Paxton's career-best third-place finish paced the Buffaloes at CNGC.
Photo by: CUBuffs.com
Buff Golfers Finish Second In Own Simpson Invitational
September 30, 2025 | Men's Golf
Sophomore Paxton Leads Four Buffs In Top 14
ERIE — The University of Colorado men's golf team once again was unfortunately the "bride's maid instead of the bride" for the fourth straight year, as the Buffaloes finished second – again – in its own 15th annual Mark Simpson-CU Invitational which concluded here Tuesday.
Arkansas State got a late eagle from its No. 3 player to secure the victory, as the Red Wolves finished with a team score of 42-under par 822; that bested the Buffaloes by one stroke, as their 41-under 823 effort with second round leader Long Beach State two back at 40-under 824. The three combined to record the second through fourth-best team scores in the tournament's history, as all traded knockout punches throughout Tuesday, all leading at some point. Southern Illinois (836) and Texas-El Paso (838) rounded out the top five.
The Buffaloes, who shot the low score of the event in the first round (a 20-under 268), also recorded the best tally for the final 18 holes, though matched by Texas-El Paso (a 13-under 275). Arkansas State was able to keep CU at an arm's reach by carding a 277, while Long Beach couldn't keep up, finishing with a 280 in the predicted three-way dogfight ahead of the final round.
Finishing second in a major golf tournament is never bad – dating back to the '22-23 season, this was Colorado's 12th runner-up effort in 42 competitions, along with 23 top three finishes including two wins. The 41-under par, 823 team score both set school records, eclipsing a 39-under 825 the Buffaloes recorded in Denver's Ron Moore Invitational in 2008.
"It was just an incredible battle today," head coach Roy Edwards said. "We saw so much good golf from everyone and I couldn't be more pleased or happy with our competitiveness and performance. Unfortunately, we came up one shot short of the victory. Arkansas State has a really good veteran team and they were a huge challenge for us. We did get an important win over Long Beach State who hadn't lost anybody yet this year and then beat everybody else in the field by some good margins."
"This is a really fun group to coach and we're super excited for what lies ahead," he continued. "With all eight of our players under par for the entire tournament, that's such a great accomplishment and congratulations are in order to all of our guys for doing that."
Sophomore Parker Paxton led four Buffaloes in the top 14 with a career-best tie for third place, closing with a 4-under 68 for an overall 13-under 203. With all three rounds in the 60's (66-69-68), it was the 22nd time in school history a player recorded three straight sub-70 scores in an event, the second time this season Paxton accomplished the feat. His performance matched two previous CU individual bests on a par-72 course, both previously done in a Simpson: Adam Matteson in 2021 and Justin Biwer last year. He closed with five birdies and 12 pars and a single bogey, and overall, he recorded two eagles, 14 birdies and 33 pars opposite just five bogeys over 54 holes on the 7,787-yard, par-72 Colorado National Golf Club course layout.
"It stings to come up one shot shy as a team, but my hat's off to Arkansas State and Thomas Schmidt," Paxton said in referring to the team and individual champions. "There is a lot to build on for us. I love this team. We're full of competitors and I love going to battle with them."
Playing in just his 10th collegiate event (and third as a team scorer), Paxton played all par configurations in the red: he was 6-under on the par-5's, 4-under on the par-3's (the best in the 100-man field) and 3-under on the par-4's; he never finished any of the three rounds over par, and in fact was under on all except for playing the par-4's even in the second round. He was also under par on all eight nine sides.
Junior Brandon Knight tied for fifth – his second-highest career finish – after closing with a 4-under 68, giving him a 54-hole total of 11-under 205. After flirting with two bogey free rounds Monday (one in each), he recorded his third career pristine round Tuesday, making four birdies and 14 pars. He recorded 13 birdies and 39 pars against just two bogeys, which tied for the fewest in the event (his 39 pars also were tied for third-most). He played the par-4's at 7-under (the best by a Buff and the fourth-best overall), the par-5's at 4-under and the par-3's even, the fourth time in his career he played all the par layouts even or in the red.
