Since then, it had been close but no cigar for the Buffs, who finished second twice and third three times at Eisenhower Golf Club. But on Sunday, they weren’t to be denied.

After trailing by one stroke after each of the first two rounds, CU overcame 2017 champion Wyoming to win by five at the 50th annual Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational. (The victorious team is pictured in a CU photo.)

It was the first outright team title for the Buffs in almost two years. CU technically tied for a championship last year at its own Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational, though Utah won a team playoff.

The Buffs also took home the individual title on Sunday as Daniel O’Loughlin, a junior from England, earned the top spot for his first individual college championship. 

CU, the Pac-12 runner-up last year, shot a 1-under-par 287 in Sunday’s final round at the Blue Course, posting a three-day total of 9-under 855, which was five better than Wyoming.

The Buffs dedicated the victory to recruit Oliver Jack, the 2016 3A state high school champion from Kent Denver, who is recovering after being involved in an auto accident in July. He’s deferred his enrollment at CU until the spring semester.

Host Air Force placed fourth on Sunday at 862, while Northern Colorado was sixth at 867.

CU put three players in the top five individually — O’Loughlin; and Trevor Olkowski of Grand Junction and Cole Krantz of Windsor, who tied for fifth place at 212. Krantz was competing only as an individual at Eisenhower.

Joining O’Loughlin and Olkowski on the Buffs’ victorious team were Ross Macdonald (216), Victor Bjorlow (220) and John Paterson (221).

O’Loughlin landed CU’s first outright individual title in a full-field Division I tournament since Philip Juel-Berg won this same event in 2015. In the interim, CU players have shared DI titles twice, won the three-team Ballyneal Challenge, and finished first in a Division II tournament. But this time O’Loughlin was alone atop the scoreboard in a 16-team DI event.

At the Falcon Invite, O’Loughlin was remarkably steady throughout the season-opening tournament, going 70-70-69 for a 7-under 209 total, which was one better than New Mexico State’s Tadhg Campbell. O’Loughlin, who birdied his final hole from 10 feet, finished the 54-hole event with 12 birdies and five bogeys.

“It feels good to finally win; being the first one is really special,” O’Loughlin told CUBuffs.com. “It’s such a big relief, and the team winning as well made it that much more special.”

Joining Olkowski and Krantz as Colorado residents who recorded top-five finishes on Sunday was UNC’s Coby Welch, who placed third at 211 after racking up 18 birdies for the week. In other words, he birdied 33 percent of his holes for the tournament.

Leading the way for Air Force was Joseph Crisostomo, who tied for fifth at 212 after closing with a 67, Sunday’s low round.

Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational
Sept. 7-9, 2018 (final) at Eisenhower GC at Air Force Academy

1. (out of 16 teams) Colorado 285-283-287–855
1. Daniel O’Loughlin 70-70-69–209
5. Trevor Olkowski 71-67-74–212
17. Ross Macdonald 74-71-71–216
36. Victor Bjorlow 71-75-74–220
41. John Paterson 73-75-73–221
Competing Only as Individuals
5. Cole Krantz 71-71-70–212
30. Wilson Belk 73-73-73–219
56. Anson Kuznik 76-74-74–224
76. Kristoffer Max 75-80-74–229

4. Air Force 288-288-286–862
5. Joseph Crisostomo 72-73-67–212
17. Andy Germann 74-67-75–216
17. Joshua Wu 69-74-73–216
36. Turner Howe 73-74-73–220
41. Tate Tatom 74-74-73–221
Competing Only as Individuals
23. Luke Trujillo 74-70-73–217
69. Colter Baca 74-78-75–227
82. Jonathan Farmer 73-82-78–233

6. Northern Colorado 292-283-292–867
3. Coby Welch 72-67-72–211
17. Li Chen 71-71-74–216
36. Joshua Matz 75-73-72–220
50. Marcus Tait 77-72-74–223
63. Jack Castiglia 74-77-74–221
Competing Only as Individual
76. Nick Sharp 77-74-78–229

For complete results, CLICK HERE.

For all the local Division I golf results, CLICK HERE.

In addition, all three of the Colorado-based teams competing in the 50th annual Falcon Invite are in the top five out of the 16-school field.

The University of Colorado remained in the same place it was after round 1 — in second place, one out of the lead. The Buffs shot a 5-under-par 283 on Saturday to check in at 8-under 568, one behind defending champion Wyoming.

