Let’s count the ways:

— The CSU men (pictured in a school photo) won their Ram Masters Invitational team title for the fifth consecutive year at Fort Collins Country Club. On Tuesday, it was by a 14-stroke margin, the third time in the last four seasons the Rams have prevailed by double digits.

— Four CSU players — Parathakorn Suyasri, Jake Staiano, Davis Bryant and AJ Ott — recorded top-10 individual finishes at the Rams Masters. Suyasri placed second, Staiano fifth for the second straight year, Bryant sixth in just his second college event, and Ott ninth.

— All, told, five Colorado residents finished in the top 10 at Fort Collins CC: Northern Colorado’s Coby Welch (third), the University of Denver’s Cal McCoy (fourth in his college debut), along with Staiano, Bryant and Ott. McCoy closed with a 66 on Tuesday.

— And Kyler Dunkle, a longtime Colorado resident until moving away in August, won the individual title on Tuesday at the Showdown in the Rockies tournament in Driggs, Idaho. Dunkle, a University of Utah senior who won the CGA Amateur last month, shot rounds of 66-70-67 for a 13-under-par 203 total, which gave him a two-stroke victory. (Utah also claimed the team championship.)

It marked the second individual college win for Dunkle, who captured the title at the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational in Erie a year ago.

Speaking of the Univerisity of Colorado, the Buffs placed eighth as a team at the Showdown in the Rockies. One of CU’s players who didn’t compete in that event, senior Wilson Belk, teamed with brother-in-law Greg Carlin on Tuesday in Broomfield to qualify for the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship for the second time.

At the Ram Masters Invitational, CSU finished with a winning 54-hole total of 4-under-par 836, which was 14 strokes better than runner-up Illinois State. DU, in its season debut, placed fourth out of 17 teams at 855, while UNC was fifth at 859.

CSU finished second by a stroke in the first two Ram Masters, but since then the Rams have won the event by four in 2014, by 10 in 2015, by seven in 2016, by 19 last year and by 14 on Tuesday.

While four Rams placed in the top 10 individually, the top spot went to Wyoming’s Dan Starzinkski, who won by seven with an 11-under-par 199 total.
 

RAM MASTERS INVITATIONAL
Sept. 17-18, 2018 (final) at Par-70 Fort Collins CC
1. (out of 17 teams) Colorado State 281-266-289–836
2. Parathakorn Suyasri 68-66-72–206
5. Jake Staiano 71-65-73–209
6. Davis Bryant 72-67-71–210
9. AJ Ott 72-68-73–211
31. Cullen Plousha 72-71-73–216
Competing Only as Individual
22. Jack Ainscough 71-72-71–214
47. Andrew Lafferty 74-71-75–220
62. Akedanai Ponghathaikul 74-74-75–223
95. Oscar Teiffel 75-70-NC

4. Denver 288-285-282–855
4. Cal McCoy 70-72-66–208
11. Jun Ho Won 74-69-69–212
31. Esteban Missura 72-73-71–216
54. Carson Griggs 74-71-76–221
62. Jackson Solem 72-75-76–223
Competing Only as Individual
31. Eric Hagen 73-72-71–216
54. Roy Kang 71-72-78–221
67. John Sand 75-77-73–225

5. Northern Colorado 288-280-291–855
3. Coby Welch 72-67-68–207
15. Joshua Matz 68-70-75–213
43. Li Chen 73-74-72–219
58. Marcus Tait 77-69-76–222
82. Jack Castiglia 75-78-77–230

Also
15. John Paterson, Colorado 74-68-71–213
62. Andre Leveque, Colorado 73-75-75–223

For complete results, CLICK HERE.

SHOWDOWN IN THE ROCKIES
Sept. 17-18, 2018 (final) in Driggs, Idaho

8. (out of 10 teams) Colorado 288-304-288–880
17. Ross Macdonald 73-78-67–218
21. Daniel O’Loughlin 70-75-74–219
32. Cole Krantz 70-78-74–220
35. Trevor Olkowski 75-75-73–223
52. Victor Bjorlow 76-76-81–233
Competing Only as Individual
58. Kristoffer Max 85-73-79–237

Also
1. Coloradan Kyler Dunkle, Utah 66-70-67–203

For complete results, CLICK HERE.
 