Junior Ty Holbrook tied for seventh after fashioning a 2-under 70 for a 10-under 206 scorecard, equaling his career-best 54-hole effort. He had a team-high 18 birdies over the three rounds – the second-most in the field – with 30 pars, four bogeys and two doubles. His seven birdies on Tuesday were a team-high. He also continued his amazing dominance on par-5 holes this season: he birdied eight of the 12 in the event, and of the 36 par-5's holes to date his fall, he has two eagles, 26 birdies, six pars and just two bogeys, thus playing them all told at 28-under. He was 7-under on the par-5's here, and finished 3-under on the par-4's and even on the par-3's, the second time in his career he played all the par layouts even or under par.
This marked the 31st time in school history that the Buffaloes had three individuals finish in the top 10.
"Parker, Brandon and Ty all played outstanding this week," Edwards said. "They all feel good about their performances, but also know they left a few shots out there and I'm sure that'll motivate them as they keep getting better and better. Overall, there was a lot of good golf today – really both days – by all of the guys,"
Freshman Tyler Long, more than answered the call in his first time as a designated scorer for the team, and in fact set a school record. In fashioning a 3-under 69 to finish with a 7-under 209 that tied him for 14th, that set new marks for gross score and score in relation to par for a Buff scoring for the team for the initial time. Hunter Swanson had the previous low gross score of 211 (+1) in the 2022 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Classic, while Dylan McDermott had the best in relation to par (212, -4) in the 2021 Air Force Miranda Invitational (tying for 14th is the eighth-highest finish). It also tied the eighth-best effort by a freshman in a 54-hole tourney on a par-72 course.
In tying for the low freshman honors with Southern Illinois' Michael Mikus and Tarleton State's Alvaro Pastor (there were 18 freshmen who competed), Long had two eagles, 11 birdies, 33 pars and just eight bogeys. He played the par-5's his best at 7-under (tied for fourth-best in the field), along with the par-4's at 2-under and the par-3's at 2-over.
"It was Tyler's first time in the lineup, and he played great as he's done all year," Edwards noted, "It's very obvious he's got an outstanding future in front of him. He's a tremendous freshman."
Senior Hunter Swanson wrapped things up with an even-par 72, tying for 44th with a 2-under 214; it was his third straight subpar effort in CU's signature event. He had four birdies and 10 pars against four bogeys on Tuesday, upping his totals to 11, 34 and nine, respectively, for the two days. He played the par-4's at 5-under – sixth-best in the field – the par-5's at 1-under and the par-3's at 4-over. It was the 15th time in 40 career tournaments that he posted a subpar final score, the current team high.
Three Buffaloes participated as individuals; thus their scores did not count toward the CU team total.
First-year graduate transfer Jackson Rivera opened with a 4-over 76, but rebounded with rounds of 66 and 69 and tied for 27th with a 5-under 211 total. How good were those last two rounds? The 9-under 135 was second-best score in the tournament field over the last 36 holes, behind only tournament medalist, Arkansas State senior Thomas Schmidt, who had a 63-67—130 on the back end. He finished with an eagle, which he made Tuesday on the 576-yard, par-5 7th hole, along with 15 birdies – tied for fifth-most in the field as well – to go with 26 pars and 12 bogeys. He played the par-5's the best of all the Buffaloes at 8-under, which was third-best in the entire field.
Sophomore Michael Fang tied for 35th after posting a 3-under 69, finishing with a 4-under 212 total, his collegiate career best score for 54-holes. He had 12 birdies and 34 pars with eight bogeys while playing the par-5's his best at 5-under; he was 1-under on the par-4's and 2-over on the par-3's.
Freshman Casey Kosney also tied for 35th after closing with a 1-under 71 for a 4-under 212, his best early in his college career. He was steady, finishing with 11 birdies, 36 pars and seven bogeys. He played the par-3's the best of all the Buffs at 1-under, which was also third-best by all competitors; he was also under par on the par-4's and par-5's (1-and 2-under respectively), thus logging in his first career event where he recorded subpar totals on all three par configurations, joining Paxton in doing so this week. He finished sixth out of the 18 freshmen in the event.