In fourth place with one round left is Northern Colorado (575), while host Air Force (576) is in fifth.

CU sophomore Trevor Olkowski (left in a CU photo), of Grand Junction, shot a bogey-free 5-under-par 67 on Saturday and moved into a share of second place at 6-under 138. He trails only Mike McGilton of New Mexico State, who stands at 135.

Other Coloradans in the top 10 individually are UNC’s Coby Welch (139, fifth place, after a 67) and Li Chen (142, 10th place) and CU’s Cole Krantz (142, 10th place). Krantz is competing as an individual at Eisenhower Golf Club.

Also in the top 10 from local teams are Daniel O’Loughlin from CU (140, sixth place) and Andy Germann from Air Force (141, seventh place).

Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational
Sept. 7-9, 2018 at Eisenhower GC at Air Force Academy

2. (out of 16 teams) Colorado 285-283–568
2. Trevor Olkowski 71-67–138
6. Daniel O’Loughlin 70-70–140
22. Ross Macdonald 74-71–145
30. Victor Bjorlow 71-75–146
48. John Paterson 73-75–148
Competing Only as Individuals
10. Cole Krantz 71-71–142
30. Wilson Belk 73-73–146
61. Anson Kuznik 76-74–150
81. Kristoffer Max 75-80–155

4. Northern Colorado 292-283–575
5. Coby Welch 72-67–139
10. Li Chen 71-71–142
48. Joshua Matz 75-73–148
57. Marcus Tait 77-72–149
63. Jack Castiglia 74-77–151
Competing Only as Individual
63. Nick Sharp 77-74–151

5. Air Force 288-288–576
7. Andy Germann 74-67–141
15. Joshua Wu 69-74–143
22. Joseph Crisostomo 72-73–145
39. Turner Howe 73-74–147
48. Tate Tatom 74-74–148
Competing Only as Individuals
19. Luke Trujillo 74-70–144
69. Colter Baca 74-78–152
81. Jonathan Farmer 73-82–155

For complete results, CLICK HERE.

For all the local Division I golf results, CLICK HERE.

The Buffs, winner of this tournament six times — but not since 2012 — shot a 3-under-par 285 and trail only New Mexico State, while being tied with Weber State. The 54-hole event will continue through Sunday.

Host Air Force (288) is in sixth place in the 16-team field, while Northern Colorado (292) is ninth.

Daniel O’Loughlin (2-under-par 70, seventh place), Grand Junction’s Trevor Olkowski (71, 10th place) and Victor Bjorlow (71, 10th place) are in the top 10 individually for CU.

Joshua Wu led the way for Air Force with a 69 that left him in third place. Li Chen of Westminster paced UNC with a 71.

Tadhg Campbell of New Mexico State holds the individual lead after a 5-under-par 67.
 

Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational
Sept. 7-9, 2018 at Eisenhower GC at Air Force Academy

2. (out of 16 teams) Colorado 285
7. Daniel O’Loughlin 70
10. Trevor Olkowski 71
10. Victor Bjorlow 71
33. John Patterson 73
47. Ross Macdonald 74
Competing Only as Individuals
10. Cole Krantz 71
33. Wilson Belk 73
58. Kristoffer Max 75
63. Anson Kuznik 76

6. Air Force 288
3. Joshua Wu 69
21. Joseph Crisostomo 72
33. Turner Howe 73
47. Tate Tatom 74
47. Andy Germann 74
Competing Only as Individuals
33. Jonathan Farmer 73
47. Colter Baca 74
47. Luke Trujillo 74

9. Northern Colorado 292
10. Li Chen 71
21. Coby Welch 72
47. Jack Castiglia 74
58. Joshua Matz 75
69. Marcus Tait 77
Competing Only as Individual
69. Nick Sharp 77

For complete results, CLICK HERE.

For all the local Division I golf results, CLICK HERE.

The University of Wyoming, with two players in the top three individually, landed the team title at Eisenhower Golf Club at the Air Force Academy as 2015 champion Colorado State finished second and the University of Colorado third for the second straight year.

Wyoming ended up with a three-day total of 29-under-par 835, while CSU checked in at 840 and CU at 843.

Northern Colorado ended up seventh out of 19 teams at 863 and host Air Force in ninth at 870.

John Murdock, a product of Laramie High School in Wyoming, ran away with the individual title, winning by five. He went 67-65-70 for a 14-under-par 202 total.

