Colorado University Athletics
Tuesday, May 19
Bryan, Texas
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Second & Third Rounds
Buffs Rally Late, Fall Short At NCAA Bryan Regional
May 19, 2026 | Men's Golf
BRYAN, Texas — The Colorado men's golf team concluded the 2025-26 season Tuesday at the 2026 NCAA Bryan Regional at Traditions Club, falling just short of advancing to the NCAA Championship after battling into contention during the final round.
The NCAA adjusted the tournament schedule Monday evening due to forecasted inclement weather expected in the Bryan area, moving teams to a 36-hole final day on Tuesday in an effort to complete the regional before conditions impacted play.
Colorado responded with one of its best stretches of golf of the season.
The Buffaloes posted a 3-under-par 285 in the second round, then surged during the final round with a 7-under-par 281. CU made 18 birdies in the second round and carried that momentum into the final round, where the Buffs carded 12 birdies and two eagles to make a late push for one of the five NCAA Championship qualifying spots. At one point in the third round, CU had climbed into a tie for the fifth and final spot, completing a valiant comeback that ultimately fell just short with Colorado finishing seventh.
"Guys really battled and competed," Colorado head coach Roy Edwards said. "We are so proud of what they did this week despite falling a touch short. It's hard for me to put into words how much fun we had coaching this team this year. Congrats to them on a great year. This group represented CU with amazing class and competitiveness and toughness.
"This week we were right there and that is all you can ask for at a regional, have a chance coming down the stretch in the final round."
The Buffs' comeback was fueled by their play on the par-5 holes, ending the day at 16-under on the Tradition Club's four par-5s over the two rounds, including a stellar performance on the 5th, where CU recorded four birdies in round two, followed by two eagles and two birdies in round three. Colorado recorded three eagles total during the regional, its highest total in a tournament this season
Brandon Knight led Colorado throughout the week, finishing tied for 14th at 6-under-par after rounds of 71, 70 and 69. His total score of 210 tied for the third-lowest NCAA Regional mark in program history.
Knight closed with a bogey-free 3-under-par 69 in the final round, recording three birdies and 15 pars. He played par or better on 42 of his final 43 holes, including his fifth bogey-free round of his career.
Knight also put together a streak of 24 consecutive holes at par or better between the first and second rounds, totaling four birdies and 20 pars during the stretch. The run tied for the eighth-longest streak by a Buff this season. He came within just two strokes of qualifying for NCAA Championships by himself, finishing just behind Jorge Martin Sampedro from University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, who led all golfers not on one of the five qualifying teams with an 8-under and thus punched his ticket to the next week's championships.
Ty Holbrook finished tied for 17th at 4-under-par after rounds of 71, 71 and 70. His second round was highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 15th hole, his team-leading seventh of the season. Holbrook added six birdies during the final round on his way to a 2-under-par 70 on the day and a 212 tournament total, tied for the fifth-lowest NCAA Regional score in school history.
Hunter Swanson carded a 3-under-par 69 in the final round to finish tied for 26th at 2-under-par overall. The senior battled back after opening the tournament at 3-over-par through his first three holes before steadily climbing the leaderboard across the final 51 holes.
Swanson recorded Colorado's second eagle of the final round on the par-5 fifth hole and added four birdies during the day.
"What an amazing career by Hunter," Edwards said. "He will have a lasting impact on our program, and we are excited to have him stick around next year as an assistant coach. Just an amazing person, player, and family. He will be missed.
"He went out the right way today really competing."
Swanson concluded his Colorado career with a 71.67 stroke average, third best in CU history. He also finished first in career pars with 1,706, third in birdies with 502 and eighth in eagles with 14.
Swanson also finished second in rounds played with 153, tied for second in tournaments played with 50, tied for third in tournaments under par with 22, third in rounds in the 60s with 44 and fifth in subpar rounds with 56.
One of the most impressive marks of Swanson's storied career came in consistency and course management, as he did not record a score worse than a double bogey over his final 1,025 holes as a Buffalo, making just 15 double bogeys during that stretch.
Parker Paxton shot rounds of 72, 72 and 73 to finish at 1-over-par. His second round included six birdies that helped Colorado remain within striking distance entering the final round.
Freshman Tyler Long entered the lineup Tuesday in place of Jackson Rivera and gained valuable postseason experience. Long shot a 4-over-par 76 in the second round before responding with a 1-over-par 73 in the final round, highlighted by his fifth eagle of the season on the par 5 fifth hole to go along with four birdies.
