Colorado University Athletics
Paxton shot a 5-under 67 to open Wyoming's Desert Intercollegiate
Photo by: Tony Harman
Golfers Open In Lead In Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate
February 23, 2026 | Men's Golf
Paxton In Four-Way Tie For First
PALM DESERT, Calif. – What a difference a week – and good weather --makes. The University of Colorado men's golf team owns the lead after the first round of Wyoming's Desert Intercollegiate which was completed here Monday.
One week ago, and just five miles from here, the Buffs were in 21st place in The Prestige at PGA West in LaQuinta, after having to endure heavy rain and gusting winds throughout the first round. Fast-forward seven days, in near-perfect conditions, the No. 46 Buffaloes returned to their form in the fall season and turned in a 12-under par 276 team score – some 27 strokes better than a week earlier.
Colorado owns a three-shot lead heading into round two, as Sacramento State is second (279), with Maryland third (280), followed by host Wyoming (281) and Oral Roberts (283) to round out the top five. Twelve of the 23 teams in the field recorded subpar scores Monday.
The Buffs did get off to a rather pedestrian start, even after four holes before going on a tear, recording 14 birdies with just two bogeys over the next nine holes and then finished the rest of the round even.
Sophomore Parker Paxton also returned to his fall form, when all 15 rounds were under or even par and none higher than a 71; he carded a 5-under 67 to open here, one of four players tied for the first round lead on the 7,305-yard, par-72 course design at The Classic Club. After rounds of 80 and 73 in last week's weather shortened event, he rebounded with a team-high seven birdies with nine pars and two bogeys. Starting on No. 3 in the shotgun format, he scored both his bogeys within his first four holes (Nos. 3 and 6), but from that point on played his last 14 holes at 6-under par, including three straight birdies on Nos. 12 through 14. His seven birdies tied for the most in the 124-man field, while playing the par-4's at 2-under, tied for the fourth-best. He was 2-under on the par-5's and 1-under on the par-3's.
First-year graduate transfer Jackson Rivera fashioned a 3-under par 69, his sixth round in the 60's this season, as he is tied for seventh just two off the lead. He had a steady round with five birdies, 11 pars and two bogeys, and he's also playing the par-4's tied for fourth-best in the field at 2-under. He was in the red all day, moving two 2-under six holes in, and birdied three straight holes near the end of his round (Nos. 13, 14 and 15). Unfortunately, the 436-yard, par-4 got the best of him (and many) as he bogeyed; it was the toughest hole in the first round, averaging 4.50 strokes for the day). He closed with four straight pars.
Juniors Brandon Knight and Ty Holbrook are tied for 14th with 2-under par 70's.
Knight had four birdies and 12 pars with two bogeys, playing both the par-3's and par-4's at 1-under, the latter tied for ninth in the field. His round had a five-hole stretch of birdie-bogey-birdie-bogey-birdie late in his round (Nos. 15 through No. 1), before ending his round with a par.
Holbrook had six birdies, tied for the third-most in the field, with nine pars, two bogeys and a double. He played the par-5's at 3-under (tied for fourth in the field with three of his birdies), getting back on track with his season dominance on par-5 holes: of the 67 par-5's he has played this season, he has two eagles, 38 birdies, 23 pars and four bogeys, which computes to 38-under par. He was also 1-under on the par-4's and was in the red after 16 of 18 holes, rebounding with back-to-back birdies after he doubled the 162-yard, par-3 12th.
Senior Hunter Swanson is tied for 59th after posting a 1-over 73. He had two birdies and tied for the team-high with 13 pars with three bogeys, one of which came on his second hole (the par-5 4th). He was chasing trying to get back even all round and was 2-over after No. 16 also got the better of him, but closed with a birdie on No. 1. He was 1-under on the par-3's and 1-over on the par-4's and par-5's.
Three Buffaloes are competing here as individuals (meaning all eight players on the roster are participating).
