With the top five team finishers after 54 holes advancing to the Finals, Colorado State University finds itself in a three-way tie for fifth place in the Reunion, Fla. Regional. The University of Colorado is in a two-way tie for sixth place, three strokes out of the fifth position, in Stockton, Calif. And the University of Northern Colorado jumped from 12th to eighth place in Bryan, Texas, sitting 14 strokes behind the fifth-place team.
CSU is aiming for its first trip to the Men’s NCAA Finals since 2011 and CU is seeking its first berth in nationals since 2002.
Colorado State posted a stellar 11-under-par 277 total — Tuesday’s second-best score in Florida — and shares fifth place with Vanderbilt and North Carolina at 11-under 565 going into Wednesday’s final round. Jake Staiano, the 2017 CGA Player of the Year, is setting the pace individually for the Rams, sharing sixth place at 5-under-par 139. The junior sits three strokes out of the individual lead.
Meanwhile, in Stockton, the CU Buffs managed a 6-under-par 282 on Tuesday and stands at 4-under 572 overall, along with fellow Pac-12 team Oregon three strokes behind fifth-place TCU. Two seniors continue to lead CU, with Yannik Paul sharing 10th place individually at 4-under-par 140, while Coloradan Spencer Painton is 14th at 141.
UNC, making its first NCAA Regional appearance since 2014, made a big move Tuesday with a 1-under-par 287 team score in Texas. That leaves the Bears at 17-over-par 593. Big Sky Conference Player of the Year Joshua Matz continues to lead UNC individually as he is in 25th place at 2-over-par 146. The team in fifth place in the Regional, Ole Miss, includes a Colorado golfer, Josh Seiple, who shares 32nd place individually in the tournament, at 147.
Play will conclude Wednesday at each NCAA Regional.
In addition to the top five team finishers, the top individual not on one of those teams from each Regional will advance to the NCAA Finals, set for May 25-30 in Stillwater, Okla.
Men’s NCAA Division I Regionals
May 14-16, 2018 in Stockton, Calif.
6. (out of 13 teams) Colorado 290-282–572
10. Yannik Paul 71-69–140
14. Spencer Painton 71-70–141
18. Daniel O’Loughlin 73-69–142
61. John Souza 75-74–149
73. Ross Macdonald 75-80–155
May 14-16, 2018 in Reunion, Fla.
5. (out of 14 teams) Colorado State 288-277–565
6. Jake Staiano 71-68–139
23. Max Oelfke 73-70–143
34. Jack Ainscough 76-68–144
34. Parathakorn Suyasri 73-71–144
46. AJ Ott 71-75–146
May 14-16, 2018 in Bryan, Texas
8. (out of 13 teams) Northern Colorado 306-287–593
25. Joshua Matz 71-75–146
32. Li Chen 78-69–147
40. Andrew Romano 79-70–149
55. Coby Welch 78-73–151
75. Marcus Tait 84-83–167
Also
32. Coloradan Josh Seiple, Mississippi 74-73–147
May 14-16, 2018 in Norman, Okla.
Chris Korte, Denver (competing only as individual) 76-70–146
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
University of Colorado senior Yannik Paul used a 6-under-par 30 on his front nine to shoot a 5-under 67 and tie for fifth place in the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate in Palm Desert, Calif. Also in that event, former Colorado state high school champion Spencer Painton and CU teammate John Souza tied for 12th place in the 135-man field, with Painton finishing his round birdie-eagle.
In addition, Colorado resident Josh Seiple, who plays for the University of Mississippi, shared 11th place individually out of 99 players in The All-American tournament in Humble, Texas.
In Palm Desert, against a field that featured six teams ranked in the top 40 nationally, CU finished third out of 23 schools. The Buffs shot under par all three rounds (287-278-280) for a 19-under-par 845 total that left them 28 strokes behind champion Cal. Texas Tech (837) was second. The University of Denver (878) placed 10th.
Paul (pictured) recorded his second top-five individual showing of the season, sixth of his career and second in the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate. On Sunday, he birdied the 18th hole, giving him seven for the day, en route to a 9-under-par 207 total, leaving him five out of the top spot.
Painton went 72-71-68 and Souza 70-69-72 for 211 totals.
In Texas, Seiple had stellar first and final rounds (67-66) sandwiched around a second-day 77. His 66 on Sunday was bogey-free, with six birdies. The Coloradan finished nine strokes behind individual champion Keenan Huskey of South Carolina.
Sunday marked Seiple’s second 11th-place finish of the season.
Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate
Feb. 16-18, 2018 (final) in Palm Desert, Calif.