Eight Coloradans or players from Colorado-based schools finished in the top 10, with German Amateur champion Max Oelfke of CSU placing second at 207. Yannik Paul of CU was third (208) and Buff teammate Daniel O’Loughlin fifth (209). Andrew Romano of UNC ended up seventh at 210, along with Coloradan Kyler Dunkle of Utah and Colton Yates of CSU, and Coby Welch of UNC and AJ Ott of CSU were 10th at 211.

Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational
Sept. 8-10, 2017 (final) at Eisenhower GC (Blue Course) at Air Force Academy

2. Colorado State 284-270-283–840
2. Max Oelfke 68-70-69–207
7. Colton Yates 70-68-72–210
10. AJ Ott 73-67-71–211
17. Jake Staiano 71-70-72–213
40. Parathakorn Suyasri 73-74-71–218
68. Cullen Plousha (individual only) 73-75-75–223

3. Colorado 284-281-278–843
3. Yannik Paul 67-71-70–208
5. Daniel O’Loughlin 70-69-70–209
17. Ross Macdonald 73-68-72–213
21. Spencer Painton 74-74-66–214
46. John Souza 74-73-72–219
29. Trevor Olkowski (individual only) 72-74-70–216
51. Cole Krantz (individual only) 74-74-72–220
79. Victor Bjorlow (individual only) 75-74-76–225

7. Northern Colorado 287-281-295–863
7. Andrew Romano 67-71-72–210
10. Coby Welch 70-63-78–211
40. Joshua Matz 72-73-73–218
91. Sam Marley 84-74-72–230
91. Marcus Tait 78-74-78–230

9. Air Force Academy 290-290-289–869
17. Tate Tatom 72-72-69–213
35. Dane Hankamer 70-72-75–217
46. Bryant Falconello 72-72-75–219
68. Anson Kuznik 76-77-70–223
106. Joshua Wu 78-74-84–236
29. Todd Millard (individual only) 72-71-73–216
35. Joseph Crisostomo (individual only) 75-68-74–217
74. Turner Howe (individual only) 76-76-72–224
87. Kyle Spencer (individual only) 76-78-73–227
88. Andy Germann (individual only) 77-74-78–229

Also
7. Coloradan Kyler Dunkle, Utah 71-70-69–210
13. Coloradan Glenn Workman, Wyoming 74-69-69–212

For all the scores, CLICK HERE.

Welch (pictured) shot a 9-under-par 63 despite a bogey 6 on his final hole on Saturday to vault into second place after two rounds of the season-opening Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational at the Air Force Academy’s Eisenhower Golf Club.

The former CGA Junior Player of the Year played his first 10 holes in 8 under par — making six straight birdies in mid-round — and stands at 11-under 133 for two rounds. Going into Sunday’s final round, he trails only Wyoming’s John Murdock, who has carded rounds of 67-65 –132.

Last September, Welch earned his first individual college victory in the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational at Colorado National Golf Club in Erie.

Murdock’s Wyoming teammate Drew McCullough holds third place at 136.

With Murdock and McCullough leading the way, Wyoming shot an 18-under-par 270 on Saturday to grab a three-stroke lead in the team competition. Wyoming stands at 22-under 554 overall.

First-round leader Colorado State is in second place at 557, while the University of Colorado (565) is third and UNC fourth (568). Host Air Force is ninth at 580.

The Falcon Invite will conclude on Sunday.

For scores, CLICK HERE.

The Rams shot a 6-under-par 282 to take a two-stroke advantage over the University of Colorado and Wyoming.

Northern Colorado holds sixth place at 287 in the 19-team, three-round tournament. The host Air Force Academy is eighth at 290.

Individually, Andrew Romano of UNC and Yannik Paul of CU are tied for the lead with Andy Hess of Utah State and John Murdock of Wyoming. Romano eagled the 610-yard fifth hole and added six birdies. He was 7 under par through 11 holes. Paul chalked up seven birdies.

Max Oelfke of CSU, the 2017 German Amateur champion, carded a 68 and is in fifth place.

The tourament will continue through Sunday.

For scores, CLICK HERE.

A year after losing by three to Colorado State — and after sharing the lead after two rounds this weekend — the Buffs finished third out of 16 teams this time around, two strokes behind co-champions UNLV and Texas-El Paso. After a 4-over-par 292 round on Sunday, CU came in at 1-over-par 865.

