And Ott and Staiano weren’t the only Coloradans to notch top-five individual finishes Sunday in conference championships. Hannah Wood of Centennial, a senior at the University of Oklahoma, placed fourth in the Women’s Big 12 Championship in Dallas.

CSU, which is expected to land an at-large berth into the NCAA Regionals, finished second to UNLV out of 11 teams in the MWC tournament, with the Rebels prevailing by 11 strokes. The Rams posted a 3-over-par 867 total.

CSU was the only team in the field to put three players in the top 10. Ott, Staiano and Oelfke tied at 1-under-par 215, 15 strokes behind individual champion Shintaro Ban of UNLV. Ott went 66-75-74, Staiano 71-72-72 and Oelfke 76-68-71. It was the second top-five individual finish this season for each of those three Rams.

Meanwhile, in her final Big 12 tournament, Wood shared fourth place. The Coloradan went 73-75-71 for a 3-over-par 219 total, which left her six strokes behind individual winner Celia Barquin Arozamena of Iowa State.

It was Wood’s fourth top-six individual showing of the season and tied for her season best showing.

In Short: In the Women’s ACC Championship, Coloradan Jennifer Kupcho shares fourth place individually heading into Monday’s final round in Greensboro, N.C. Kupcho, a Wake Forest junior named to the U.S. Curtis Cup team this past week, has shot rounds of 72-70 and stands at 2-under-par 142, five strokes back of leader Leona Maguire of Duke. … If the University of Denver women want to win their 15th consecutive conference title, they’ll have to rally to do it. The Pioneers trail North Dakota State by 10 strokes after Sunday’s first round of the 54-hole Summit League tournament in Nebraska City. DU’s Sophie Newlove shares the first-round lead at 1-under-par 71. … The University of Colorado women are tied for third place after round 1 of the Pac-12 tournament in Seattle. The Buffs trail leader UCLA by four strokes. … Colin Prater of Colorado-Colorado Springs, the 2016 CGA Amateur champion, opened with a bogey-free 8-under-par 63 and leads by three after the opening round of the Men’s Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournament in Chandler, Ariz.

Men’s Mountain West Conference Championship
April 20-22, 2018 (final) in Bremerton, Wash.
2. Colorado State 284-293-290–867
5. AJ Ott 66-75-74–215
5. Jake Staiano 71-72-72–215
5. Max Oelfke 76-68-71–215
27. Jack Ainscough 74-78-73–225
41. Parathakorn Suyasri 73-82-74–229

10. Air Force Academy 305-303-309–917
37. Anson Kuznik 76-75-77–228
43. Andy Germann 76-77-78–231
47. Bryant Falconello 74-81-78–233
47. Tate Tatom 82-75-76–233
52. Joshua Wu 79-76-81–236

Also
17. Coloradan Glenn Workman, Wyoming 73-69-78–220
27. Coloradan Tristan Rohrbaugh, Boise State 72-74-79–225

Women’s Big Sky Championship
April 20-22, 2018 (final) in Boulder City, Nev.
9. (out of 12 teams) Northern Colorado 315-305-307–927
12. Nicole Polivchak 76-71-76–223
31. Beah Cruz 80-74-77–231
42. Morgan Sahm 80-80-78–238
44. Marisa Hisaki 83-80-76–239
53. Aili Bundy 79-83-82–244

Also
29. Coloradan Kiselya Plewe, Weber State 76-76-77–229
31. Coloradan Delaney Elliott, Montana State 78-76-77–231
36. Coloradan Jaylee Tait, Montana State 84-76-74–234

Women’s Pac-12 Championship
April 22-24, 2018 in Seattle
3. (out of 11 teams; four strokes behind leader) Colorado 291
7. Brittany Fan 70
9. Robyn Choi 71
27. Kirsty Hodgkins 75
27. Alisha Lau 75
52. Gillian Vance 82

Women’s Summit League Championship
April 22-24 in Nebraska City
2. (out of 8 teams; 10 strokes behind leader) Denver 301
T1. Sophie Newlove 71
10. Lauren Whyte 75
12. Jessica Dreesbeimdieke 77
16. Camille Enright 78
18. Mary Weinstein 79

Men’s RMAC Championship
April 22-24, 2018 in Chandler, Ariz.
TEAM STANDINGS
1. Regis 272
T2. Colorado School of Mines 276
T2. Colorado State-Pueblo 276
4. Colorado-Colorado Springs 281
5. Colorado Christian 292
6. Colorado Mesa 293
7. Fort Lewis 294
8. South Dakota School of Mines 320