Arkansas State's Schmidt ran away from the field in claiming medalist honors, finishing with a 5-under 67 for a tournament record 22-under 194. That shattered the old best, a 15-under par 201 by San Diego's Harrison Kingsley in 2021. Schmidt had an eagle, 22 birdies, 27 pars and just two bogeys over the two days. His eight-stroke win over Long Beach State's Steen Zeman (202, -14) was also a Simpson record; the previous largest winning margin came in the 2013 event, when Houston Baptist's Preston Stanley had a 6-under par 210 winning score to defeat Campbell's Craig Hornberger by five shots. Zeman's 202 still tied for the third-best 54-hole score in the history of the event.
The Buffaloes return to action in nine days, traveling west to play for the first time in the Visit Stockton Pacific Invitational in Stockton, Calif., October 9-11.
NOTES: The weather was near perfect for the final round, with minimal cloud cover and wind with the temperature in the low 70's at the tournament's conclusion … In last year's Simpson, eight of the nine Buffaloes finished in red numbers; the ninth finished even; today marked the only time the entire team did so in a 54-hole event in team history … It was the first subpar tournament for four of the Buffs on the roster: Fang, Kosney, Long and Rivera … Sixteen of the 31 times the Buffaloes have placed three finishers in the top 10 have occurred during the Edwards Era … The average score for all 299 rounds was 71.94; it was the highest for the third round, but just barely (71.99); the first round number was 71.91 and the second 71.88 … There were 58 players who were under par and another 4 who finished even … Nine holes played over par over the three rounds (in order: Nos. 16, 9, 5, 6, 14, 3, 11, 10, 18 and 2); the top three played them remarkably the same: CU and ASU's scorers were 4-over, Long Beach's were plus-5 … The five CU corers played the par-3's the best in the field 2-over (Southern Illinois was next at +3), the par-4's at 20-under (second behind Long Beach State at 30-under) and the par-5's at 25-under (also second, behind 33-under by Arkansas State) … Colorado tied with Wyoming for the most eagles (4), had the second-most birdies (67; Arkansas State had the most with 68), and had 167 pars (ninth, UTEP led with 182); CU's 28 bogeys were the third-fewest (ASU and CSULB had 27) and tied for the fewest double bogeys (2) … Colorado already has 11 eagles this season by six different players – the school record of 30 was set last year … Through nine rounds this young season, CU's scorers are an impressive 112-under par … Paxton also recorded three rounds in the 60's in the season opener – Washington State's Palouse Collegiate – where he tied for fifth (69-69-65—203, -10) … Paxton lowered his team leading stroke average to 68.78, with nine straight subpar rounds (six in the 60's) … CU's eight players have combined to play 66 rounds so far – 48 have been par or better (39 subpar, 9 even) with 26 rounds in the 60's … An early sign for CU's team depth: the fifth-man scoring average through nine rounds is 73.1, while the fourth-man number is a very healthy 71.3 … UTEP's Dylan Teeter, a tri-medalist a year ago at 13-under par 203, finished with a 5-uner 67 that made him the day's biggest mover, jumping 26 spots from a tie for 53rd into one for 27th (211,-5) … Colorado was 17-1 here against Division I competition, improving to 39-5-2 (.870) after three meets; in single rounds, the Buffs were a gaudy 49-2-3, and on the year are now 107-24-7 (.801) … CU, Northern Colorado and Wyoming have now played in all 15 of the Simpson events.
Arkansas State got a late eagle from its No. 3 player to secure the victory, as the Red Wolves finished with a team score of 42-under par 822; that bested the Buffaloes by one stroke, as their 41-under 823 effort with second round leader Long Beach State two back at 40-under 824. The three combined to record the second through fourth-best team scores in the tournament's history, as all traded knockout punches throughout Tuesday, all leading at some point. Southern Illinois (836) and Texas-El Paso (838) rounded out the top five.
The Buffaloes, who shot the low score of the event in the first round (a 20-under 268), also recorded the best tally for the final 18 holes, though matched by Texas-El Paso (a 13-under 275). Arkansas State was able to keep CU at an arm's reach by carding a 277, while Long Beach couldn't keep up, finishing with a 280 in the predicted three-way dogfight ahead of the final round.
