Colorado University Athletics
McGlasson Fourth After One Round In Hawai'i
McGlasson, who ended the fall season with his first collegiate win in the Tunica (Miss.) National Intercollegiate, picked up where he left off by logging a 34-32?66 scorecard, good for 5-under par on the 6,777-yard, par-71 Waikoloa Village Golf Course layout.
As a team, the No. 41 Buffaloes are in a three-way tie for 13th with a 1-under pr 283 team score. No. 2 ranked Georgia Tech blitzed the course for a 16-under 268 score, as all five Yellow Jackets recorded scores in the 60s on Wednesday. They lead third-ranked Oklahoma State by four shots, as the Cowboys posted a 272 team score, with two players in the 60s and three others all firing 1-under 70 efforts. Southern California (274), Hawai’i (275) and Pepperdine (277) round out the top five in the 21-team field, which features 11 teams ranked in the nation’s top 50.
This is CU’s first competition since its long-time head coach, Mark Simpson, lost a yearlong battle to lung cancer last December 5. The team has dedicated the remainder of the season to him, with individual team members also making their own personal dedications to Colorado’s coach of 29 years.
“We played pretty good today, but the last teams out there got a bad break as the wind really picked up for the last five holes,” interim head coach Brad Neher said. “The leaders all went off in the morning, but that flops tomorrow and we go off first, so hopefully it balances out. But we still played solid, but other than Ed, we didn’t really make that many putts. I really do think we’re right on the threshold of being able to shoot a score like Georgia Tech shot today. Their hard work is paying off, and they’re hitting the ball really well. The putts will fall if they keep at it.”
McGlasson scored seven birdies against two bogeys en route to his 66, and is in the hunt for medalist honors after 18 holes, as he trails Oklahoma State’s Pablo Martin by two shots. Martin shot 32 a side for a 7-under 64 total; Georgia Tech’s Cameron Tringale and Hawaii’s Jarett Hamamoto are wedged between Martin and McGlasson with 6-under 65 scores.
If McGlasson can win here, he would join two very famous former Buffaloes as the only players to win back-to-back tournaments: Hale Irwin and Steve Jones. He already owns CU’s single round best score of 63, set last spring, his only round lower than what he accomplished in Wednesday’s first round.
Redshirt freshman Derek Tolan shot an even par 71 (three birdies, three bogeys), freshman Diego Munoz posted a one-over 72, with junior Ryan Anderson and sophomore Patrick Grady recording 3-over 74s. It was Munoz’ first college round, as the freshman from Mexico City signed with the Buffs last November and enrolled in school last month.
“Ed is continuing to play solid. His game is in great shape and he has worked hard,” added Neher, who has worked at Simpson’s side as assistant coach for seven years. “Derek is right there, he’s very close to shooting in the mid-60s, and Diego played extremely well for his first collegiate round. He just missed a birdie putt on his first hole, and a gust of wind led to a double-bogey on his next to last hole, otherwise he would have been under par.
“I’m looking forward to a really good round, and a good score tomorrow, especially since we play first.”
The second round is set for 11 a.m. mountain time Thursday, with the final round set for Friday.
BUFFALO INDIVIDUALS
T 4. Edward McGlasson..... 34-32--66
T45. Derek Tolan.......... 37-34--71
T62. Diego Munoz.......... 36-36--72
T86. Patrick Grady........ 39-35--74
T86. Ryan Anderson........ 37-37--74
TOP FIVE INDIVIDUALS
1. Pablo Martin, Oklahoma State..... 32-32--64
T2. Jarett Hamamoto, Hawai’i.......... 32-33--65
T2. Cameron Tringale, Georgia Tech.... 31-34--65
T4. Edward McGlasson, Colorado........ 34-32--66
T4. Justin Fraley, Oklahoma........... 31-35--66
T4. Alex Williams, Oregon State....... 33-33--66
TEAM SCORES
1. Georgia Tech.......... 268
2. Oklahoma State........ 272
3. Southern California... 274
4. Hawai’i............... 275
5. Pepperdine............ 277
6. Oklahoma.............. 279
6. Texas................. 279
6. Washington............ 279
9. Arizona State......... 280
9. Augusta State......... 280
11. Fresno State.......... 281
12. Texas Christian....... 282
13. COLORADO.............. 283
13. UC-Davis.............. 283
13. Oregon State.......... 283
16. Arkansas.............. 284
16. Stanford.............. 284
18. Rhode Island.......... 287
19. Hawai’i-Hilo.......... 288
19. Oregon................ 288
21. Kansas................ 296