3. (out of 23 teams) Colorado 287-278-280—845
5. Yannik Paul 71-69-67–207
12. Spencer Painton 72-71-68–211
12. John Souza 70-69-72–211
44. Daniel O’Loughlin 74-69-76–219
50. Trevor Olkowski 75-72-73–220
83. Cole Krantz (competing only as individual) 76-77-72–225
83. Victor Bjorlow (competing only as individual) 75-75-75–225
131. Wilson Belk (competing only as individual) 82-79-79–240
10. Denver 304-292-282–878
38. Chris Korte 74-74-70–218
44. Isaac Petersilie 77-71-71–219
44. Jake Kelley 75-75-69–219
64. Jackson Solem 78-72-73–223
83. Eric Hagen 78-75-72–225
83. John Sand (competing only as individual) 79-74-72–225
127. Roy Kang (competing only as individual) 80-78-81–239
Also
53. Coloradan Glenn Workman, Wyoming 75-71-75–221
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Coloradans Kyler Dunkle and Spencer Painton have battled it out on the golf course more times than either can probably remember over the years — from junior golf to high school and now in the open-age-division amateur ranks and in college.
But Tuesday was really special for the golfers who won consecutive 5A Colorado state high school individual titles in 2012 (Dunkle beat Painton by one) and ’13 (Painton).
Not only did they go head-to-head for the individual title at the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational at Colorado National Golf Club in Erie, but the team championship was also on the line between Painton’s University of Colorado Buffs and Dunkle’s Utah Utes.
Basically, it doesn’t get much better than this for two young golfers from Colorado — except that only one of them could win.
On Tuesday, that someone was Dunkle, who shot an 8-under-par 64 in the final round to overtake Painton and claim the individual title — his first as a college player. He then birdied the first hole of a team playoff to help give the Utes the team championship — though for statistical and rankings purposes it goes down as a tie for the top spot with Colorado. (Dunkle is pictured with host coach Roy Edwards from CU.)
When Dunkle emerged with the victory individually and Painton placed second, it was the best college showing for both players. Dunkle tied the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational tournament record for both 54-hole and 18-hole scoring, while Painton tied CU’s all-time 54-hole scoring record — matching the marks of current CU assistant coach Pat Grady, John Lindberg and Philip Juel-Berg.
“It was really fun to compete against Spencer,” Dunkle said after his final round, which included 10 birdies. “Him and I have a long history of competing. It was really fun for us to go back and forth. We were kind of joking about it, but it was fun to be able to compete and play as well as I did.”
When both players birdied the 11th hole on Tuesday — with Painton pitching in from 26 yards and Dunkle sinking a 12-foot putt — the two savored the moment.
“It was fun to be a part of,” Painton said. “After I chipped in on 11 and he made birdie on 11, we kind of reminisced how much fun we had a few years ago in high school when were doing this with each other too. We both firmly believe this is where we belong and this is what we should be doing more often against each other.”
With his stellar final round — when he played his final 14 holes in 9 under par, including the playoff — Dunkle (left) finished with a 14-under-par 202 total, which matched the tournament best in this event, established by Colorado State’s Kirby Pettitt in 2012.
“It feels great to play some really good golf for three rounds in a row,” said Dunkle, a junior who’s in his second season at Utah after transferring from CSU. “Collectively, that was probably some of the best golf I’ve played this year. It felt good. I was hitting the ball well and I was making the putts.”
Dunkle’s previous best individual showing in a college tournament was at the 2015 Ram Masters Invitational, where he placed fourth after an opening-round 63 at Fort Collins Country Club.
“This is probably one of the best (rounds) I’ve ever played,” the 2016 CGA Player of the Year said of Tuesday’s 64. “I didn’t make a lot of mistakes. Something clicked (after five holes, when he was even-par for the day) and I never really looked back. It ended up being pretty good.”
As for notching his first college victory, “It feels really good,” he said. “Hopefully there’s more to come. If I can keep playing like this, I’ll give myself a chance. It kind of solidies for me that what I’ve been working hard on in Salt Lake is starting to pay off.”
As for Painton (left), he was denied his first individual college victory, but he went 65-70-69 to finish at 204, two back of Dunkle. Certainly plenty was going right for him to post a college career-best runner-up finish.
“Yesterday was the first time I’ve shot 65 (as a college player) and it’s the first tournament I’ve been double digits under par,” Painton said. “So a lot of things are going in the right direction and I’m very happy with that.”
Said CU coach Edwards: “Spencer played really well this week, and he handled basically being in the lead for the entire tournament. He’s a guy who works really hard and is a great team guy. He’s playing the best golf of his life. It’s awesome to see that from such a good young man.”