"Some great golf," Edwards said of Colorado's final-round surge.
Texas claimed the Bryan Regional team title, recording a score of 45-under over the three rounds, followed by host Texas A&M (-40), Chattanooga (-23), North Carolina (-19), and Tennessee (-18) to make up the five qualifiers out of the region for NCAA Championships. TCU finished sixth at 13-under, while Colorado finished seventh just seven strokes outside the top five at 11-under.
Luke Potter of Texas claimed the individual title after recording rounds 67, 64, and 68 to finish the tournament 17-under. Texas A&M's Wheaton Ennis finished second at 16-under, while Josh Hill came in third at 14-under and Chattanooga's Evan Rogers finished fourth at 12-under.
The Buffaloes concluded the season with a 146-66-4 (.685) record against Division I opponents, the sixth-best mark in program history since records began being tracked in 1979. Colorado also finished with a 71.57 team stroke average over 243 rounds, second only to last season's school-record 71.50.
CU finished the year with 28 subpar team rounds and 28 rounds of par or better, both among the top totals in school history.
Swanson led Colorado this season with a 70.54 stroke average, the fifth-best single-season mark in program history and the second-lowest average ever to lead a Buffs team.
"Great season overall," Edwards said. "Probably will finish second or third overall in the country in total wins for the season. Took some major steps forward and we look to build off this season with our returners and newcomers to be even better next season."
While the Buffaloes lose Swanson, Colorado returns valuable experience in Holbrook, Knight, Paxton and Long, giving CU plenty to build around heading into next season.
The NCAA adjusted the tournament schedule Monday evening due to forecasted inclement weather expected in the Bryan area, moving teams to a 36-hole final day on Tuesday in an effort to complete the regional before conditions impacted play.
Colorado responded with one of its best stretches of golf of the season.
The Buffaloes posted a 3-under-par 285 in the second round, then surged during the final round with a 7-under-par 281. CU made 18 birdies in the second round and carried that momentum into the final round, where the Buffs carded 12 birdies and two eagles to make a late push for one of the five NCAA Championship qualifying spots. At one point in the third round, CU had climbed into a tie for the fifth and final spot, completing a valiant comeback that ultimately fell just short with Colorado finishing seventh.
"Guys really battled and competed," Colorado head coach Roy Edwards said. "We are so proud of what they did this week despite falling a touch short. It's hard for me to put into words how much fun we had coaching this team this year. Congrats to them on a great year. This group represented CU with amazing class and competitiveness and toughness.
"This week we were right there and that is all you can ask for at a regional, have a chance coming down the stretch in the final round."
The Buffs' comeback was fueled by their play on the par-5 holes, ending the day at 16-under on the Tradition Club's four par-5s over the two rounds, including a stellar performance on the 5th, where CU recorded four birdies in round two, followed by two eagles and two birdies in round three. Colorado recorded three eagles total during the regional, its highest total in a tournament this season
Brandon Knight led Colorado throughout the week, finishing tied for 14th at 6-under-par after rounds of 71, 70 and 69. His total score of 210 tied for the third-lowest NCAA Regional mark in program history.
Knight closed with a bogey-free 3-under-par 69 in the final round, recording three birdies and 15 pars. He played par or better on 42 of his final 43 holes, including his fifth bogey-free round of his career.
Knight also put together a streak of 24 consecutive holes at par or better between the first and second rounds, totaling four birdies and 20 pars during the stretch. The run tied for the eighth-longest streak by a Buff this season. He came within just two strokes of qualifying for NCAA Championships by himself, finishing just behind Jorge Martin Sampedro from University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, who led all golfers not on one of the five qualifying teams with an 8-under and thus punched his ticket to the next week's championships.
Ty Holbrook finished tied for 17th at 4-under-par after rounds of 71, 71 and 70. His second round was highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 15th hole, his team-leading seventh of the season. Holbrook added six birdies during the final round on his way to a 2-under-par 70 on the day and a 212 tournament total, tied for the fifth-lowest NCAA Regional score in school history.
Hunter Swanson carded a 3-under-par 69 in the final round to finish tied for 26th at 2-under-par overall. The senior battled back after opening the tournament at 3-over-par through his first three holes before steadily climbing the leaderboard across the final 51 holes.
Swanson recorded Colorado's second eagle of the final round on the par-5 fifth hole and added four birdies during the day.