CSU (876) was fourth in its title defense, while Air Force’s B team (898) was seventh, Northern Colorado (903) ninth, and AFA’s A team (911) 11th.

Individually, Coloradans Jake Staiano (pictured) of CSU (4-under-par 212) placed fourth indiviudally, while Ethan Freeman of CU (214) was fifth and CSU’s Jimmy Makloski (217) ended up eighth.

John Oda of UNLV claimed the individual title at 10-under-par 206.

The Miranda Falcon Invite was CU’s second tournament of the season and the season opener for the other Colorado-based teams.

Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational
Sept. 10-11, 2016 (final) at Par-72 Eisenhower GC’s Blue Course at Air Force Academy

3. Colorado 284-289-292–865
5. Ethan Freeman 69-73-72–214
6. Yannik Paul 70-72-73–215
10. Morten Toft Hansen 74-70-74–218
30. Spencer Painton 71-74-80–225
30. Jeremy Paul 74-78-73–225

4. Colorado State 298-290-288–876
4. Jake Staiano 71-69-72–212
10. Blake Cannon 73-73-72–218
17. Colton Yates 76-75-70–221
30. AJ Ott 78-73-74–225
69. Kyle Kidd 80-75-79–234

7. Air Force B 305-286-307–898
14. Todd Millard 73-70-76–219
19. Joshua Wu 77-69-76–222
42. Tate Tatom 77-73-77–227
53. Troy Berglund 78-74-78–230
84. Joseph Crisostomo 85-77-78–240

9. Northern Colorado 308-297-298–903
30. Coby Welch 75-72-78–225
42. Andrew Romano 76-74-77–227
50. Sam Marley 81-75-73–229
53. Li Chen 77-80-73–230
59. Joshua Matz 80-76-75–231

11. Air Force A 301-307-303–911
19. Sunwoo Choi 72-75-75–222
30. Bryant Falconello 73-77-75–225
64. Turner Howe 82-77-74–233
73. Brenden Bone 78-78-79–235
77. Dane Hankamer 78-79-80–237

Also (Individuals and Coloradans on Other Teams)
8. Jimmy Makloski, CSU 73-74-70–217
19. Glenn Workman, Wyoming 74-77-71–222
19. John Souza, CU 74-70-78–222
28. Tristan Rohrbaugh, Boise State 78-74-72–224
30. Tanner Jenson, Utah State 76-74-75–225
39. Max Oelfke, CSU 78-75-73–226
64. Philip Lee, UNC 77-79-77–233
81. Ryan Schmitz, CU 81-77-80–238
 

After Saturday’s first 36 holes of a 54-hole event, the Buffs share the lead with Texas-El Paso at the Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational at Eisenhower Golf Club at the Air Force Academy.

CU posted scores of 284-289 for a 3-under-par 573 total. Rounding out the top five in the 16-team field are UNLV (579), defending champion Colorado State (588) and host Air Force’s B team (591). Northern Colorado (605) holds 10th place and the top Air Force team (608) is 12th going into Sunday’s final round.

Coloradan Ethan Freeman (69-73–142) and Yannik Paul (70-72–142) are leading the way for CU individually as they share fifth place. CSU’s Jake Staiano (71-69–140) is fourth, three strokes behind co-leaders John Oda of UNLV and Andreas Sorenson of UTEP.

Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational
At Par-72 Eisenhower GC’s Blue Course at Air Force Academy

1. Colorado 284-289–573
5. Yannik Paul 70-72–142
5. Ethan Freeman 69-73–143
9. Morten Toft Hansen 74-70–144
13. Spencer Painton 71-74–145
41. Jeremy Paul 74-78–152

4. Colorado State 298-290–588
4. Jake Staiano 71-69–140
14. Blake Cannon 73-73–146
35. Colton Yates 76-75–151
35. AJ Ott 78-73–151
56. Kyle Kidd 80-75–155

5. Air Force B 305-286–591
7. Todd Millard 73-70–143
14. Joshua Wu 77-69–146
28. Tate Tatom 77-73–150
41. Troy Berglund 78-74–152
85. Joseph Crisostomo 85-77–162

10. Northern Colorado 308-297–605
19. Coby Welch 75-72–147
28. Andrew Romano 76-74–150
58. Joshua Matz 80-76–156
58. Sam Marley 81-75–156
70. Li Chen 77-80–157