CSU has won the Ram Masters team title four consecutive years, and it appears primed to make it five in a row.

The Rams posted a stellar 14-under-par 266 total in round 2 on Monday afternoon at Fort Collins Country Club to open up an 11-stroke lead in the 17-team event.

CSU, which set a tournament record with a 17-under-par total in last year’s Ram Masters, is already at 13-under 547 with one round remaining. Illinois State checks in second at 558.

The University of Northern Colorado shares third place with South Dakota at 568, while the University of Denver is in seventh place at 573 after its first day of competition for the season.

CSU has four players in the top 11 in the 96-player field. Parathakorn Suyasri holds second place at 6-under-par 134, which leaves him one back of leader Dan Starzinski of Wyoming. Three Colorado residents are also in the top 11 for CSU: Jake Staiano (136, third place after a second-round 65); AJ Ott (138, seventh place) and freshman Davis Bryant (139, 11th place).

Ott and Staiano finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in last year’s Ram Masters.

Meanwhile, Joshua Matz is leading the way for UNC at 138 (seventh place), while Coloradan Coby Welch checked in at 139 (11th place).

Pacing DU individually is freshman Cal McCoy (142, 19th place), another Colorado resident.

Also in Fort Collins: The host CSU women, in their season opener, sit in 10th place out of 13 teams after Monday’s opening round of the Ptarmigan Ram Classic at Ptarmigan Country Club in Fort Collins. The Rams shot a 17-over-par 305 and trail leader Boise State by 12. Northern Colorado stands in 12th place at 309. Haley Greb is leading CSU individually (16th place, 74), while Beah Cruz shares sixth place at 72 for UNC.
 

RAM MASTERS INVITATIONAL
Sept. 17-18, 2018 at Par-70 Fort Collins CC
1. (out of 17 teams) Colorado State 281-266–547
2. Parathakorn Suyasri 68-66–134
3. Jake Staiano 71-65–136
7. AJ Ott 72-68–140
11. Davis Bryant 72-67–139
27. Cullen Plousha 72-71–143
Competing Only as Individual
27. Jack Ainscough 71-72–143
42. Andrew Lafferty 74-71–145
42. Oscar Teiffel 75-70–145
61. Akedanai Ponghathaikul 74-74–148

3. Northern Colorado 288-280–568
7. Joshua Matz 68-70–138
11. Coby Welch 72-67–139
49. Marcus Tait 77-69–146
55. Li Chen 73-74–147
85. Jack Castiglia 75-78–153

7. Denver 288-285–573
19. Cal McCoy 70-72–142
27. Jun Ho Won 74-69–143
42. Esteban Missura 72-73–145
42. Carson Griggs 74-71–145
55. Jackson Solem 72-75–147
Competing Only as Individual
27. Roy Kang 71-72–143
42. Eric Hagen 73-72–145
80. John Sand 75-77–152

Also
19. John Paterson, Colorado 74-68–142
61. Andre Leveque, Colorado 73-75–148

For complete results, CLICK HERE.
 

PTARMIGAN RAM CLASSIC
Sept. 17-19, 2018 at Ptarmigan CC in Fort Collins
10. (out of 13 teams) Colorado State 305
16. Haley Greb 74
22. Jessica Sloot 75
41. Katrina Prendergast 78
41. Ellen Secor 78
60. Sydney Smith 81
Competing Only as Individual
55. Saga Traustadottir 80

12. Northern Colorado 309
6. Beah Cruz 72
27. Morgan Sahm 76
55. Marisa Hisaki 80
60. Nicole Polivchak 81
60. Aili Bundy 81
Competing Only as Individuals
55. Jenna Chun 80

Others
27. Coloradan Erin Sargent, Wyoming 76
55. Coloradan Sarah Hankins, Wyoming 80

For complete results, CLICK HERE.
 