TOP 5 INDIVIDUALS
1. Colin Prater, UCCS 63
2. Nic Beno, CO School of Mines 66
T3. Neil Tillman, CSU-Pueblo 67
T3. George Markham, CO School of Mines 67
T3. Nicholas Tenuta, Regis 67
T3. Fraser Hughes, CSU-Pueblo 67

Women’s RMAC Championship
April 22-24, 2018 in Chandler, Ariz.
TEAM STANDINGS
1. Colorado-Colorado Springs 293
2. Colorado State-Pueblo 305
3. Colorado Mesa 307
4. Regis 315
5. Metro State 323
6. Fort Lewis 327
7. Colorado Christian 339
8. Black Hills State 351
9. Adams State 353
10. South Dakota School of Mines 364
11. Chadron Statte 394

TOP 5 INDIVIDUALS
1. Karen Valcarce, Westminster College (Utah) 71
2. Julia Baroth, Colorado-Colorado Springs 72
T3. Courtney Ewing, CSU-Pueblo 73
T3. Alex Darwin, Colorado-Colorado Springs 73
T3. Ashlyn Kirschner, Colorado Mesa 73
T3. Timbrelee McNair, Colorado-Colorado Springs 73

At the Kansas State Bighorn Invitational in Palm Desert, Calif., the Buffs had three individuals finish in the top six of a large-field NCAA Division I tournament for the first time since September 2015.

Sophomore Daniel O’Loughlin from England (pictured in a CU photo by Chip Bromfield) placed a college career-best second, while seniors Spencer Painton of Colorado and Yannik Paul of Germany tied for sixth.

With a strong final round — a 9-under-par 279 at The Canyons at Bighorn Golf Club — the Buffs placed third in the 12-team field, 19 strokes behind champion Illinois and nine back of runner-up Mississippi State.

The last time before Saturday that CU had put three individuals in the top six in a large-field DI tournament — featuring 10 teams or more — was at the 2015 Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational in Erie, where Jeremy Paul, Ethan Freeman and Ross Macdonald all placed in the top five individually.

O’Loughlin recorded six birdies on Saturday and closed with a 3-under-par 69 to post an 8-under 208 total, which left him three strokes behind individual winner Bryan Baumgarten of Illinois.

Painton, a former Colorado 5A state high school champion, notched his second top-six individual finish of the season. He carded six birdies on Saturday, with nine 3s on his card, in a round of 68. He ended up at 209.

Also at that figure was Paul, who recorded his third top-six showing of the season. Paul had five birdies in a round of 71 on Saturday.

Meanwhile, two of the other Colorado-based Division I men’s teams squared off in a dual match Friday in Bremerton, Wash., with Colorado State and the University of Denver tying with 2.5 points each. Each team won two matches and halved one.

Posting individual victories were Chris Korte and Eric Hagen of DU, and Jack Ainscough and Max Oelfke of CSU. The match results are below.

K-State Bighorn Invitational
March 23-24, 2018 (final) in Palm Desert, Calif.
3. (out of 12 teams) Colorado 283-281-279–843
2. Daniel O’Loughlin 72-67-69–208
6. Spencer Painton 72-69-68–209
6. Yannik Paul 65-73-71–209
39. John Souza 74-75-71–220
65. Victor Bjorlow 80-72-82–234

Colorado State-Denver Dual Match
March 23, 2018 (final) at Gold Mountain GC in Bremerton, Wash.
CSU 2.5, DENVER 2.5
Chris Korte, DU, def. AJ Ott, 3 and 1
Eric Hagen, DU, def. Jake Staiano, 2 and 1
Jack Ainscough, CSU, def. Jackson Solem, 5 and 3
Max Oelfke, CSU, def. Isaac Petersilie, 4 and 3
Parathakorn Suyasri, CSU, halved with John Sand, DU
 

The Rams used a tournament-record score of 12-under-par 268 in Monday’s first round at Fort Collins Country Club to help build the 14-stroke lead they’ll take into Tuesday’s final round of the 54-hole event.

Colorado State has won the team title at the Ram Masters each of the last three years after being runner-up by a single stroke the first two years it was held.

CSU stands at 12-under 548 for 36 holes, with Missouri-Kansas City in second place at 562 and Wyoming in third at 563. Northern Colorado is sixth at 573, while Denver is seventh at 574 and the Air Force Academy is 13th at 587 in the 19-team field.

The Rams were the runner-up to Wyoming in last weekend’s season-opening Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational at the Air Force Academy.

CSU has four players in the top 10 individually after day 1: AJ Ott is third at 4-under-par 136; Max Oelfke sixth at 137; Jake Staiano seventh at 138; and Colton Yates ninth at 139.

Also in the top 10 from a Colorado-based school is DU’s Chris Korte, who’s tied with Staiano at 138.