12. Air Force A 301-307–608
19. Sunwoo Choi 72-75–147
28. Bryant Falconello 73-77–150
58. Brenden Bone 78-78–156
70. Dane Hankamer 78-79–157
78. Turner Howe 82-77–159

Also (Individuals and Coloradans on Other Teams)
9. John Souza, CU 74-70–144
19. Jimmy Makloski, CSU 73-74–147
28. Tanner Jenson, Utah State 76-74–150
35. Glenn Workman, Wyoming 74-77–151
41. Tristan Rohrbaugh, Boise State 78-74–152
50. Max Oelfke, CSU 78-75–153
58. Philip Lee, UNC 77-79–156
73. Ryan Schmitz, CU 81-77–158
 

It seemed only fitting that a week that will culminate with the Colorado-Colorado State football game would start with a showdown between the rivals on the golf course.

Though 14 other teams competed in the Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational at the Eisenhower Golf Club’s Blue Course at the Air Force Academy, they ended up playing second fiddle to CSU and CU.

The Rams (pictured above) prevailed in the 16-team tournament on Sunday, earning the Falcon Invite title for the third time in the 47-year-old event. CSU has taken home the trophy in 2008, ’09 and ’15.

“It’s big” to beat CU, said Rams senior Dominic Kieffer, who placed third individually. “The history between the two schools … we’ve always been close to them, (but) they’ve been a little bit better than us the last few years so it’s nice to get a win against them.”

But the Buffs didn’t go home empty-handed. They claimed the individual championship — with senior Philip Juel-Berg (left) earning his first college victory — in addition to being the runner-up team-wise.

Breaking through individually is “awesome,” said Juel-Berg, a native of Denmark who earlier this summer won the Danish International Amateur. “It’s definitely been a dream since I started college. I played really well over the summer, so I thought there was a chance to win a tournament when I got back here. It’s a great way to start off my senior year. I’m obviously really, really happy.”

CSU, which went into the final round three behind CU, shot a 7-under-par 281 as a team on Sunday and finished at 15-under 849. That was three better than CU, the 2012 champions. Wyoming was a distant third at 863. Northern Colorado (877) was seventh and host Air Force (881) was 11th.

Individually, Juel-Berg birdied five consecutive holes in the middle of his round — making a 45-foot putt, then four inside of 3 feet — and was 6 under for the day through 12. Ultimately, he posted a 4-under 68 in the final round. That left him at 12-under 204, good for a five-stroke victory over Devon Purser of Weber State. Juel-Berg matched the CU record for most shots under par in a three-round tournament.

Kieffer (above) and UTEP’s Frederik Dreier shared third place at 210.

Two former Colorado state high school champions also placed in the top 10, with CU’s Ethan Freeman (below) tying for fifth at 212 and CSU’s Kyler Dunkle sharing seventh place at 213.

The last four holes ultimately determined the team title as the four CSU golfers who had their scores count on Sunday went a combined 1 under down the stretch, while the corresponding Buffs went 5 over par.

“The guys did a nice job in general,” said CSU coach Christian Newton. “Kyler Dunkle was 3 over after 3, then made three birdies on the front to get it back to even, then shoots 2 under on the back, which was awesome, really gutsy. Blake Cannon had played really bad yesterday — he was in (71st) place — but he was 1 under for us today, which was huge. It was fun to watch.”

But not so much for the Buffs, who shot 16 strokes higher in round 3 than in round 2.

“It’s obviously real sad standing here afterward not being able to pull it out (team-wise),” Juel-Berg said. “We have to be honest: We just weren’t good enough. We dropped a lot of shots coming down the stretch.”

During Saturday’s first two rounds of the 54-hole event, CU competed with a four-man team, meaning that all the scores counted, with none being thrown out. That was because sophomore John Souza withdrew due to back spasms. He returned for Sunday’s third round and shot a 77.

“We’re very happy for Philip (Juel-Berg, left),” Buffs coach Roy Edwards said. “Anytime you have an individual win the event, you’re real excited. He’s a very hard worker, a senior. I know he’s very motivated to play well this year.

“Second (as a team) is obviously a nice event considering our situation with one guy not playing yesterday and hitting some bunts off the tee today. You’re never happy when you don’t win. We’re definitely not satisfied with second, but I’m certainly happy with how we played.

“It was a great battle with CSU. It’s always good to be in those situations, especially to start the year off.”

CU has a solid lineup, but lost one of its key players after just two seasons, as Yannik Paul is back is his native Germany, expected to soon turn pro. Yannik’s twin brother, Jeremy, remains one of the Buffs’ top players and tied for seventh on Sunday.