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.
 

Coming out of the week, Cannon has two victories. Easy as that.

Four days after winning CSU’s own Ram Masters Invitational at Fort Collins Country Club, Cannon prevailed at the prestigious William H. Tucker in Albuquerque, N.M.

Cannon (pictured), a transfer from Arizona State, shot rounds of 71-69-70 for a 6-under-par 210 total. That was good for a two-stroke victory over San Diego State’s PJ Samiere. The University of Colorado’s Morten Toft Hansen placed sixth at 215, while CSU’s Jake Staiano was 10th at 217.

Team-wise, CSU finished second in the 16-school field, 10 strokes behind champion San Diego State. CU was fifth and Denver ninth.

William Tucker
Sept. 23-24, 2016 (final) in Albuquerque, N.M.
2. (out of 16 teams) Colorado State 287-294-292–873
1. Blake Cannon 71-69-70–210
10. Jake Staiano 71-74-72–217
14. Max Oelfke 72-77-71–220
42. Colton Yates 73-74-79–226
86. AJ Ott 76-81-82–239

5. Colorado 291-302-289–882
6. Morten Toft Hansen 73-73-69–215
19. Spencer Painton 71-76-74–221
31. Yannik Paul 73-79-72–224
34. Ethan Freeman 74-77-74–225
79. John Souza 80-76-80–236

9. Denver 298-292-305–895
22. Jake Kelley 73-73-76–222
28. Chris Korte 77-71-75–223
31. Eric Hagen 70-78-76–224
58. Petter Mkalsen 80-71-78–229
72. Isaac Petersilie 78-77-78–233

Also
87. Coloradan Glenn Workman, Wyoming 78-78-85–241
 

 It took a while to get in the groove, but suffice it to say the Rams have now mastered the Ram Masters Invitational.

Each of the first two years the Colorado State University men’s golf team hosted the tournament at Fort Collins Country Club, 2012 and ’13, it suffered through consecutive runner-up finishes — by one stroke each year, no less.

But since then, the Rams have run off team victories in the event three straight years, including on Tuesday in the fifth time the tournament was conducted.

“This is obviously very special to win three in a row here, and against a really good field,” said CSU head coach Christian Newton, whose Rams notched their fifth team victory since he arrived in Fort Collins in 2012. “We had the biggest field we’ve ever had with 100 players. It was awesome to see the guys come out and compete and defend their home turf.”

With senior Blake Cannon (pictured above getting a victory shower) shooting a bogey-free 6-under-par 64 in the final round and becoming the first CSU player to claim an individual college title since Cameron Harrell in 2013, the Rams rallied on Tuesday to earn a seven-stroke victory over Nevada.

After entering the day four strokes out of the lead, CSU shot a 3-under-par 277 to post a 4-over-par 844 total for 54 holes. Air Force, which shared the 36-hole lead, finished fourth in the 18-team field at 858, while Northern Colorado (879) was 11th, Denver (887) 15th and CSU’s second squad (893) 16th.

Three members of CSU’s title-winning team — Jake Staiano, AJ Ott (left, with Newton) and Jimmy Makloski — are products of Colorado junior golf. A week after placing fourth in the Gene Miranda Falcon Invitatational, Staiano finished 17th individually on Tuesday at 5-over-par 215. Ott, a freshman, was 32nd at 218, and Makloski was 70th at 227.

“I can tell I’ve come a long way,” said Staiano, who posted rounds of 73-71-71. “Last week at Air Force I didn’t have my A-plus game, but to still be able to get a top-5 was nice. And I can tell it’s carrying over.

“We have so many good guys on this team. We have eight or 10 guys who can play, who can really compete on any given week. For us to put that together feels really good.”