Finishing second in a major golf tournament is never bad – dating back to the '22-23 season, this was Colorado's 12th runner-up effort in 42 competitions, along with 23 top three finishes including two wins. The 41-under par, 823 team score both set school records, eclipsing a 39-under 825 the Buffaloes recorded in Denver's Ron Moore Invitational in 2008.
"It was just an incredible battle today," head coach Roy Edwards said. "We saw so much good golf from everyone and I couldn't be more pleased or happy with our competitiveness and performance. Unfortunately, we came up one shot short of the victory. Arkansas State has a really good veteran team and they were a huge challenge for us. We did get an important win over Long Beach State who hadn't lost anybody yet this year and then beat everybody else in the field by some good margins."
"This is a really fun group to coach and we're super excited for what lies ahead," he continued. "With all eight of our players under par for the entire tournament, that's such a great accomplishment and congratulations are in order to all of our guys for doing that."
Sophomore Parker Paxton led four Buffaloes in the top 14 with a career-best tie for third place, closing with a 4-under 68 for an overall 13-under 203. With all three rounds in the 60's (66-69-68), it was the 22nd time in school history a player recorded three straight sub-70 scores in an event, the second time this season Paxton accomplished the feat. His performance matched two previous CU individual bests on a par-72 course, both previously done in a Simpson: Adam Matteson in 2021 and Justin Biwer last year. He closed with five birdies and 12 pars and a single bogey, and overall, he recorded two eagles, 14 birdies and 33 pars opposite just five bogeys over 54 holes on the 7,787-yard, par-72 Colorado National Golf Club course layout.
"It stings to come up one shot shy as a team, but my hat's off to Arkansas State and Thomas Schmidt," Paxton said in referring to the team and individual champions. "There is a lot to build on for us. I love this team. We're full of competitors and I love going to battle with them."
Playing in just his 10th collegiate event (and third as a team scorer), Paxton played all par configurations in the red: he was 6-under on the par-5's, 4-under on the par-3's (the best in the 100-man field) and 3-under on the par-4's; he never finished any of the three rounds over par, and in fact was under on all except for playing the par-4's even in the second round. He was also under par on all eight nine sides.
Junior Brandon Knight tied for fifth – his second-highest career finish – after closing with a 4-under 68, giving him a 54-hole total of 11-under 205. After flirting with two bogey free rounds Monday (one in each), he recorded his third career pristine round Tuesday, making four birdies and 14 pars. He recorded 13 birdies and 39 pars against just two bogeys, which tied for the fewest in the event (his 39 pars also were tied for third-most). He played the par-4's at 7-under (the best by a Buff and the fourth-best overall), the par-5's at 4-under and the par-3's even, the fourth time in his career he played all the par layouts even or in the red.
Junior Ty Holbrook tied for seventh after fashioning a 2-under 70 for a 10-under 206 scorecard, equaling his career-best 54-hole effort. He had a team-high 18 birdies over the three rounds – the second-most in the field – with 30 pars, four bogeys and two doubles. His seven birdies on Tuesday were a team-high. He also continued his amazing dominance on par-5 holes this season: he birdied eight of the 12 in the event, and of the 36 par-5's holes to date his fall, he has two eagles, 26 birdies, six pars and just two bogeys, thus playing them all told at 28-under. He was 7-under on the par-5's here, and finished 3-under on the par-4's and even on the par-3's, the second time in his career he played all the par layouts even or under par.
This marked the 31st time in school history that the Buffaloes had three individuals finish in the top 10.
"Parker, Brandon and Ty all played outstanding this week," Edwards said. "They all feel good about their performances, but also know they left a few shots out there and I'm sure that'll motivate them as they keep getting better and better. Overall, there was a lot of good golf today – really both days – by all of the guys,"
Freshman Tyler Long, more than answered the call in his first time as a designated scorer for the team, and in fact set a school record. In fashioning a 3-under 69 to finish with a 7-under 209 that tied him for 14th, that set new marks for gross score and score in relation to par for a Buff scoring for the team for the initial time. Hunter Swanson had the previous low gross score of 211 (+1) in the 2022 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Classic, while Dylan McDermott had the best in relation to par (212, -4) in the 2021 Air Force Miranda Invitational (tying for 14th is the eighth-highest finish). It also tied the eighth-best effort by a freshman in a 54-hole tourney on a par-72 course.