Missouri-KC’s Francois Lagraulet leads individually at 8-under-par 132, while Wyoming’s John Murdock is second at 134.

For all the scores from the Ram Masters Invite, CLICK HERE.
 

The 2013 CoBank Colorado Women’s Open champion shot rounds of 71-68-72 for a 5-under-par 211 total, which left her seven strokes behind champion Erynne Lee.

Huffer (pictured) made four birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey on Sunday, leading to a payday of $2,273. She moved up to 66th on the 2017 Symetra money list with $8,318.

It was the best showing for Huffer on the Symetra Tour since she tied for second late last September at the Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout.

Meanwhile, another player with local connections, Josh Creel of Cheyenne, Wyo., who started his college career at the University of Colorado, finished 10th Sunday in his first Web.com Tour start of the season, at the Digital Ally Open in Overland Park, Kan.

Creel, who Monday qualified for the tournament, carded rounds of 70-66-66-65 for a 17-under-par 267 total. He was bogey-free in the final round. He finished eight strokes behind winner Zecheng Dou.

In amateur golf on Sunday, Colorado State University player Max Oelfke won the German International Amateur Championship, He recorded four consecutive rounds of 68 for a 12-under-par total of 272, then won a playoff against Lukas Euler, making birdie on the third extra hole.

It was Oelfke’s second title this month. Earlier, he won the Luxembourg International Amateur.

The Rams shot a 1-under-par 287 in the final round to post a 4-under 860 total, finishing 14 strokes behind champion UNLV.

Senior Dominic Kieffer (pictured) fired a career-best 6-under-par 66 in Sunday’s final round to lead the way for CSU by placing sixth individually at 5-under 211. Coloradan Jimmy Makloski, who aced the 170-yard fourth hole on Saturday, tied teammate Max Oelfke for 15th place at 214.

The Air Force Academy ended up 10th in the 11-team field with an 878 total.

Meanwhile, Coloradan Hannah Wood, a sophomore at the University of Oklahoma, tied for 12th Sunday at the Women’s Big 12 Conference Championship in San Antonio, Texas. The 2014 CWGA Stroke Play champion rallied after an opening-round 77 to post two consecutive 70s and finished at 1-over 217, 10 strokes behind winner Kenzie Neisen of Oklahoma State.

Men’s Mountain West Conference Championship

April 22-24, 2016 (final) in Tucson, Ariz.
4. (out of 11 teams) Colorado State 281-292-287–860
6. Dominic Kieffer 71-74-66–211; 15. Max Oelfke 69-71-74–214; 15. Jimmy Makloski 71-70-73–214; 33. Kyler Dunkle 70-77-74–221; 54. Blake Cannon 73-80-81–234.

10. Air Force Academy 287-293-298–878
22. Sunwoo Choi 71-71-75–217; 28. Brenden Bone 68-74-76–218; 39. Michael Fan 77-73-73–223; 43. Bryant Falconello 76-75-74–225; 48. Tate Tatom 72-76-78–226.
 

Colorado State men’s golf coach Christian Newton called it an “outlier” — in this case a very positive outlier that paved the way for the Rams’ second team victory of the young season.

Kyler Dunkle, a redshirt freshman from Larkspur, shot a competitive course-record 7-under-par 63 Monday at Fort Collins Country Club that set the tone for the Rams’ second consecuctive victory in the Ram Masters Invitational event they host.

To put the performance into perspective, the 63 was the lowest single-round score at this week’s tournament — by three strokes.

“I can’t say enough about the 63 yesterday,” Newton said on Tuesday. “Sometimes when you shoot such an outlier of a round, you give yourself a five- or six-shot (team) cushion before the thing even starts. There’s so much parity in these things; it’s going to be close no matter what. We were able to ride (that cushion) the whole time. It was awesome, one of the best rounds I’ve ever seen.”

In finishing fourth on Tuesday, Dunkle, a former Colorado 5A state high school champion, posted his second individual top-10 in two events this season. He was seventh on Sept. 13 at the Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational.

“I was in about as good of a rhythm as I can find that first round (at Fort Collins CC),” he said. “It was really cool. During a tournament setting, this is a hard course to play.”

But sometimes not so much for Dunkle (left). In July, he shot consecutive rounds of 69 at FCCC to qualify for the U.S. Amateur. And in intra-team qualifiers held leading up to the season, he went 65-67-64 in three straight rounds at the club for a 14-under par total.

“That stretch of three days was the best I’ve ever played in my life,” said Dunkle, who also this summer shot a 59 in a casual round at Eisenhower Golf Club’s Silver Course. “For me this course sets up really well. I love this place.”

