senior Hunter Swanson was thisclose to setting a school standard – the first player to open a season with back-to-back bogey free rounds; starting on No. 2, he recorded a 3-under 68 in the morning with three birdies and 15 pars. The second time around the PRGC track, he was sizzling until he bogeyed his final hole – the 463-yard, par-4 No. 1. He settled for a 5-under 66 for an 8-under 134 heading into the final round, as he is tied for fourth, three back of the lead. He finished with nine birdies, 26 pars and the one bogey, but both rounds he was even or under par on all three par configurations, doubling his career total to four such instances (he played the par-3's at 1-under, the par-4's at 2-under and the par-5's at 5-under, birdying all four of the latter in the second round. The bogey-free round was the fifth of his career.
"It was a really nice day for Hunter," Edwards said of his team's lone senior. "He was in full command and did a wonderful job to open the season."
Swanson finished fourth here a year ago, with a near similar start of 28 straight holes of par or better en route to a 12-under 201 scorecard. He had 15 birdies and 36 pars with just three bogeys in what would be his best tournament of the year. He now has five straight scores in the 60's on Palouse Ridge.
Sophomore Parker Paxton, playing as a designated scorer for the first time in his young Buffalo career, did not disappoint; he recorded back-to-back 69's for a 4-under 138 total through two rounds, tying him for 18th. He enjoyed a fairly steady day, with nine birdies – matching Swanson for the team-high – with 23 pars opposite three bogeys and one double. He been consistent across the board, as on Tuesday he was 3-under on the par-5's, 1-under on the par-3's and even on the par-4's.
Junior Brandon Knight also struggled at the start, bogeying two his first three holes (Nos. 4 and 6, both par-3's); still 2-over after 15 and heading back to the No. 1 tee, he finished birdie-eagle-birdie – the eagle coming on the 379-yard, par-4 No. 2 hole when he buried a pitch from about 30 yards out – the flourish enabling him to card a 2-under 69. Combined with a 1-under in the afternoon, his 3-under 139 total has him tied for 24th. He had eight birdies and 21 pars to go with his eagle, against five bogeys and a double.
Junior Ty Holbrook is tied for 33rd fter fashioning a 74-67—141 (1-under) performance. After a bit of a rocky start – he was 5-over par through 15 holes, he closed his opening round with birdies on Nos. 16 and 18; he then solidified his play, with an eagle and five birdies on his second trek of the day, again birdying No. 18 to get his number for the day on the happy side of par. Tied for 59th after 18 holes, he zoomed up 26 spots in the standings, the second-biggest leap from after the first to after the second. In addition to the eagle, he had eight birdies and 19 pars with seven bogeys and a double. He was a team-best 6-under on the par-5 holes.
USC graduate transfer Jackson Rivera is tied for 63rd after an 80-68—148 (4-over) performance. He had a rollercoaster debut for the Buffs in his first round, with a birdie, 10 pars, five bogeys, a double and a triple, shooting a 40 on each nine with most of his overage coming on the par-3's when he was 6-over. But talk about a turnaround – he played those same five par-3 holes at 1-under in the second round, when he had four birdies and 13 pars with a single bogey. The 12-stroke improvement from one round to the next came up just short of cracking that all-time CU list (where on 18 occasions a player improved 14 or more shots).
Freshman Tyler Long is playing as an individual; he was originally slated in the No. 4 spot after team qualifying, Long was having some mild back trouble and switched out with Rivera, but still decided to give it a go. Considering he couldn't really be at his best, he turned in a most respectable 73-71—144 effort that has him tied for 51st. He also tied for the most birdies by a Buff with nine, to go with 19 pars opposite five bogeys and two doubles, playing the par-5's his best at 4-under.
Santa Clara's Calder Overfelt owns the individual lead with an 11-under 131 total after rounds of 65 and 66; that leads WSU's Dylan Burcham and Idaho's Josh McCartain by a single shot, though 16 players are within six shots of the lead.
The third and final round is set for Wednesday with an 9:45 mountain time shotgun start. Colorado will be paired with Washington State, Santa Clara and Pacific and will begin play off the No. 1 through No. 4 tees.
NOTES: The original forecast called for temperatures in the upper 60s and a 50 percent chance on rain showers for both days; but on Tuesday, the high reached 80 under mostly sunny skies. More of the same is expected for the final round Wednesday, though a 30 percent of storms later in the day is possible … Ten of the 12 rounds with at least four players in the 60's have occurred on Edwards' watch as coach … Swanson now has 31 career rounds in the 60's, which ranks him sixth all-time on the CU list; his 40 subpar rounds is now tied for sixth … His 35 holes of par or better to open the event is the second-longest streak in his career; he had a run of 42 in the 2023 Maui Jim Individual; it was his fifth run of 30-plus in his career …Paxton saw action in seven tournaments as a true freshman last year, all as an individual, but his 72.62 stroke average landed as the fifth-best by a frosh in CU annals… Only Pacific's Timothy Jung improved more than Holbrook; he jumped 29 spots from 47th into 18th … John Nyuli owns the biggest stroke improvement from one round to the next – 18 strokes in the 1990 Miami-Doral Invitational (second round 90, final round 72) … The average score for all 164 rounds so far is 73.73 … There are 37 players under par and 7 others who are even in the 82-man field through two rounds … Four of the six toughest holes Tuesday were par-3's (Nos. 13, 16, 11 and 4), along with Nos. 17 and 1 (par-4's); CU's scorers played those at 11-over in round one but at just 2-over in round two … The scorers played the par-3's at 8-over (rank in field not available), the par-4's at 2-under and the par-5's at 20-under, while recording two eagles, 43 birdies, 108 pars against 25 bogeys and five doubles … CU finished second here last year with a 34-under par team score, the fourth-best by a CU team in relation to par (with the team total of 818 the second-lowest gross score).
| BUFFALI INDIVIDUALS |
| T 4. | Hunter Swanson | 68-66—134 |
| T18. | Parker Paxton | 69-69—138 |
| T24. | Brandon Knight | 69-70—139 |
| T33. | Ty Holbrook | 74-67—141 |
| T51. | *Tyler Long | 73-71—144 |
| T63. | Jackson Rivera | 80-68—148 |
| INDIVIDUAL LEADERS |
| 1. | Calder Overfelt, Santa Clara | 65-66—131 |
| T2. | Dylan Burcham, Washi. St. | 66-66—132 |
| T2. | Josh McCartain, Idaho | 67-65—132 |
| T4. | Hunter Swanson, Colorado | 68-66—134 |
| T4. | Dalton Dean, Idaho | 69-65—134 |
TEAM SCORES
| 1. | Washington State | 273-268--541 |
| 2. | Santa Clara | 268-278--546 |
| 3. | Pacific | 275-272--547 |
| T4. | COLORADO | 280-270--550 |
| T4. | San Jose State | 271-279--550 |
| 6. | Boise State | 282-273--555 |
| 7. | Idaho | 284-272--556 |
| 8. | Oregon State | 280-280--560 |
| 9. | Eastern Washington | 280-283--563 |
| 10. | Fresno State | 286-278--564 |
| 11. | Seattle | 288-278--566 |
| 12. | Southern Illinois | 288-289--577 |
Players Mentioned
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