Ethan Freeman

Height:
6-0
Weight:
215
Class:
Junior
Hometown:
Denver, Colo.
High School:
Kent Denver

College—Career: His 73.52 career stroke average was the sixth-best in school history, with his 22 rounds in the 60s tying for the second-most (his 32 subpar rounds were eighth on that list). He saw 105 of his 120 career rounds count toward CU’s team score, the 87.5 percentage the 12th-best at Colorado. The first player ever at Colorado to finish under par four times in the same event, as he did so in the Air Force Falcon Invitational (-1, -1, -4, -2).

2016-17 (Sr.): He finished second on the team in stroke average with a 72.43 figure, the 11th best single-season mark in CU history. He led the team in rounds played (37), rounds in the 60s with 11, in top 10 finishes with six, and in top 20 efforts with seven; he was also the leader in rounds counting toward team scoring with 36 of 37, or 94.6 percent. He also had 12 subpar rounds overall, tied for third. He was the team leader in birdies with 129, which helped him have the lowest “jumbo” percentage on the team at .486 (a coaches stat). He opened the spring season with his best collegiate performance in relation to par, a 10-under 206 at Hawai’i-Hilo’s Amer Ari Invitational, which tied him for seventh. He followed that up with a tie for ninth in Wyoming’s Desert Intercollegiate (213, -3). Along with Spencer Painton, he was CU’s top performer in the Pac-12 Championships in Boulder, as he scored a 2-over 218 in the snow-shortened event. He enjoyed a solid fall portion of the season, playing in all six tournaments and finishing up with a 71.75 stroke average, the 10th-best in school history for the fall. He was under par in four of those meets (and was 2-under for the six overall), recording top 10 finishes in all four. He opened with a second place finish in CU’s Ballyneal Challenge (-5; 69-68—137) and then would make some school history his next time out. When he finished fifth at AFA with a 2-under 214, it was the fourth straight time he finished under par in the event, a school first. He would also finish sixth in DU’s Paintbrush Invitational (211, -5) and seventh in CU’s Mark Simpson Invitational (210, -6). He was 2-1 in the match play portion of UCLA’s Gifford Collegiate, helping CU to a consolation round win.

2015-16 (Jr.): He played in all 13 tournaments that CU entered a full team, with his 72.76 stroke average third-best on the team; his 73.19 spring average was the second-best. He tied for the team lead in rounds counting toward team scoring (37 of 38, or 97.4 percent); he was also second on the team in the coaches’ “jumbo stat,” as he had just 21 holes worse than bogey (out of 684; 16 doubles and five triples for 26 jumbo points, or .684 per his 38 rounds). In four tournaments, he had a nine stroke or better improvement from between his first and second round scores (three times a 67 after a 76); the other was a 13-stroke betterment in Wyoming’s Desert Intercollegiate (86-73), tied for the 16th-best in school history. His best spring finish came in Wyoming’s other meet, the Cowboy Classic, where he tied for 16th with a 2-under par (214) effort; that same gross score (but a +4) tied him for 29th in Stanford’s The Goodwin. In the Pac-12 Championship meet at Utah, his final round 70 tied CU’s best score and was one of the top ones in the field as he placed 35th overall and helped CU jump into a sixth-place tie in the standings (he recorded a 294, or 10-over par). In the NCAA Regional, he tied for 34th (222, +6). He owned a 72.74 stroke norm for six fall tourneys – the 13th best for a fall season in school history at the time. He had three top five finishes – all fifth-place ties—as he did so in the Ballyneal Challenge (143, +1), the Air Force Miranda Invitational (212, -4) and in CU’s own Mark Simpson Invitational (212, +2).

2014-15 (Soph.): He finished fifth on the team in stroke average (74.63), with 24 of his 32 rounds counting toward team scoring. He played in all 11 regular season tournaments, but fell ill prior to the NCAA Central Regional and was replaced the night before the team left to compete. He had three top 20 finishes on the season, his best a tie for sixth at the Bandon Dunes Championship (72-70—142). He tied for 17th at Wyoming’s Cowboy Classic, his best 54-hole in relation to par in his collegiate career to date (212, -4), which included his season best score (a 3-under 69 in the second round). Both those were in the spring; his best fall effort was right out the gate, tying for 16th in the Air Force Falcon Invitational (215; -1). He struggled at the Pac-12 Championships, finishing 65th, but otherwise was fairly consistent throughout the year. His other top fall efforts came in CU’s own Mark Simpson Invitational (147, +3 to tie for 29th in the shortened event), and a tie for 30th in the Illinois Olympia Fields Invitational (224, +14; his second round 1-over 71 was one of the best scores for the middle round). On the year, he played 425 of 576 holes at par or better (74 percent), with his 16 pars in the opening round at Air Force a team season-high, as were his 44 pars overall for the tournament. He had just four holes worse than par at AFA, which tied for the team best.