"What an amazing career by Hunter," Edwards said. "He will have a lasting impact on our program, and we are excited to have him stick around next year as an assistant coach. Just an amazing person, player, and family. He will be missed.
"He went out the right way today really competing."
Swanson concluded his Colorado career with a 71.67 stroke average, third best in CU history. He also finished first in career pars with 1,706, third in birdies with 502 and eighth in eagles with 14.
Swanson also finished second in rounds played with 153, tied for second in tournaments played with 50, tied for third in tournaments under par with 22, third in rounds in the 60s with 44 and fifth in subpar rounds with 56.
One of the most impressive marks of Swanson's storied career came in consistency and course management, as he did not record a score worse than a double bogey over his final 1,025 holes as a Buffalo, making just 15 double bogeys during that stretch.
Parker Paxton shot rounds of 72, 72 and 73 to finish at 1-over-par. His second round included six birdies that helped Colorado remain within striking distance entering the final round.
Freshman Tyler Long entered the lineup Tuesday in place of Jackson Rivera and gained valuable postseason experience. Long shot a 4-over-par 76 in the second round before responding with a 1-over-par 73 in the final round, highlighted by his fifth eagle of the season on the par 5 fifth hole to go along with four birdies.
"Some great golf," Edwards said of Colorado's final-round surge.
Texas claimed the Bryan Regional team title, recording a score of 45-under over the three rounds, followed by host Texas A&M (-40), Chattanooga (-23), North Carolina (-19), and Tennessee (-18) to make up the five qualifiers out of the region for NCAA Championships. TCU finished sixth at 13-under, while Colorado finished seventh just seven strokes outside the top five at 11-under.
Luke Potter of Texas claimed the individual title after recording rounds 67, 64, and 68 to finish the tournament 17-under. Texas A&M's Wheaton Ennis finished second at 16-under, while Josh Hill came in third at 14-under and Chattanooga's Evan Rogers finished fourth at 12-under.
The Buffaloes concluded the season with a 146-66-4 (.685) record against Division I opponents, the sixth-best mark in program history since records began being tracked in 1979. Colorado also finished with a 71.57 team stroke average over 243 rounds, second only to last season's school-record 71.50.
CU finished the year with 28 subpar team rounds and 28 rounds of par or better, both among the top totals in school history.
Swanson led Colorado this season with a 70.54 stroke average, the fifth-best single-season mark in program history and the second-lowest average ever to lead a Buffs team.
"Great season overall," Edwards said. "Probably will finish second or third overall in the country in total wins for the season. Took some major steps forward and we look to build off this season with our returners and newcomers to be even better next season."
While the Buffaloes lose Swanson, Colorado returns valuable experience in Holbrook, Knight, Paxton and Long, giving CU plenty to build around heading into next season.
| BUFFALO INDIVIDUALS | ||
| Rank | Name | Score (To Par) |
| T14. | Brandon Knight | 71-70-69—210 (-6) |
| T17. | Ty Holbrook | 71-71-70—212 (-1) |
| T26. | Hunter Swanson | 73-72-69—214 (-2) |
| T37. | Parker Paxton | 72-72-73—217 (+1) |
| Tyler Long | DNC-76-73—149 (+5) | |
| Jackson Rivera | 83-DNC-DNC—83 (+11) | |
TEAM SCORES |
||
| Rank | Team | Score (To Par) |
| 1. | #4 Texas | 281-265-273—819 (-45) |
| 2. | #27 Texas A&M | 276-273-275—824 (-40) |
| 3. | Chattanooga | 286-276-279—841 (-23) |
| 4. | #9 North Carolina | 278-284-283—845 (-19) |
| 5. | #16 Tennessee | 282-286-278—846 (-18) |
| 6. | #34 TCU | 280-281-290—851 (-13) |
| 7. | #54 Calorado | 287-285-281—853 (-11) |
| 9. | #45 UNLV | 289-282-291—862 (-2) |
| 9. | #40 UNCW | 293-288-283—864 (E) |
| T10. | Cincinnati | 295-290-287—872 (+8) |
| 13. | New Mexico | 301-288-286—875 (+11) |
| T10. | UTRGV | 295-289-294—878 (+14) |
| 12. | Miami (OH) | 298-287-297—882 (+18) |
| 14. | Arkansas-Pine Bluff | 318-310-309—937 (+72) |
Players Mentioned
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