Cannon (left), a product of Scottsdale, Ariz., who spent a season and a half at Arizona State before transferring to CSU, earned his first individual college victory. And he was impressive doing it, with his 64 on Tuesday missing Kyler Dunkle’s single-round tournament record by just a stroke. Cannon carded six birdies and no bogeys on a course that certainly wasn’t set up easy. After all, the next-best score on Tuesday was a 67. All told, Cannon’s 7-under-par 203 total was four better than runners-up Brenden Bone (below) of Air Force and Kaleb Gorbahn of Nevada.

“To get my first win, in my senior year, it feels pretty good,” said Cannon, who played in the U.S. Amateur last month. “I’ve been waiting for it for a while. I’ve come close a few times. It’s nice to finally pull through and get it.

“Honestly, I was struggling with a bunch of different injuries between my back and neck so my expectations weren’t overly high this week. But it felt a little better than I expected. All around, I’ve been striking it so well. I just needed my putting and chipping to come around a little bit, and it finally did. Once those synched up, I was able to really take off.”

Said Newton of Cannon’s performance: “For Blake to come out and play today flawlessly was awesome. We haven’t had somebody win a tournament (individually) in three years, so I’m very happy and real proud of him.”

But it was the whole team — Cannon, Colton Yates, Staiano (left), Ott and Makloski — starting out on a torrid pace that set the tone for the team victory. Collectively, the five golfers played the first four holes in 8 under par on Tuesday. And at one point on the front nine, the Rams were 11 under par as a team for the day. So for almost the entire final round, they were the team to beat. And no opponent came close to matching their 277 final-round total.

Yates, who qualified for the U.S. Amateur at Fort Collins Country Club this summer, joined Cannon in the top five individually, placing fourth at 208 despite a triple bogey on the ninth hole Tuesday.

“You never take for granted winning,” Newton said. “You never know when the next one might come. I hope these boys enjoy it. It obviously means a lot.

“The course is tough — firm and fast — and it’s not like we usually see it. So it’s nice to see them have success in a real major-championship-type setup. It was awesome.”
 

Ram Masters Invitational
Sept. 19-20, 2016 at Par-70 Fort Collins CC

1. Colorado State 284-283-277–844
1. Blake Cannon 70-69-64–203
4. Colton Yates 68-69-71–208
17. Jake Staiano 73-71-71–215
32. AJ Ott 73-74-71–218
70. Jimmy Makloski 76-77-74–227

4. Air Force Academy 281-282-295–858
2. Brenden Bone 69-68-70–207
9. Sunwoo Choi 65-70-77–212
28. Todd Millard 73-70-74–217
65. Joshua Wu 74-78-74–226
76. Bryant Falconello 77-74-77–228

11. Northern Colorado 286-292-301–879

21. Li Chen 71-71-74–216
46. Coby Welch 76-70-75–221
52. Joshua Matz 73-73-76–222
65. Andrew Romano 72-78-76–226
89. Philip Lee 70-84-79–233

15. Denver 299-296-292–887
21. Chris Korte 74-72-70–216
52. Jake Kelley 71-75-76–222
65. Isaac Petersilie 79-74-73–226
76. Petter Mikalsen 75-80-73–228
89. Troy Dangler 79-75-79–233

16. Colorado State B 302-304-287–893
34. Max Oelfke 69-78-72–219
34. Logan Iverson 76-71-72–219
70. Alec Bone 79-75-73–227
76. Kyle Kidd 78-80-70–228
95. Pierce Aichinger 79-80-78–237

Also
21. Victor Bjorlow, Colorado 75-70-71–216
41. Sam Marley, UNC 69-79-72–220
41. Tate Tatom, Air Force 72-74-74–220
64. Ryan Schmitz, Colorado 76-72-77–225
70. Eric Hagen, DU 76-78-73–227
82. Turner Howe, Air Force 76-80-74–230
82. Jack Li, Colorado 77-74-79–230
87. Kade Crossland, Colorado 79-73-80–232
87. Coloradan Glenn Workman, Wyoming 76-78-78–232
 

The Falcons posted rounds of 281 and 282 on Monday to finish 36 holes at 3-over-par 563. That leaves them atop the 18-team field along with Wichita State.