In tying for the low freshman honors with Southern Illinois' Michael Mikus and Tarleton State's Alvaro Pastor (there were 18 freshmen who competed), Long had two eagles, 11 birdies, 33 pars and just eight bogeys. He played the par-5's his best at 7-under (tied for fourth-best in the field), along with the par-4's at 2-under and the par-3's at 2-over.
"It was Tyler's first time in the lineup, and he played great as he's done all year," Edwards noted, "It's very obvious he's got an outstanding future in front of him. He's a tremendous freshman."
Senior Hunter Swanson wrapped things up with an even-par 72, tying for 44th with a 2-under 214; it was his third straight subpar effort in CU's signature event. He had four birdies and 10 pars against four bogeys on Tuesday, upping his totals to 11, 34 and nine, respectively, for the two days. He played the par-4's at 5-under – sixth-best in the field – the par-5's at 1-under and the par-3's at 4-over. It was the 15th time in 40 career tournaments that he posted a subpar final score, the current team high.
Three Buffaloes participated as individuals; thus their scores did not count toward the CU team total.
First-year graduate transfer Jackson Rivera opened with a 4-over 76, but rebounded with rounds of 66 and 69 and tied for 27th with a 5-under 211 total. How good were those last two rounds? The 9-under 135 was second-best score in the tournament field over the last 36 holes, behind only tournament medalist, Arkansas State senior Thomas Schmidt, who had a 63-67—130 on the back end. He finished with an eagle, which he made Tuesday on the 576-yard, par-5 7th hole, along with 15 birdies – tied for fifth-most in the field as well – to go with 26 pars and 12 bogeys. He played the par-5's the best of all the Buffaloes at 8-under, which was third-best in the entire field.
Sophomore Michael Fang tied for 35th after posting a 3-under 69, finishing with a 4-under 212 total, his collegiate career best score for 54-holes. He had 12 birdies and 34 pars with eight bogeys while playing the par-5's his best at 5-under; he was 1-under on the par-4's and 2-over on the par-3's.
Freshman Casey Kosney also tied for 35th after closing with a 1-under 71 for a 4-under 212, his best early in his college career. He was steady, finishing with 11 birdies, 36 pars and seven bogeys. He played the par-3's the best of all the Buffs at 1-under, which was also third-best by all competitors; he was also under par on the par-4's and par-5's (1-and 2-under respectively), thus logging in his first career event where he recorded subpar totals on all three par configurations, joining Paxton in doing so this week. He finished sixth out of the 18 freshmen in the event.
Arkansas State's Schmidt ran away from the field in claiming medalist honors, finishing with a 5-under 67 for a tournament record 22-under 194. That shattered the old best, a 15-under par 201 by San Diego's Harrison Kingsley in 2021. Schmidt had an eagle, 22 birdies, 27 pars and just two bogeys over the two days. His eight-stroke win over Long Beach State's Steen Zeman (202, -14) was also a Simpson record; the previous largest winning margin came in the 2013 event, when Houston Baptist's Preston Stanley had a 6-under par 210 winning score to defeat Campbell's Craig Hornberger by five shots. Zeman's 202 still tied for the third-best 54-hole score in the history of the event.
The Buffaloes return to action in nine days, traveling west to play for the first time in the Visit Stockton Pacific Invitational in Stockton, Calif., October 9-11.