And while Painton certainly wanted to win, he can take some consolation that he was beaten by a guy who shot a final-round 64.
“What Kyler (below) did today was unbelievable — with both his long game and the putter,” Painton said. “He deserves every ounce of that. It was fun to watch.”
Meanwhile, also posting top-10 finishes from Colorado-based schools on Tuesday were Bryant Falconello of the Air Force Academy (fourth at 207) and fellow Falcon Joseph Crisostomo (fifth at 209).
In the team playoff, CU was trying to win its Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational for the fifth consecutive year, but it wasn’t to be — statistical college technicalities aside. With the best four scores out of five counting toward the team total, CU and Utah each sent its five players out for sudden death on the 18th hole at Colorado National.
With two fivesomes playing the hole, Utah finished with two birdies and three pars, while CU had three pars and two bogeys.
“Officially in the rankings and everything, it goes in as a tie,” Edwards said. “But we wanted to do a playoff if we could. It’s rare to have that opportunity. Even though we lost, it’s a great opportunity to have the guys feel that pressure and accountability. You can’t recreate those in practice.
“Obviously, we wanted to win, but I felt good about the day, especially the way we competed. We shot the second-low round of the day (7-under-par 283, behind only Utah’s 277). I probably don’t think we played our best, but I felt good about how we went about it.”
Colorado — which played without one of its top golfers, senior Yannik Paul, who was battling back issues — and Utah finished with three-round scores of 22-under-par 842. Victor Bjorlow, told just before Monday’s first round that he was replacing Paul, finished 14th individually Tuesday with a 212 total. Also placing in the top 15 for the Buffs was sophomore Daniel O’Loughlin (211, 12th place). Out of its five players, the Buffs only made one bogey in the final 12 holes on Tuesday.
“I’m slightly disappointed considering this is our home turf,” Painton said of CU losing in a playoff. “You never want to lose in your home event, on your home turf. We were in a tough situation. We came straight from a tough tournament last week (Friday and Saturday in Albuquerque). And Yannik has a little bit of a back injury. Overall, we fought hard and did what we could, but it wasn’t quite good enough. The Utes deserve it. To be completely honest, I think all of us are a little bit tired and ready for a nice little break. But we gave it our best.”
Wyoming placed third at 846, while Air Force was sixth at 861 and Northern Colorado ninth at 866. A second CU squad, led by freshman Trevor Olkowski’s 18th-place individual finish, checked in 18th as a team at 885.
Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational
At Par-72 Colorado National GC in Erie
2. (out of 20 teams) Colorado 275-286-281–842
2. Spencer Painton 65-70-69–204
12. Daniel O’Loughlin 68-72-71–211
14. Victor Bjorlow 70-73-69–212
24. John Souza 72-71-72–215
99. Ross Macdonald 77-78-77–232
6. Air Force Academy 283-287–291–861
4. Bryant Falconello 69-68-70–207
5. Joseph Crisostomo 71-68-70–209
51. Tate Tatom 71-75-73–219
87. Andy Germann 73-76-78–227
107. Dane Hankamer 72-79-90–241
24. Turner Howe (competing only as individual) 74-70-71–215
95. Anson Kuznik (competing only as individual) 73-81-75–229
99. Joshua Wu (competing only as individual) 77-75-80–232
9. Northern Colorado 288-289-289–866
18. Andrew Romano 69-74-70–213
30. Coby Welch 73-69-74–216
43. Joshua Matz 75-74-69–218
57. Li Chen 71-72-77–220
96. Sam Marley 76-79-76–231
105. Marcus Tait (competing only as individual) 77-77-82–236
18. Colorado B Team 295-287-303–885
18. Trevor Olkowski 68-72-73–213
64. Cole Krantz 73-71-77–221
78. Kade Crossland 77-73-75–225
82. Wilson Belk 77-71-78–226
Also
1. Coloradan Kyler Dunkle, Utah 70-68-64–202
30. Coloradan Glenn Workman, Wyoming 73-71-72–216
34. Jack Ainscough, Colorado State 73-72-72–217
Spencer Painton (pictured), who won a 5A state high school title at Regis Jesuit, is in good position to capture an individual college title for the first time. The senior shot rounds of 65-70 on Monday at Colorado National Golf Club in Erie to grab a two-stroke lead with a 9-under-par 135 total.
Painton made 13 birdies on Monday.
Joining Painton in the individual top 10 after two rounds are CU teammates Trevor Olkowski (ninth at 140 while competing for a second Buff team) and Daniel O’Loughlin (also ninth at 140).