Sunwoo Choi was a big reason for AFA’s strong play on Monday as the senior backed up a first-round 65 with a 70 to lead the individual competition by two over five players who share second place. Among those five are teammate Brenden Bone (69-68) and Colorado State’s Colton Yates (68-69).

Host CSU, the two-time defending team champion, holds fourth place at 567, four strokes behind the co-leaders. Northern Colorado (578) is eighth, and Denver (595) 15th.

Ram Masters Invitational
Sept. 19-20, 2016 at Par-70 Fort Collins CC

T1. Air Force Academ 281-282–563
1. Sunwoo Choi 65-70–135
2. Brenden Bone 69-68–137
21. Todd Millard 73-70–143
64. Bryant Falconello 77-74–151
71. Joshua Wu 74-78–152

4. Colorado State 284-283–567
2. Colton Yates 68-69–137
8. Blake Cannon 70-69–139
24. Jake Staiano 73-71–144
42. AJ Ott 73-74–147
79. Jimmy Makloski 76-77–153

8. Northern Colorado 286-292–578
17. Li Chen 71-71–142
32. Joshua Matz 73-73–146
32. Coby Welch 76-70–146
59. Andrew Romano 72-78–150
82. Philip Lee 70-84–154

15. Denver 299-296–595
32. Jake Kelley 71-75–146
32. Chris Korte 74-72–146
79. Isaac Petersilie 79-74–153
82. Troy Dangler 79-75–154
88. Petter Mikalsen 75-80–155

17. Colorado State B 302-304–606
42. Max Oelfke 69-78–147
42. Logan Iverson 76-71–147
82. Alec Bone 79-75–154
91. Kyle Kidd 78-80–158
94. Pierce Aichinger 79-80–159

Also
27. Victor Bjorlow, Colorado 75-70–145
32. Tate Tatom, Air Force 72-74–146
49. Sam Marley, UNC 69-79–148
49. Ryan Schmitz, Colorado 76-72–148
64. Jack Li, Colorado 77-74–151
71. Kade Crossland, Colorado 79-73–152
82. Coloradan Glenn Workman, Wyoming 76-78–154
82. Eric Hagen, DU 76-78–154
89. Turner Howe, Air Force 76-80–156

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
 

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.
 

The Ram Masters Invitational, hosted by the Colorado State men’s golf team, has only been held three times, but already it’s becoming known for its oddities.

For example:

— In Monday’s second round at Fort Collins Country Club, three players made holes-in-one — all at the same hole (the 195-yard ninth), and all within less than an hour of one another.

Freshman Drew McCullough of Wyoming, Shane Fontenot of McNeese State and Pierre Tillement of George Washington pulled off the feat. The ace came in particularly handy for McCullough, who went on to claim the individual title — by one stroke — on Tuesday.

— Three players from the 2013 5A state championship-winning Regis Jesuit team competed in the Ram Masters Invite: Jake Kelley (11th overall) and Chris Korte (36th) for the University of Denver, and individual state champ Spencer Painton (24th) for the University of Kansas.

And, for the record, three other true freshmen from Colorado high schools also played in the event: Glenn Workman for Wyoming (50th), Todd Millard for Air Force (66th) and Sam Marley for Northern Colorado (73rd).

— In 2013, the last three head coaches for CSU were on hand for the event — current coach Christian Newton, along with Jamie Bermel (now with Kansas) and Mark Crabtree (now with Louisville).

— In both of the first two Ram Masters Invitationals, in another odds-defying coincidence, CSU finished second as a team — by a single stroke on each occasion. And last year, one of the Ram players incurred a penalty on the final hole, accounting for the one-stroke difference between second place and a playoff for first.

But on Tuesday, the golf gods finally smiled on CSU as it claimed the team title in the Ram Masters Invitational. Colorado State prevailed by four over Bermel’s Kansas squad, and by seven over the 2013 champion University of Denver, now coached by Erik Billinger.