2013-14 (Fr.): He saw action in six tournaments as a true freshman, three each in the fall and spring. He was pressed into service late in the spring semester when two other fellow freshmen decided to leave the program, and he responded and then some: he has posted two top 20 finishes, first tying for 10th in the Wyoming Cowboy Classic which included a first round 65 (5-under), and then tying for 16th in the Pac-12 Championships. In the latter, he posted the highest finish in a league meet by a CU freshman since 2009 and the ninth-best ever in addition to tying for third among the 14 freshmen in the meet. He came back down to Earth a little bit at the NCAA Southeast Regional, posting three straight 79s for a 21-over 237, which tied him for 66th, though 16 of those strokes over par were traced to just seven holes. He played in three fall tournaments, starting his career in style by tying for 10th in the Air Force Miranda Invitational. He led all seven Buffaloes in the meet, though he competed as an individual; thanks to a 3-under par 69 in the final round which saw him score seven birdies, his 1-under 215 (73-73-69) total tied for the third-lowest score by a CU player in his first major tournament in school history (trailing only Jonathan Kaye, who recorded a 213 (+3) in the 1990 Wyoming Invitational, and Sebastian Heisele, who had a 2-under 214 in the 2008 Denver-Ron Moore Invitational). It was also the first time that a freshman posted the best score to lead the Buffaloes in a season opening tournament since 2005 (Derek Tolan, 2-under 214 in the Mexico Tucker Invitational; Tolan was a redshirt frosh: the last true freshman to accomplish the feat was Rick Cramer, 1-over 217 in the 1979 AFA Falcon invite). He followed that up with a tie for 27th in CU’s own Mark Simpson Invitational when he was designated as one of the team’s scorers (+9, 77-71-77—225).

High School— He was considered one of the top junior players in Colorado throughout his high school career. He lettered four time under coach Bob Austin at Kent Denver, where he was a two-time 3A state champion (2010, 2011, his sophomore and junior years), and just missed the “hat trick” with a runner-up finish as a senior. Counting his freshman year when he tied for fifth, he’s one of a just a handful of players in Colorado history to post four top five finishes in state championship play. In doing so, he led Kent Denver to four consecutive state titles. He was a four-time, first-team All-Metro League performer and a three-time member of the All-Colorado team. His stroke average improved every season from his freshman through senior years: 75.0, 73.9, 71.5 and 70.0.

Other—2017: He tied for 32nd in the Saguaro Amateur with a 72-71-79—219 (+3) effort on the Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Course (Maricopa, Ariz.). 2016: He tied for 17th in Local U.S. Open Qualifying at the Heritage at Westmoor (35-40—75), four strokes out of advancing, and placed fourth in the U.S. Amateur Qualifier at Columbine CC (71-70—141), also four back of advancing. He placed 32nd in the Colorado Golf Association Amateur (75-75-74-74—298, +18) at Boulder Country Club. He shot a 71-71—142 (-2) in the Colorado Open, but missed the cut by two strokes; he still was the seventh low amateur. 2015: He tied for third in the CGA Amateur, fashioning a 67-69-71-69—276 scorecard (-8) at CommonGround Golf Club in Aurora. He was the second low amateur in the Colorado Open, with his 68-73-72-70—283 (-5) scorecard tying him for 29th overall. He tied for 66th in the Saguaro Amateur in Arizona (85-71-69—225, +9), though his 140 score over the final two rounds was tied for 13th best. 2014: A member of the Colorado Cup team (he went 1-1 in his matches), helping the amateurs beat the pros, 10-8. He tied for medalist honors in U.S. Amateur Local Qualifying (144 at Columbine Country Club); he missed the cut at the event at the Atlanta Athletic Club (155, +12). He turned in a 77-74—151 (+11) at the Southwestern Amateur in Scottsdale, Ariz. (Desert Mountain Club), but missed the cut by six strokes. 2013: He finished second in the Colorado Golf Association’s Junior Stroke Play Championship, turning in a 75-70-66—211 (-2) effort at Common Ground GC in Aurora. He tied for 13th in the CGA State Stroke Play with a 78-71-69-70—288 (+8) scorecard at Pinehurst CC in Denver, but his 210 score over the last three rounds was fifth best in the field. He was the co-medalist in the CGA Match Play Championship qualifying round (34-35—69), but lost in the second round (on the second playoff hole). He tied for 49th and was the eighth low amateur in the Colorado Open (71-72-70-74—287, +3). 2012: He won the CGA’s Collegiate High School Invitational, with his 69-69-71—209 scorecard good for a 16-stroke victory on would be his college home course, Colorado National Golf Club. He helped the Colorado team to fourth place finish in the Junior America’s Cup at BanBury Golf Club in Eagle, Idaho (77-71-71—219, which was 29th overall, though he had the 11th best score over the last two rounds). He also tied for sixth in a pair of American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) events (Aspen, Fox Hill). Other Years: He recorded multiple Future Collegians World Tour (FCWT) wins and top three finishes.

Best Career Round In Competition—65 (-5: Wyoming Cowboy Classic, Talking Stick North Course, Scottsdale, Ariz., April 7, 2014; 66, -5: 2011 Colorado State High School Championship, Dos Rios CC, Gunnison, Oct. 2, 2011).