NOTES: The weather was near perfect for the final round, with minimal cloud cover and wind with the temperature in the low 70's at the tournament's conclusion … In last year's Simpson, eight of the nine Buffaloes finished in red numbers; the ninth finished even; today marked the only time the entire team did so in a 54-hole event in team history … It was the first subpar tournament for four of the Buffs on the roster: Fang, Kosney, Long and Rivera … Sixteen of the 31 times the Buffaloes have placed three finishers in the top 10 have occurred during the Edwards Era … The average score for all 299 rounds was 71.94; it was the highest for the third round, but just barely (71.99); the first round number was 71.91 and the second 71.88 … There were 58 players who were under par and another 4 who finished even … Nine holes played over par over the three rounds (in order: Nos. 16, 9, 5, 6, 14, 3, 11, 10, 18 and 2); the top three played them remarkably the same: CU and ASU's scorers were 4-over, Long Beach's were plus-5 … The five CU corers played the par-3's the best in the field 2-over (Southern Illinois was next at +3), the par-4's at 20-under (second behind Long Beach State at 30-under) and the par-5's at 25-under (also second, behind 33-under by Arkansas State) … Colorado tied with Wyoming for the most eagles (4), had the second-most birdies (67; Arkansas State had the most with 68), and had 167 pars (ninth, UTEP led with 182); CU's 28 bogeys were the third-fewest (ASU and CSULB had 27) and tied for the fewest double bogeys (2) … Colorado already has 11 eagles this season by six different players – the school record of 30 was set last year … Through nine rounds this young season, CU's scorers are an impressive 112-under par … Paxton also recorded three rounds in the 60's in the season opener – Washington State's Palouse Collegiate – where he tied for fifth (69-69-65—203, -10) … Paxton lowered his team leading stroke average to 68.78, with nine straight subpar rounds (six in the 60's) … CU's eight players have combined to play 66 rounds so far – 48 have been par or better (39 subpar, 9 even) with 26 rounds in the 60's … An early sign for CU's team depth: the fifth-man scoring average through nine rounds is 73.1, while the fourth-man number is a very healthy 71.3 … UTEP's Dylan Teeter, a tri-medalist a year ago at 13-under par 203, finished with a 5-uner 67 that made him the day's biggest mover, jumping 26 spots from a tie for 53rd into one for 27th (211,-5) … Colorado was 17-1 here against Division I competition, improving to 39-5-2 (.870) after three meets; in single rounds, the Buffs were a gaudy 49-2-3, and on the year are now 107-24-7 (.801) … CU, Northern Colorado and Wyoming have now played in all 15 of the Simpson events.
| BUFFALO INDIVIDUALS |
| T3. | Parker Paxton | 66-69-68—203 |
| T5. | Brandon Knight | 67-70-68—205 |
| T7. | Ty Holbrook | 66-70-70—206 |
| T14. | Tyler Long | 69-71-69—209 |
| T27. | *Jackson Rivera | 76-66-69—211 |
| T35. | *Casey Kosney | 73-68-71—212 |
| T35. | *Michael Fang | 70-73-69—212 |
| T44. | Hunter Swanson | 70-72-72—214 |
| INDIVIDUAL LEADERS |
| 1. | Thomas Schmidt, Arkansas State | 64-63-67—194 |
| 2. | Steen Zeman, Long Beach State | 67-65-70—202 |
| T3. | Parker Paxton, Colorado | 66-69-68—203 |
| T3. | Alejandro De Castro, Long Beach St. | 67-68-68—203 |
| T5. | Cooper Tate, Northern Colorado | 66-67-72—205 |
| T5. | Brandon Knight, Colorado | 67-70-68—205 |
| TEAM STANDINGS |
| 1. | Arkansas State | 275-270-277—822 |
| 2 | COLORADO | 268-280-275—823 |
| 3. | Long Beach State | 276-268-280—824 |
| 4. | Southern Illinois | 269-285-282—836 |
| 5. | Texas-El Paso | 283-280-275—838 |
| 6. | Loyola-Marymount | 281-281-277—839 |
| 7. | Wyoming | 286-280-280—846 |
| 8. | Sacramento State | 288-286-277—851 |
| 9. | Texas State | 279-287-286—852 |
| 10. | Creighton | 284-284-285—853 |
| 11. | Tarleton State | 284-286-285—855 |
| 12. | Boise State | 282-290-286—858 |
| T13. | Eastern Washington | 293-283-288—864 |
| T13. | Denver | 283-294-287—864 |
| 15. | UC Irvine | 286-288-290—865 |
| 16. | Gonzaga | 289-286-291—866 |
| 17. | Northern Colorado | 292-292-290—874 |
| 18. | Utah State | 292-288-296—877 |
| 19. | CSU Fullerton | 306-297-298—901 |
Players Mentioned
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