“Absolutely it is extra sweet,” said Newton, CSU’s third-year coach who notched his first team victory as a college head coach. “The guys just did a fantastic job. It was a struggle early on (Tuesday). I think they were a little tight early on and we might have lost the lead at one time. It was really good to have those guys get nervous and then pick themselves back up and finish up really good. I’m really proud of them. They did a great job.

“It’s the first (team) win for me as a head coach, so this one will definitely be real special to me. It doesn’t matter what (happens in the future), I won’t forget this one.”

CSU put six players in the top 24, including one of its three golfers competing strictly as individuals. Cameron Harrell (at left, with Newton), who shared the Ram Masters individual title last year, led the way again with a 2-over-par 212 total, good for fourth place. It marked the sixth top-10 performance of Harrell’s college career. Max Oelfke (215) was ninth, Dominic Kieffer and Patrick Winther (217) tied for 13th, Alec Bone (218) was 17th and Jimmy Makloski (219) checked in at 24th. (At top, Harrell admires the tournament trophy as Makloski shares a laugh.)

Though Kansas finished four back of CSU, the Jayhawks had a chance to catch the Rams down the stretch. But KU played the final hole in a combined 7 over par in round 3 (including a player who was disqualified on Tuesday). CSU was likewise far from stellar on No. 18, but went 2 over there.

As for DU, it held the lead late in the front nine Tuesday, but the Pioneers struggled in the middle of the round and couldn’t keep pace with CSU. Petter Mikalsen (213) led DU with a fifth-place individual finish, while Kelley (left) was 11th in his college debut.

“We had a ton of momentum because we got off to a hot start,” Billinger said. “But one of the guys (Adam Ruben) made a double bogey on 7 and we kind of lost momentum. I think the whole team kind of felt that, and we never got it back. Obviously, we always want to win, so we’re a little disappointed right now. But CSU kept the foot on the gas pedal. Hats off to them. They played great on their home course.”

The tournament was the first for Billinger (below) as a head coach.

“It’s fun obviously to get the competitive juices flowing,” he said. “I’m blessed to be able to be the coach and I couldn’t be more excited about it.”

But maybe things just evened out a bit after DU edged CSU in the Ram Masters a year ago.

“This tournament, I knew we just couldn’t lose again,” Harrell said. “One shot, two years in a row … So I knew we were going to win this one. We had to at least win this one.”

For Harrell, a senior, it was his first team victory in a multi-team event as a Ram. CSU last claimed such a team title in April 2011 at the Cougar Classic.

“Our four (counting rounds today) were 1 over, 1 over, 1 over and 2 over. I was really proud of that,” Harrell said. “We all hung in there and grinded it out and finally won. It feels good to have my first one ever (team-wise).”

The other two Colorado-based teams competing in the Ram Masters Invitational — Air Force and Northern Colorado — tied for 11th place in the 15-team field.

Ram Masters Invitational
Sept. 15-16, 2014 (final) at Fort Collins CC

1. (out of 15 teams) Colorado State men 283-287-285–855
4. Cameron Harrell 71-69-72–212; 13. Dominic Kieffer 68-78-71–217; 13. Patrick Winther 71-75-71–217; 17. Alec Bone 73-69-76–218; 24. Jimmy Makloski 74-74-71–219. Competing only as individuals: 9. Max Oelfke 73-71-73–215; 58. Trey Kidd 82-74-73–229; 60. Logan Iverson 75-79-76–230.

3. Denver 289-286-287–862
5. Petter Mikalsen 71-72-70–213; 11. Jake Kelley 71-71-74–216; 17. Victor Doka 76-71-71–218; 30. Adam Ruben 75-72-74–221; 36. Chris Korte 72-78-72–222. Competing only as individual: 73. Johan Werge 76-78-83–237.

11. Air Force 302-294-304–900
17. Sunwoo Choi 74-69-75–218; 45. Brenden Bone 75-74-75–224; 57. J.D. Kiesewetter 75-77-77–229; 63. Dane Hankamer 80-75-77–233; 65. Blake Edwards 78-76-79–233. Competing only as individual: 66. Todd Millard 78-79-77–234.