Other local players in the top 10 individually after 36 holes are Air Force’s Bryant Falconello (second at 137), Coloradan Kyler Dunkle of Utah (third at 138),and Air Force’s Joseph Crisostomo (sixth at 139),
As for the team competition, CU will take a two-shot lead into Tuesday’s final round of the tourney which features 18 schools plus CU’s two squads. The Buffs’ top team recorded scores of 275-286 for a 15-under-par 561 total.
Wyoming is second at 563 and Utah third at 565.
Locally, Air Force is fourth at 570, Northern Colorado eighth at 577 and the second CU team 12th at 582.
The final group — featuring Painton, Dunkle, Falconello and Wyoming’s Quintin Pope — will tee off for Tuesday’s final round at 8:35 a.m.
For scores from the Mark Simpson Colorado Invite, CLICK HERE.
And it’s not over yet.
The Highlands Ranch resident, a fifth-year senior at the University of Oregon, finished second Wednesday in the Men’s NCAA Division I Regional tournament in Baton Rouge, La. And the Ducks, the defending national champions, qualified for the NCAA Finals by placing third in the 14-team field. The top five team finishers and the top individual not on those teams from each regional advance to the Finals, set for May 26-31 in Sugar Grove, Ill.
Clark (pictured), who won the Pac-12 Conference individual title on April 30 at Boulder Country Club, made a run at the victory on Wednesday. With the No. 1-ranked (Clark) and No. 2 (Sam Burns of host LSU) college golfers in the nation battling it out for the indiviudal win, Clark made up four strokes in the final round, but ended up one behind Burns.
Clark, the Pac-12 Player of the Year who won the CGA Amateur in 2010 as a 16-year-old, shot a 1-under-par 71 in the final round, giving him a 3-under 213 total. He made just one bogey in his final 35 holes. Burns, who opened with a 65, ended up at 212 after a final-round 75. He struggled on his final nine holes, posting a 5-over 41, but parred his final two holes to secure the win at LSU’s home course. The Tigers also won the team title.
The finish gives Clark a remarkable 11 top-10 finishes in a dozen tournaments as a senior. He owns three wins, four seconds, one third, a fifth, a sixth, a 10th and a 13th.
Meanwhile, the University of Colorado — the only Colorado-based school which earned a berth in the DI regionals — finished 12th out of 13 teams in the West, Lafayette, Ind., Regional. It marked the fifth consecutive year that the Buffs have qualified for the NCAA Regionals but failed to advance to the NCAA Finals. They missed by 28 strokes this time around. CU — whose No. 1 player, Jeremy Paul, turned pro a month ago — last made it to nationals as a team in 2002.
Junior Yannik Paul (75-78-72–225) finished 31st individually to lead the Buffs. Coloradan Ethan Freeman concluded his college career by placing 59th at 232.
Elsewhere, Coloradan Josh Seiple, like Clark a former Valor Christian High School golfer, also will be going to the NCAA Finals. His University of Mississippi team advanced by finishing fourth in the Austin, Texas Regional. Individually, Seiple placed 25th, going 73-74-70 for a 4-over-par 217 total.
Also in Austin, Jake Staiano of Colorado State, another former Valor golfer, finished 38th while competing only as an individual. The sophomore went 73-74-74–221.
MEN’S NCAA DIV. I REGIONALS
May 15-17, 2017 (final) in West Lafayette, Ind.
12. (out of 13 teams) Colorado 304-308-298–910
31. Yannik Paul 75-78-72–225
49. Victor Bjorlow 77-78-74–229
59. Ethan Freeman 77-76-79–232
63. John Souza 75-85-73–233
67. Spencer Painton 78-76-80–234
May 15-17, 2017 (final) in Baton Rouge, La.
2. Coloradan Wyndham Clark, Oregon 72-70-71–213
May 15-17, 2017 (final) in Austin Texas
25. Coloradan Josh Seiple, Mississippi 73-74-70–217
38. Jake Staiano, Colorado State 73-74-74–221
The Pac-12 Player of the Year shot a 2-under-par 70, giving the University of Oregon senior a 2-under 142 total heading into Wednesday’s final round. The only player ahead of him is Sam Burns from host LSU, who leads by five after rounds of 65-72.
Perhaps not coincidentally, Clark (pictured) and Burns are ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in the nation among men’s college golfers.
Clark — who won the Pac-12 individual title in Boulder on April 30, giving him three wins on the season — started Tuesday with a bogey on his first hole, but made three birdies and 14 pars the rest of the way. All his birdies came on par-5s.