Academics—He is majoring in Business (Finance) at Colorado.

Personal—He was born February 16, 1995 in Denver. His hobbies include playing football and spending time with friends. A life-long CU fan, he was the first commitment in the 2012-13 recruiting class. Nickname is “E-Free.”

	Overall					Spring			Fall
Season (SA/Rk)	Rd	Strokes	Avg.	Lo	Hi	Rd	Strk	Avg	Rd	Strk	Avg.
2013-14 (8)	19	1430	75.26	65	87	10	739	73.90	9	691	76.78
2014-15 (4)	32	2388	76.63	69	81	15	1114	74.25	17	1274	74.94
2015-16 (3)	38	2765	72.76	67	86	21	1537	73.19	17	1228	72.24
2016-17 (2)	37	2680	72.43	65	79	21	1532	72.95	16	1148	71.75
Totals	126	9263	73.52	65	87	67	4922	73.46	59	4341	73.58

Season	Rounds	Holes	SCIRP	Eagles	Birdies	Pars	Bogeys
2013-14	19	342	+ 68	0	49	202	69
2014-15	32	576	+110	1	74	351	122
2015-16	38	684	+57	3	118	408	134
2016-17	37	666	+36	2	129	384	135
Totals	126	2268	+271	6	370	1345	460

				Subpar	Par/SP	Jumbo
Season	Doubles	Triples	Other	Pct	Pct	Pts	Pct
2013-14	19	2	1	14.3	73.4	26	1.368
2014-15	24	2	2	13.0	74.0	36	1.125
2015-16	16	5	0	17.7	77.3	26	0.684
2016-17	15	0	1	19.7	77.3	18	0.486
Totals	74	9	4	16.6	75.9	106	0.841

Rounds Toward Team Scoring: 105 of 120 (87.5%; 6 played as an individual).
Stroke Count In Relation To Par (+271/+2.15): +68/+3.58 (2013-14); +110/+3.44 (2014-15); +57/+1.50 (2015-16); +362/+0.98 (2016-17)
Finishes—Wins: 0 Top 5: 5 Top 10: 12 Top 20: 16

Fall 2013
*AFA Miranda Invitational	73-73-69--215	- 1	t10th
CU-Simpson Invitational	77-71-77--225	+ 9	t27th
UNM Tucker Invitational	85-87-79--251	+35	t99th

Spring 2014
*Wyoming Cowboy Classic	65-72-71--208	- 2	t10th
Pac-12 Championship	72-78-75-69--294	+ 6	t16th
NCAA Southeast Regional	79-79-79--237	+21	t66th

Fall 2014
AFA Miranda Invitational	74-71-70--215	- 1	t16th
Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invit.	79-71-74--224	+14	t30th
UNM Tucker Invitational	74-77-79--230	+14	t55th
CU-Mark Simpson Invitational	75-72--147	+ 3	t29th
Alister Mackenzie Invitational	76-78-81--235	+22	78th
UCLA Gifford Intercollegiate	76-76-71--223	+10	t51st

Spring 2015
Hawai’i-Hilo Amer Ari Invitational	75-74-79 -- 228	+12	t96th
Bandon Dunes Championship	72-70 -- 142	- 2	t6th
Stanford’s “The Goodwin”	74-79-73 -- 226	+16	t109th
Wyoming Cowboy Classic	73-69-70 -- 212	- 4	t17th
Pac-12 Championship	75-75-78-78 -- 306	+26	65th

Fall 2015
Ballyneal Challenge	76-67 -- 143	+ 1	t5th
AFA Miranda Invitational	76-67-69 -- 212	- 4	t5th
UNM Tucker Invitational	74-79-76 -- 229	+13	t65th
CU-Mark Simpson Invitational	69-72-71 -- 212	+ 2	t5th
Alister Mackenzie Invitational	71-71-67 -- 209	- 4	t26th
UCLA Gifford Collegiate	75-73-75 -- 223	+10	t41st
Spring 2016
UHH Amer Ari Invitational	73-71-72—216	E	t42nd
Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate	86-73-71—230	+14	t76th
Stanford’s “The Goodwin”	76-67-71—214	+ 4	t29th
Wyoming Cowboy Classic	74-69-71—214	- 2	t16th
The Maxwell	71-76—147	+ 7	t52nd
Pac-12 Championships	75-73-76-70—294	+10	35th
NCAA Southeast Regional	75-74-73—222	+ 6	t34th
Fall 2016
Ballyneal Challenge	69-68—137	- 5	2nd
AFA Miranda Invitational	69-73-72—214	- 2	5th
UNM Tucker Invitational	74-77-74—225	+ 9	t34th
CU-Mark Simpson Invitational	69-69-72—210	- 6	t7th
DU Paintbrush Invitational	74-69-68—211	- 5	6th
UCLA Gifford Collegiate (2-1)	78-73—151	+ 7	43rd