11. Northern Colorado 300-304-296–900
30. Jack Cummings 71-77-73–221; 36. Conner Barr 75-77-72–222; 50. Andrew Romano 79-72-76–227; 69. Julian Woodfork 75-80-80–235; 73. Sam Marley 82-78-77–237.

Also
24. Spencer Painton, Kansas 71-75-73–219
50. Glenn Workman, Wyoming 77-77-73–227

In fact, there will be five such events held in Colorado next month. We’ll give a rundown on those later in this story, but first let’s note the two new or reinstated tournaments on the local schedule — both set for after the September rush.

First, as has been previously reported, the University of Denver women’s program will bring back the Ron Moore Women’s Intercollegiate Oct. 10-12 at Highlands Ranch Golf Club. The tournament was last held in 2009. Moore, a Colorado Golf Hall of Famer, was a major supporter of DU athletics, and in 2011, the Moore family donated Highlands Ranch Golf Club to the university.

But the real eye-catching college tournament that will be conducted in Colorado during the 2014-15 season will be the Pac-12 Conference Women’s Championships, set for April 20-22 at Boulder Country Club.

The University of Colorado, of course, switched to the Pac-12 three years ago, but this is the golf program’s first chance to host the conference championships. And what a conference it is from a women’s golf perspective.

Barring the unforeseen, the field at Boulder Country Club in the spring will include the defending NCAA Division I champion (Doris Chen of Southern California) and three other top-seven finishers from the 2014 national finals (Lauren Kim of Stanford, Manon Gidali of Arizona and Louise Ridderstrom of UCLA). Also expected to be on hand at BCC are Alison Lee of UCLA, currently the No. 3-ranked women’s amateur golfer in the world, and Noemi Jimenez of Arizona State, presently No. 9 among the world’s top women’s amateurs.

The Pac-12 field in Boulder will feature four of the top seven team finishers from the 2014 NCAA finals — Southern California (second), UCLA (third), Arizona State (fifth) and Arizona (seventh) — along with seven of the top 22.

And besides CU hosting and competing in the event, adding local flavor will be the presence of former longtime University of Denver coach Sammie Chergo, who is just beginning her first season as head coach at Oregon State.

As for the men’s golfers from Colorado-based Division I programs, four of the five local teams (Air Force, Colorado, Colorado State and Northern Colorado) will begin their seasons at Air Force’s Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational Sept. 6-7 at Eisenhower Golf Club. Other Division I tournaments set for Colorado are CSU’s Ram Masters Invitational at Fort Collins Country Club Sept. 15-16, and the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational at Colorado National Golf Club in Erie Sept. 29-30.

On the women’s side, September tournaments in Colorado include CSU’s Ptarmigan Ram Fall Classic at Ptarmigan Country Club in Fort Collins Sept. 8-9, and the Golfweek Conference Challenge at Red Sky Golf Club in Wolcott Sept. 22-24.

Here’s a rundown of all this season’s NCAA Division I tournaments scheduled in Colorado, with the local participating teams:

MEN

Sept. 6-7 — Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational, Eisenhower GC at Air Force Academy (Air Force, CU, CSU, UNC).

Sept. 15-16 — Ram Masters Invitational, Fort Collins CC (CSU, DU, Air Force, UNC).

Sept. 29-30 — Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational, Colorado National GC in Erie (CU, DU, Air Force, UNC).

WOMEN

Sept. 8-9 — Ptarmigan Ram Fall Classic, Ptarmigan CC in Fort Collins (CU, CSU, UNC)

Sept. 22-24 — Golfweek Conference Challenge, Red Sky GC in Wolcott (CU, DU)

Oct. 10-12 — Ron Moore Women’s Intercollegiate, Highlands Ranch GC (DU, UNC)

April 20-22 — Pac-12 Conference Women’s Championships, Boulder CC (CU)