The top five team finishers and the top individual not on those teams will advance to the NCAA Finals, set for May 26-31 in Sugar Grove, Ill. Clark’s Oregon squad is tied for fourth after two rounds.
Meanwhile, the University of Colorado, the only Colorado-based team to qualify for the Men’s DI Regionals, fell into last place in the team standings in the West Lafayette, Ind., Regional. Barring a near-miracle, the Buffs won’t reach their goal of qualifying for the NCAA Finals for the first time since 2002.
CU — whose No. 1 player, Jeremy Paul, turned pro a month ago — stands at 36-over-par 612 for two rounds. It trails leader New Mexico by 42 strokes. More importantly, the Buffs are 33 strokes out of the fifth-place spot, the last one that will advance to Finals. Ethan Freeman and Yannik Paul are leading the way individually for CU, at 9-over-par 153.
And at the Austin, Texas Regional, two former Valor Christian teammates who last week advanced to U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying are tied through two rounds. Jake Staiano of Colorado State and Josh Seiple of Mississippi have matched rounds of 73-74 for 5-over-par 147s, good for 26th place.
Seiple’s Ole Miss squad is in good position to advance to Finals as a team as it’s in third place.
MEN’S NCAA DIV. I REGIONALS
May 15-17, 2017 in West Lafayette, Ind.
13. (out of 13 teams) Colorado 304-308–612
53. Ethan Freeman 77-76–153
53. Yannik Paul 75-78–153
58. Spencer Painton 78-76–154
63. Victor Bjorlow 77-78–155
75. John Souza 75-85–160
May 15-17, 2017 in Baton Rouge, La.
2. Coloradan Wyndham Clark, Oregon 72-70–142
May 15-17, 2017 in Austin Texas
26. Jake Staiano, Colorado State 73-74–147
26. Coloradan Josh Seiple, Mississippi 73-74–147
On a day that featured a squall of snow in the afternoon, and sleet and wind chills that dipped into the mid-20s in the evening, perhaps it wasn’t surprising that a few Colorado kids warmed up in the cold.
Wyndham Clark of Highlands Ranch, the top-ranked men’s college player in the nation, withstood the conditions Friday at Boulder Country Club to stand 2 under par through 34 holes before play was suspended due to darkness. That was good for a share of the individaul lead with Washington’s Carl Yuan almost halfway through the Men’s Pac-12 Conference Championship.
Also in the top 10 competing in a field that includes three of the top eight teams in the nation are two other former Colorado state high school champions. The host University of Colorado’s Ethan Freeman shares sixth place at 2 over par through 34 holes, while junior teammate Spencer Painton is tied for 10th place at 5 over through 36 holes. (Clark is pictured above in green, with Freeman in gold.)
“Ethan and I for sure in high school golf have experienced stuff like these (weather conditions),” said Clark, who played the first two rounds with Freeman. “State always seemed to be 30-something degrees and maybe a snowstorm. We’ve definitely gotten our fair share of practice in this sort of thing. For guys from USC who have never seen worse weather than about 60 degrees, this is definitely a rude awakening. So it’s certainly an advantage for us.”
But that didn’t make it any more fun for the local guys.
“I’ve never played a tournament in snow,” Painton (left) said after rounds of 73-72 for a 5-over-par 145 total. “I’ve practiced in snow, but this crazy.”
CU, hosting its first men’s conference championship since 1972, sits in sixth place out of 12 teams, with one round scheduled for Saturday and another on Sunday. The Buffs are 33 over par and trail Clark’s Oregon squad — the defending NCAA champ — by 17 strokes.
That bad news is that four groups didn’t finish their second rounds on Friday, and the championship is not official until 36 holes are complete. With snow covering the ground at BCC at 9 p.m. Friday and more of the white stuff in the forecast overnight and on Saturday, the weekend is certainly problematic. If the course is ready on Saturday — which is a very big if — the second round will resume at 10 a.m. and the third at noon.
But on Friday, competitors were just trying to make the best of a bad situation. The first-round start was delayed 30 minutes by frost, and then there was a 32-minute suspension when snow started falling in the early afternoon.
“Even though you’re cold too, you have that advantage (of having more exposure to low temperatures as a Coloradan),” said Freeman, a two-time 3A state high school champ. “It just helps you push forward a little bit. The California schools had to (adjust) to the altitude and it’s cold and it’s windy. We’re already at our altitude yardages, so for us it’s one less thing to worry about, which is a big advantage.”
And it didn’t hurt for Freeman to be paired Friday with Clark, who is a friend. Clark sets a high stardard, having won the 2010 CGA Amateur at Boulder CC as a 16-year-old and capturing two individual college titles this season. The former Big 12 Player of the Year at Oklahoma State is certainly in position to notch his 10th top-10 finish of the season.