Freshman Tyler Long carded a 1-under 71, tying him for 21st. Starting on No. 18, he was cruising along at 3-under after three early birdies to make the turn with a 33, and was holding firm until he bogeyed his final two holes, including No. 16, again the toughest hole on the day for all players. He otherwise tied for the team-high with 13 pars, playing the par-4's and par-5's at 1-under and the par-3's at 1-over.
Sophomore Michael Fang and freshman Casey Kosney are tied for 59th after recording 1-over 73's.
Fang was 3-over late, but scored birdies on Nos. 14 and 15, two of his final three holes, and parred the 16th. He had three birdies in all with 11 pars and four bogeys, playing the par-5's at 1-under, and the par-3's even. Kosney was 1-over through 11 and then went on a bit of a rollercoaster ride down the stretch, moving to 3-over after doubling No. 11, but after a par on 12, he birdied three holes in a row to get back to even, but bogeyed No. 16 to finish on the unhappy side of par. He had four birdies and 10 pars, and played both the ar-3's and par-5's even.
"Pretty nice day overall," head coach Roy Edwards said. "Always good to be in the lead at any point, especially in a big field like this one. Parker had a really nice round. He managed his game nicely and so did several of the other guys. We've got to continue to keep playing how we are capable, and things will work out in the end. We were disappointed not to be able to play (in the cancelled third round last week) as we wanted to get back out there and compete, believing we had another opportunity to move up the leaderboard (CU had moved from 21st to 16th). But this is our opportunity to do that with the quick turnaround with competing here."
Paxton's 5-under 67 was his fourth-best round (out of 18) this season. He was matched Monday by Wyoming's Brody Knowlton, UC Santa Barbara's Jack Watters and Omaha's Spencer Clatt.
The second round is scheduled for Tuesday; Colorado will be paired with Sacramento State and Maryland and will tee off on holes 1 through 3 in a 10:00 a.m. MST shotgun start. The third and final round is set for Wednesday.
NOTES: Monday's high temperature peaked at 82 degrees during play, under mostly sunny skies and winds that seldom topped five miles per hour, unlike a week ago a few miles to the southwest in LaQuinta … The average score for all 124 rounds was 73.35 (… There are 43 players under par with 15 in at even through one round … The seven-toughest holes Monday, in order, were Nos. 16, 10, 7, 11, 5, 3 and 8: CU's four scorers played those even; Sac State's played them the best at 1-under (third place Maryland's four best were 6-over) … The five Buffs played the par-4s at 5-under (best in the field; Sac State was next best at 1-under); CU played the par-3's at 2-under (tied for 5th; Cal Poly and Maryland lead at 4-under) and the par-5's at 4-under (tied for 10th; Drake topped all at 9-under) … Colorado has 24 birdies (the most; Maryland is next with 22). along with 54 pars (16th; Cal Baptist has the most, 69) with 11 bogeys (tied for the third-fewest; Sac State had the fewest with five) and only one score worse than bogey (tied for first with four others) … Four players in the field had bogey-free rounds Monday … This is the 12th time Colorado is competing in this event, with four runner-up and two third-place finishes previously. In the second round of the 2017 event, the Buffs recorded their best-ever single round score, a 22-under par 266 enroute to finishing second.
(*—playing as an individual)
One week ago, and just five miles from here, the Buffs were in 21st place in The Prestige at PGA West in LaQuinta, after having to endure heavy rain and gusting winds throughout the first round. Fast-forward seven days, in near-perfect conditions, the No. 46 Buffaloes returned to their form in the fall season and turned in a 12-under par 276 team score – some 27 strokes better than a week earlier.
Colorado owns a three-shot lead heading into round two, as Sacramento State is second (279), with Maryland third (280), followed by host Wyoming (281) and Oral Roberts (283) to round out the top five. Twelve of the 23 teams in the field recorded subpar scores Monday.
The Buffs did get off to a rather pedestrian start, even after four holes before going on a tear, recording 14 birdies with just two bogeys over the next nine holes and then finished the rest of the round even.