As for CSU, it put three players in the top 10 on Sunday — Kieffer, Dunkle and Max Oelfke (who also tied for seventh).

“We’ve got a tremendous amount of competition” on the team, Newton noted. “All the guys have gotten better. We’ve got seven or eight legitimate players; there are good guys at home. That speaks well for the program. There’s a lot of pushing and shoving for those spots. Ultimately that will make everyone better.

“We’re looking forward to next week and our home event (the Ram Masters Invitational Sept. 21-22 at Fort Collins Country Club). I’m really happy for the boys. This is really nice for them because they’ve worked really hard.”

Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational
At Par-72 Eisenhower GC (Blue Course) at Air Force Academy

Team scores — 1. Colorado State 849; 2. Colorado 852; 3. Wyoming 863; 4. Weber State 866; 5. Texas-El Paso 867; 6. Nevada 875; 7. (tie) Northern Colorado and Missouri-Kansas City 877; 9. William & Mary 878; 10. Utah State 879; 11. Air Force 881; 12. Boise State 885; 13. (tie) Abilene Christian and Utah 886; 15. Air Force B 904; 16. Southern Utah 944.

1. Colorado State 286-282-281–849
3. Dominic Kieffer 70-71-69–210; 7. Max Oelfke 72-70-71–213; 7. Kyler Dunkle 71-72-70–213; 15. Jimmy Makloski 73-69-73–215; 52. Blake Cannon 74-79-71–224.

2. Colorado 294-271-287–852
1. Philip Juel-Berg 69-67-68–204; 5. Ethan Freeman 76-67-69–212; 7. Jeremy Paul 71-69-73–213; 52. Ross Macdonald 78-68-78–224; 86. John Souza DNP-DNP-77.

7. Northern Colorado 286-299-292–877
22. Steven Kupcho 72-75-71–218; 35. Joshua Matz 75-71-75–221; 35. Sam Marley 68-78-75–221; 52. Conner Barr 78-75-71–224; 69. Li Chen 71-81-76–228.

11. Air Force Academy 300-291-290–881
18. Sutton Farmer 73-72-72–217; 35. Michael Fan 74-74-73–221; 46. Sunwoo Choi 76-75-72–223; 46. Bryant Falconello 77-73-73–223; 52. Brenden Bone 77-72-75–224.

15. Air Force Academy B 301-297-306–904
59. Tate Tatom 73-73-79–225; 62. Kyle Fuller 76-74-76–226; 67. Dane Hankamer 75-76-76–227; 79. Troy Berglund 86-74-75–235; 80. Turner Howe 77-79-80–236.

Other Local Players and Locals Competing as Individuals Only
22. Tristan Rohrbaugh, Boise State 73-72-73–218
28. Pierce Aichinger, Colorado 74-73-72–219
29. Glenn Workman, Wyoming 72-73-75–220
35. Jake Staiano, Colorado State 72-70-79–221
52. Kade Crossland, Colorado 73-74-77–224
88. Colton Yates 68-72-DNP
 

The college golf season is almost upon us, and for Coloradans that means an abundance of in-state tournaments in a monthlong span from mid-September to mid-October.

And this season, with the men’s and women’s NCAA Division II national championships coming to the Denver metro area in the spring, that’s adding to the busy fall calendar as well.

National Division II “preview” tournaments will be held this month at both CommonGround Golf Course (left) and Green Valley Ranch Golf Club (below), which will be hosting the women’s and men’s national championships, respectively, in May.

The men’s preview tournament at GVR is set for Sept. 21-22, while the women’s at CommonGround is scheduled for Sept. 28-29.

Those events will set the stage for the first Colorado-hosted NCAA men’s or women’s DII golf national championships. (The Broadmoor Golf Club in Colorado Springs was the site of five NCAA Division I men’s national championships between 1953 and ’69.)

The DII national championship finals are scheduled for May 17-21 for the men at GVR and May 18-21 for the women at CommonGround. Both are part of the 2016 DII Spring Championships Festival that brings national finals in several sports to a single venue over a six-day period. In the case of May 2016, Metropolitan State University of Denver will host DII nationals for men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s tennis, women’s lacrosse and softball.