“Wyndham is a great guy,” Freeman said. “We’ve been friends forever. It’s fun competing with a good friend and also one of the best guys in the conference. You also know he’s going to be near the lead. It helps you to stay focused and know every shot really counts out there.”
Both Clark and Freeman played well during the most difficult conditions late in the day. Clark birdied three of four holes in the stretch from No. 12 through 15 in the evening, while Freeman was 3 under from 10 through 13.
“Obviously I would have loved to have finished (the second round) and be in the spot I am, just in case we can’t finish (the 72-hole tournament),” Clark said. “But I wouldn’t want to have finished and make bogeys coming in.
“It’s awesome that we’re in the lead. Oregon has never won a Pac-12 Championship (aside from divisional titles), so that’s something that’s on our minds to try and win the first championship.
“(Winning individually) would be awesome too — the cherry on top.”
As for host CU, coach Roy Edwards was happy to be in the middle of the pack after a rough start to the day. The Buffs’ six players went a combined 21 over par from the third through eighth holes of the day. They struggled somewhat on the same stretch (3-8) in round 2 — going 15 over — but other than that they very much held their own.
“I felt good,” Edward said. “We were a little tight this morning, which I expected a little bit because it’s a golf course we play all the time and it’s the Pac-12 Championship. We got off to a bit of a rough start, but since then the team’s played well.”
New TPC Colorado G.M. Collins, a Former Pac-8 South Champion, on Hand: Among the spectators Friday at Boulder Country Club was Coloradan Larry Collins, the Pac-8 South co-champion in 1977 as a University of Southern California golfer. Collins (left), a former director of golf at Boulder Country Club and for the last 18 years the director of golf at the 27-hole Omni Interlocken Golf Club in Broomfield, on Friday was named the general manager at the under-construction TPC Colorado course in Berthoud. The semi-private TPC Colorado is expected to open in the spring of next year and is said to be in the running to host a Web.com Tour event in the future.
Collins worked in the TPC network earlier in his career, as head professional at TPC Southwind, TPC Sawgrass and the former TPC at Star Pass.
State and Regional Golf Associations Pitch In: Eight state and regional golf associations, plus the USGA and the PGA of America, are helping out in various capacities at this weekend’s Pac-12 tournament at Boulder CC. The CGA and the CWGA are among them, along with folks from Northern California, Utah, Arizona, Southern California, Nebraska and the Pacific Northwest.
Notable: Senior Jeremy Paul, who holds the CU career scoring average record, was on hand Friday at Boulder Country Club less than two weeks after the school announced that he had turned pro, foregoing his eligibility for the 2017 Pac-12 tournament and the NCAA Championship. Paul missed the cut in a Web.com tournament last week… Sophomore Nathan Wunderli of Utah made a hole-in-one on the 204-yard sixth hole during the second round on Friday afternoon.
Men’s Pac-12 Championship
April 28-30, 2017 at Par-70 Boulder CC
Team Scores
1. Oregon +16
2. Washington +19
3. Stanford +26
4. California +31
4. Southern California +31
6. Colorado +33
7. UCLA +35
8. Arizona State +36
9. Arizona +41
10. Washington State +46
11. Oregon State +52
12. Utah +56
CU Individuals
6. Ethan Freeman +2 through 34 holes
10. Spencer Painton +5 through 36
25. Yannik Paul +7 through 36
42. John Souza +10 through 36
49. Wilson Belk +11 through 36
58. Victor Bjorlow +13 through 36
Also
T1. Coloradan Wyndham Clark, Oregon -2 through 34
67. Coloradan Kyler Dunkle, Utah +15 through 36
For live scoring from the Pac-12 meet, CLICK HERE.
UNC Third at Big Sky Tourney: Also starting Friday was the Men’s Big Sky Championship in Boulder City, Nev., and after round 1 the University of Northern Colorado holds third place in the eight-team field.
The Bears shot an 18-over-par 306 on Friday, leaving them three strokes behind leader Weber State.
UNC’s Joshua Matz shares the individual lead with Kyler Dearden of Weber State as both matched pars with 72s.
The tournament continues through Sunday.
Men’s Big Sky Championship
April 28-30, 2017 in Boulder City, Nev.
3. (out of 8 teams) Northern Colorado 306
T1. Joshua Matz 72
4. Coby Welch 74
16. Andrew Romano 79
25. Sam Marley 81
30. Li Chen 83
Back when the Colorado resident was in high school at Valor Christian and considering where to play his college golf, he entertained thoughts of one day being one of the top college players and/or top amateurs in the game.