Sophomore Parker Paxton also returned to his fall form, when all 15 rounds were under or even par and none higher than a 71; he carded a 5-under 67 to open here, one of four players tied for the first round lead on the 7,305-yard, par-72 course design at The Classic Club. After rounds of 80 and 73 in last week's weather shortened event, he rebounded with a team-high seven birdies with nine pars and two bogeys. Starting on No. 3 in the shotgun format, he scored both his bogeys within his first four holes (Nos. 3 and 6), but from that point on played his last 14 holes at 6-under par, including three straight birdies on Nos. 12 through 14. His seven birdies tied for the most in the 124-man field, while playing the par-4's at 2-under, tied for the fourth-best. He was 2-under on the par-5's and 1-under on the par-3's.
First-year graduate transfer Jackson Rivera fashioned a 3-under par 69, his sixth round in the 60's this season, as he is tied for seventh just two off the lead. He had a steady round with five birdies, 11 pars and two bogeys, and he's also playing the par-4's tied for fourth-best in the field at 2-under. He was in the red all day, moving two 2-under six holes in, and birdied three straight holes near the end of his round (Nos. 13, 14 and 15). Unfortunately, the 436-yard, par-4 got the best of him (and many) as he bogeyed; it was the toughest hole in the first round, averaging 4.50 strokes for the day). He closed with four straight pars.
Juniors Brandon Knight and Ty Holbrook are tied for 14th with 2-under par 70's.
Knight had four birdies and 12 pars with two bogeys, playing both the par-3's and par-4's at 1-under, the latter tied for ninth in the field. His round had a five-hole stretch of birdie-bogey-birdie-bogey-birdie late in his round (Nos. 15 through No. 1), before ending his round with a par.
Holbrook had six birdies, tied for the third-most in the field, with nine pars, two bogeys and a double. He played the par-5's at 3-under (tied for fourth in the field with three of his birdies), getting back on track with his season dominance on par-5 holes: of the 67 par-5's he has played this season, he has two eagles, 38 birdies, 23 pars and four bogeys, which computes to 38-under par. He was also 1-under on the par-4's and was in the red after 16 of 18 holes, rebounding with back-to-back birdies after he doubled the 162-yard, par-3 12th.
Senior Hunter Swanson is tied for 59th after posting a 1-over 73. He had two birdies and tied for the team-high with 13 pars with three bogeys, one of which came on his second hole (the par-5 4th). He was chasing trying to get back even all round and was 2-over after No. 16 also got the better of him, but closed with a birdie on No. 1. He was 1-under on the par-3's and 1-over on the par-4's and par-5's.
Three Buffaloes are competing here as individuals (meaning all eight players on the roster are participating).
Freshman Tyler Long carded a 1-under 71, tying him for 21st. Starting on No. 18, he was cruising along at 3-under after three early birdies to make the turn with a 33, and was holding firm until he bogeyed his final two holes, including No. 16, again the toughest hole on the day for all players. He otherwise tied for the team-high with 13 pars, playing the par-4's and par-5's at 1-under and the par-3's at 1-over.
Sophomore Michael Fang and freshman Casey Kosney are tied for 59th after recording 1-over 73's.
Fang was 3-over late, but scored birdies on Nos. 14 and 15, two of his final three holes, and parred the 16th. He had three birdies in all with 11 pars and four bogeys, playing the par-5's at 1-under, and the par-3's even. Kosney was 1-over through 11 and then went on a bit of a rollercoaster ride down the stretch, moving to 3-over after doubling No. 11, but after a par on 12, he birdied three holes in a row to get back to even, but bogeyed No. 16 to finish on the unhappy side of par. He had four birdies and 10 pars, and played both the ar-3's and par-5's even.