Getting back to this fall’s portion of the schedule, the DII previews this month are in addition to six full-fledged Division I college tournaments that will be contested in Colorado between now and mid-October. There are three each on the men’s and women’s side, starting Sept. 12-13 with the Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational at the Eisenhower Golf Club’s Blue Course at the Air Force Acacemy (men) and the Ptarmigan Ram Fall Classic Sept. 14-15 at Ptarmigan Country Club in Fort Collins (women).

The only major change in the Division I tournament lineup in Colorado is that the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational will be played at Boulder Country Club this year after Colorado National Golf Club hosted the event every previous year since its debut in 2010.

Here’s the rundown of Division I and selected other tournaments that are on the schedule this season for Colorado venues:

Men

Sept. 12-13 — Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational, Eisenhower GC Blue Course, hosted by Air Force Academy. Other Div. I Colorado schools competing: CU, CSU, UNC.

Sept. 21-22 — Ram Masters Invitational, Fort Collins CC, hosted by CSU. Other Div. I Colorado schools competing: DU, Air Force, UNC.

Sept. 21-22 — Div. II National Preview Fall Intercollegiate, Green Valley Ranch GC, hosted by Colorado School of Mines.

Sept. 28-29 — Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational, Boulder CC, hosted by CU. Other Div. I Colorado school competing: UNC, Air Force.

May 17-21 — NCAA Div. II National Championships, Green Valley Ranch GC, hosted by Metro State University of Denver.

Women

Sept. 14-15 — Ptarmigan Ram Fall Classic, Ptarmigan CC, hosted by CSU. Other Div. I Colorado school competing: UNC.

Sept. 21-23: Golfweek Conference Challenge, Red Sky GC in Wolcott. Div. I Colorado school competing: DU.

Sept. 28-29: Div. II National Championship Preview, CommonGround GC, hosted by Metro State University of Denver.

Oct. 9-11 — Ron Moore Denver Invitational, Highlands Ranch GC, hosted by DU. Other Div. I Colorado schools competing: CU, CSU, UNC.

May 18-21 — NCAA Div. II Women’s National Championships, CommonGround GC, hosted by Metro State University of Denver.

And here’s a look at the season openers and tournaments in Colorado for each of the NCAA Division I programs in the state:

CU Men

First Tournament — Sept. 12-13: Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational, Eisenhower GC at Air Force Academy.

Other Tournament in Colorado — Sept. 28-29: Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational, Boulder CC.

CU Women

First Tournament — Sept. 14-15: Minnesota Invitational in Minneapolis.

Tournament in Colorado — Oct. 9-11: Ron Moore Denver Invitational, Highlands Ranch GC.

CSU Men

First Tournament — Sept. 12-13: Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational, Eisenhower GC at Air Force Academy.

Other Tournament in Colorado — Sept. 21-22: Ram Masters Invitational, Fort Collins CC.

CSU Women

First Tournament — Sept. 14-15: Ptarmigan Ram Fall Classic, Ptarmigan CC in Fort Collins.

Other Tournament in Colorado — Oct. 9-11: Ron Moore Denver Invitational, Highlands Ranch GC.

DU Men

First Tournament — Sept. 21-22: Ram Masters Invitational, Fort Collins CC.

Other Tournaments in Colorado — None.

DU Women

First Tournament — Sept. 14-15: New Mexico Dick McGuire Invitational, Albuquerque.

Tournaments in Colorado — Sept. 21-23: Golfweek Women’s Conference Challenge, Red Sky GC in Wolcott; Oct. 9-11: Ron Moore Denver Invitational, Highlands Ranch GC.

UNC Men

First Tournament — Sept. 12-13: Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational, Eisenhower GC at Air Force Academy.

Other Tournaments in Colorado — Sept. 21-22: Ram Masters Invitational, Fort Collins CC; Sept. 28-29: Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational, Boulder CC.

UNC Women

First Tournament — Sept. 14-15: Ptarmigan Ram Fall Classic, Ptarmigan CC in Fort Collins.

Other Tournament in Colorado — Oct. 9-11: Ron Moore Denver Invitational, Highlands Ranch GC.

Air Force Academy Men

First Tournament — Sept. 12-13: Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational, Eisenhower GC at Air Force Academy.

Other Tournaments in Colorado — Sept. 21-22: Ram Masters Invitational, Fort Collins CC; Sept. 28-29: Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational, Boulder CC.

Speaking of the Eisenhower GC’s Blue Course, it was recently ranked 25th in the nation among campus courses by Golfweek magazine.