“Especially walking through Oklahoma State’s Hall of Fame, you see all the guys who have received the Haskins Award and the Ben Hogan Award, and you imagine yourself doing that,” Clark said in a phone interview with coloradogolf.org last week. “But at the same time I’ve had a tough college career and I hadn’t been in the mix for that in the previous years. So it’s really humbling and exciting (to be in the running this year). I’d love to finish the year out well and at least give it a shot to potentially win, but even if I don’t it’s pretty awesome and rewarding for me just to be in the mix and considered one of the top players. It’s a pretty cool thing for me.”
When the Pac-12 Conference Championship is held Friday through Sunday (April 28-30) at Boulder Country Club, Clark could take the next step in a dream season with a strong performance in his home state. The two-time Colorado state high school champion is currently the top-ranked college player in the country, according to both Golfstat and Golfweek. And, he’s very much “in the mix” for the Haskins Award, which goes to the best college player in the nation, and the Ben Hogan Award, given to a men’s college golfer, taking into account all college and amateur competitions during the past 12-month period.
It’s quite a heady position for a player who transferred to the University of Oregon for his final season of college golf after not being included on Oklahoma State’s NCAA Championship roster last year. In his one year as a Duck, Clark has notched two individual victories (the first of his college career), three second-place finishes, one third, a fifth, a sixth, a 10th and a 13th. That’s it: Nine top-10s in 10 tournaments and nothing worse than a 13th-place showing.
“I have a really good atmosphere and great coaches. My transition to Oregon has been really great,” Clark (pictured) said in the midst of a visit to Las Vegas to work with Jeff Smith, his swing coach since July. “With the coaching I’ve gotten from (Oregon head coach Casey Martin) and having really good teammates that have helped me, it’s been a really positive atmosphere and I think that’s something that’s been really helpful to me since I’ve transitioned (from Oklahoma State). I’ve had a really good year and finally feel like I’ve started to play to my ability and talent level. It’s been a fun run.”
Oregon won the national championship last year before Clark arrived, and the Ducks currently are ranked among the top 10 teams in the nation.
“We were very fortunate to get the call from Wyndham (last) summer and he’s turned out to be our best player,” Martin, who’s played 43 events on the PGA Tour, said during the mid-season break late last fall. “He’s been an incredible blessing to the program because he’s an experienced guy and a great player.”
The Pac-12 Championship will be just the second college tournament Clark has played in his home state. He didn’t compete at all in Colorado while at Oklahoma State, but finished third in October in the inaugural Paintbrush Invitational at Colorado Golf Club in Parker.
“Pac-12s is a big deal even if it wasn’t in Colorado,” he said. “But having it in Colorado makes it that much more exciting and fun. It’s going to be great to see friends and family and be able to play a course I played before. So I’m really looking forward to it.”
By his own estimate, Clark has played Boulder Country Club about eight times, but some of those made for a memorable CGA Amateur (then known as the CGA Stroke Play) in 2010. It was at that tournament that Clark won as a 16-year-old, becoming the youngest champion of the event since 1971, when Bob Byman — who would win the U.S. Junior Amateur in 1972 and later a PGA Tour event — was also 16 but slightly younger.
Clark clinched the victory with a 30-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole — No. 18 at BCC — defeating Jim Knous, who set the BCC course record with a 10-under-par 60 in the final round.
“Having some experience there definitely helps,” said Clark, now 23. “It’s a little bit of advantage, but you still have to hit the shots. It’s not like I’ve played it that much, but I have seen it in tournament conditions, so that counts for something.”
Outside of college, Clark has an impressive record both inside and outside Colorado. Besides the 2010 CGA Amateur, he won the 2009 CGA Junior Amateur and the two state high school titles. Five times, he’s qualified for the U.S. Amateur, advancing to the round of 32 last year. In 2014 at Oklahoma State, Clark was named the Big 12 Player of the Year and earned a spot on the U.S. Arnold Palmer Cup team. Currently, he sits No. 48 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.
But now, after two or three more college tournaments, it will be on to the professional ranks for Clark. Having finished ninth in a PGA Tour Canada Q-school event last month, he’s exempt for the first four events on that circuit, which begins action on June 1, immediately after the men’s NCAA Division I finals conclude. He’s also hoping for potential exemptions on the PGA Tour or Web.com Tour.
“I’ve done that (amateur golf) for so long, and I’m kind of ready for the next stage,” Clark said. “This is what I’ve always dreamed of — to play professional golf. I’m really itching to turn pro and start that process. But at the same time, I enjoyed the last year and that in itself has been a transition, switching schools and everything. So I’m trying to enjoy it a lot before I turn pro. But I’m definitely looking forward to the next stage.”