"Pretty nice day overall," head coach Roy Edwards said. "Always good to be in the lead at any point, especially in a big field like this one. Parker had a really nice round. He managed his game nicely and so did several of the other guys. We've got to continue to keep playing how we are capable, and things will work out in the end. We were disappointed not to be able to play (in the cancelled third round last week) as we wanted to get back out there and compete, believing we had another opportunity to move up the leaderboard (CU had moved from 21st to 16th). But this is our opportunity to do that with the quick turnaround with competing here."
Paxton's 5-under 67 was his fourth-best round (out of 18) this season. He was matched Monday by Wyoming's Brody Knowlton, UC Santa Barbara's Jack Watters and Omaha's Spencer Clatt.
The second round is scheduled for Tuesday; Colorado will be paired with Sacramento State and Maryland and will tee off on holes 1 through 3 in a 10:00 a.m. MST shotgun start. The third and final round is set for Wednesday.
NOTES: Monday's high temperature peaked at 82 degrees during play, under mostly sunny skies and winds that seldom topped five miles per hour, unlike a week ago a few miles to the southwest in LaQuinta … The average score for all 124 rounds was 73.35 (… There are 43 players under par with 15 in at even through one round … The seven-toughest holes Monday, in order, were Nos. 16, 10, 7, 11, 5, 3 and 8: CU's four scorers played those even; Sac State's played them the best at 1-under (third place Maryland's four best were 6-over) … The five Buffs played the par-4s at 5-under (best in the field; Sac State was next best at 1-under); CU played the par-3's at 2-under (tied for 5th; Cal Poly and Maryland lead at 4-under) and the par-5's at 4-under (tied for 10th; Drake topped all at 9-under) … Colorado has 24 birdies (the most; Maryland is next with 22). along with 54 pars (16th; Cal Baptist has the most, 69) with 11 bogeys (tied for the third-fewest; Sac State had the fewest with five) and only one score worse than bogey (tied for first with four others) … Four players in the field had bogey-free rounds Monday … This is the 12th time Colorado is competing in this event, with four runner-up and two third-place finishes previously. In the second round of the 2017 event, the Buffs recorded their best-ever single round score, a 22-under par 266 enroute to finishing second.
| BUFFALO INDIVIDUALS |
| T1. | Parker Paxton | 35-32—67 |
| T7. | Jackson Rivera | 35-34—69 |
| T14. | Brandon Knight | 34-36—70 |
| T14. | Ty Holbrook | 34-36—70 |
| T29. | *Tyler Long | 33-38—71 |
| T59. | Hunter Swanson | 36-37—73 |
| T59. | *Casey Kosney | 36-37—73 |
| T59. | *Michael Fang | 38-35—73 |
| INDIVIDUAL LEADERS |
| T1. | Parker Paxton, Colorado | 35-32—67 |
| T1. | Brody Knowlton, Wyoming | 36-31—67 |
| T1. | Jack Watters, UC Santa Barbara | 33-34—67 |
| T1. | Spencer Clatt, Omaha | 33-34—67 |
| 5. | Max Thomas, Sacramento State | 34-34—68 |
| TEAM STANDINGS |
| 1. | COLORADO | 276 |
| 2. | Sacramento State | 279 |
| 3. | Maryland | 280 |
| 4. | Wyoming | 281 |
| 5. | Oral Roberts | 283 |
| T6. | East Texas A&M | 285 |
| T6. | Drake | 285 |
| T6. | Nebraska-Omaha | 285 |
| T9. | California Baptist | 286 |
| T9. | Utah Tech | 286 |
| T9. | Seattle | 286 |
| 12. | Cal Poly | 287 |
| 13. | UC Irvine | 289 |
| 14. | CSU Northridge | 290 |
| 15. | UC Santa Barbara | 291 |
| T16. | Eastern Washington | 294 |
| T16. | Valparaiso | 294 |
| T18. | UC Riverside | 295 |
| T18. | Hawai'i | 295 |
| 20. | CSU Fullerton | 299 |
| 21. | Southern Utah | 300 |
| T22. | College of the Desert | 306 |
| T22. | Northern Iowa | 306 |
Players Mentioned
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