Dunkle, who posted an even-par 210 total for three rounds, is one of three Coloradans on the CSU roster, and all three of them placed in the top 20 Tuesday out of a field of 88. Jake Staiano (left), a true freshman from Cherry Hills Village, ended up eighth (212) and junior Jimmy Makloski from Pueblo checked in at 19th (218).

“When I got here it really was a priority to recruit those guys and feel like you get the best one (in the state) every year,” said Newton, now in his fourth season at CSU. “I feel like we’ve done that and are continuing to do that. It’s great to see them play like I thought they could when I recruited them. It’s really awesome.”

Another Coloradan, sophomore Chris Korte from the University of Denver, who last month won the CGA Stroke Play Championship, also cracked the top 20 on Tuesday, finishing 12th at 216.

Ben Welle, who plays at Kansas for former CSU head coach Jamie Bermel, claimed the individual title at 4-under-par 206.

All told, Colorado State not only won the team title but put seven of its nine players in the top 20 individually. Senior Dominic Kieffer (left) and sophomore teammate Max Oelfke (below) tied for second place at 208. A week after finishing third at the Falcon Invitational at Eisenhower Golf Club, Kieffer notched another top-three showing on Tuesday.

Staiano, who advanced to match play last month at the U.S. Amateur, was playing strictly as an individual at the Ram Masters Invitational, but had a strong showing in just his second college event, going 75-68-69–212. He made 11 birdies combined in the last two rounds.

“Obviously I had a good showing at the (U.S.) Am and I came up here and I think I put a little too much pressure on myself,” he said. “I haven’t been playing my best golf since I’ve been up here, but I finally got it going the last two rounds. I was really happy with how I fought back. I played my game for once, which felt good.”

As a team, the Rams fended off Kansas and finished at 1-under-par 839 for three rounds, winning by 10. DU (890) placed eighth, Air Force (894) 10th and Northern Colorado (899) 13th.

This after CSU won the Falcon Invitational by three over the University of Colorado on Sept. 13.

“To start out back-to-back is awesome,” said Newton, who this month has notched his third and fourth victories as a head coach, with three of the four having come in Colorado. “We’re in a good place right now.”

Staiano noted that he hasn’t shot higher than 74 in qualifying, but still hasn’t cracked CSU’s top five, which shows the Rams’ depth.

“I think we have something pretty special,” he said. “It’s just fun to be around a winning atmosphere. Our first qualifier, (Dunkle) shot 14 under (for three rounds). Obviously that’s going to make me a better player too. That’s the best part.”

Added Dunkle: “All of us are working our tails off and it’s finally starting to show. This week was really a testament to what we’ve been doing. Starting out with two wins doesn’t happen very often, especially with the competition we play against. It was really cool.”

And, not be lost in the big week for the Rams, one of the players who competed only as an individual at Fort Collins CC made a hole-in-one on Tuesday, as Alec Bone aced the 250-yard 17th hole.

Ram Masters Invitational
Sept. 21-22, 2015 (final) at Par-70 Fort Collins CC

1. (out of 15 teams) Colorado State 277-283-279–839
2. Max Oelfke 73-66-69–208; 2. Dominic Kieffer 68-72-68–208; 4. Kyler Dunkle 63-74-73–210; 19. Colton Yates 73-73-72–218; 19. Jimmy Makloski 76-72-70–218. Competing as individuals: 8. Jake Staiano 75-68-69–212; 14. Blake Cannon 71-71-75–217; 38. Alec Bone 77-73-73–223; 58. Logan Iverson 75-78-74–227.

8. Denver 304-295-291–890
12. Chris Korte 73-71-72–216; 19. Adam Ruben 69-75-74–218; 58. Arti Edelman 80-76-71–227; 66. Jake Kelley 82-73-74–229; 84. Petter Mikalsen 84-80-80–244. Competing as individuals: 58. Michael Boylan 79-72-76–227; 88. Johan Werge 81-92-84–257.

10. Air Force 303-296-295–894
19. Sunwoo Choi 74-73-71–218; 29. Brenden Bone 78-69-73–220; 52. Bryant Falconello 74-78-74–226; 70. Michael Fan 77-76-77–230; 84. Tate Tatom 84-78-82–244. Competing as individual: 62. Kyle Fuller 74-80-74–228.

13. Northern Colorado 291-311-297–899
35. Conner Barr 70-77-75–222; 35. Steven Kupcho 73-77-72–222; 58. Julian Woodfork 76-78-73–227; 62. Joshua Matz 72-79-77–228; 82. Sam Marley 77-85-78–240.

Also
19. Kade Crossland, Colorado 71-76-71–218
38. Wilson Belk, Colorado 74-73-76–223
66. Coloradan Glenn Workman, Wyoming 76-75-78–229