With those plans, Clark eventually intends to reside in Scottsdale, Ariz., though he may be based in Las Vegas in his initial months as a professional. In the meantime, Clark said he’ll graduate from Oregon in June with a degree in General Social Science, geared toward business.
Clark is one of five Colorado residents expected to compete in the Pac-12 meet this weekend. For the host University of Colorado, there will be senior Ethan Freeman from Denver, junior Spencer Painton from Aurora and probably either senior Ryan Schmitz from Greenwood Village or sophomore Wilson Belk from Colorado Springs. In addition, Utah’s lineup will include sophomore Kyler Dunkle, the 2016 CGA Les Fowler Player of the Year.
As big an event as the Pac-12 Championship is regardless, it’ll be even moreso for the players who have grown up in Colorado.
“It’s a real fortunate thing for them, especially guys (from out-of-state schools) that are going to come back and play,” CU coach Roy Edwards said. “Our guys have been fired up since we announced it 2 1/2 years ago. There are only a few guys that will ever get this experience of playing (a conference championship) in their home state or on their home course. I think that’s a really cool experience.”
Clark, Freeman, Painton and Dunkle have each won at least one state high school title in Colorado.
“It means a lot being a Colorado kid and to come up and represent your state, represent your school and compete against some of the best teams and best players in the country,” said Painton, who transferred to CU in 2016 after two seasons at Kansas.
Besides Coloradans playing in the tournament, one head coach from a Pac-12 school has Colorado roots. Dustin White from Pueblo West, the 2006 winner of the Colorado Open and a U.S. Open qualifier that same year, is in his first season at the Washington State helm after previously being a WSU assistant. White played his college golf for the Cougars from 1999-2003.
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Men’s Pac-12 Conference Championship: Just the Essentials
When: April 28-30 (April 27 practice rounds). Tee times begin at 7:30 a.m. on April 28, 10 a.m. on April 29, and 8 a.m. on April 30.
Where: Boulder Country Club (7350 Clubhouse Rd., Boulder).
Admission: Free.
Format: 72 holes of stroke play: 36 on April 28 and 18 each on April 29 and 30. For the team competition, each school counts the best five of its six individual scores each day.
Boulder Country Club Course: 7,129 yards, Par-70.
Coloradans Expected to Compete: Ethan Freeman and Spencer Painton from the University of Colorado, along with probably either Ryan Schmitz or Wilson Belk; Wyndham Clark from Oregon; Kyler Dunkle from Utah.
TV: Taped coverage airing May 7 at noon on Pac-12 Network.
Defending Champion: Stanford, which has won the last three years. The Cardinal claimed the title by 29 strokes in 2016. Jon Rahm of Arizona State won the 2016 individual title as a senior and has since turned professional and won on the PGA Tour.
Where Did CU Finish Last Year?: Tied for sixth.
How Did Top Returning CU Player Fare in 2016?: Ethan Freeman (35th place).
CU’s Top Team Finish Since Joining Pac-12: Fourth in 2014.
CU’s Pac-12 Lineup: Senior Ethan Freeman; juniors Yannik Paul, Spencer Painton and John Souza; freshman Victor Bjorlow; and probably either senior Ryan Schmitz or sophomore Wilson Belk.
Honorary Starters: Prior to the first round on April 28, two former Big Eight champions from CU — Terry Kahl (1981) and Bob Kalinowski (1993 and ’94) — will serve as honorary starters and hit the first tee shots, a la the Masters.
Top 25 Nationally Ranked Teams in Field: Southern California (No. 1 by Golfstat and Golfweek), Stanford (No. 5 by Golfstat and No. 8 by Golfweek), Oregon (No. 8 by Golfstat and No. 10 by Golfweek), Arizona State (No. 22 by Golfweek), CU (No. 25 by Golfweek).
Top 10 Nationally Ranked Individuals in Field: Senior Wyndham Clark, Oregon (No. 1 by Golfstat and Golfweek); junior Sean Crocker, USC (No. 2 Golfstat, No. 4 Golfweek); senior Maverick McNealy, Stanford (No. 3 Golfweek, No. 4 Golfstat); freshman Norman Xiong, Oregon (No. 7 Golfstat, No. 8 Golfweek); sophomore Collin Morikawa, Cal (No 8 Golfstat, No. 9 Golfweek).
Players in Field in Top 50 in World Amateur Golf Rankings: 1. senior Maverick McNealy, Stanford; 8. junior Sean Crocker, USC; 9. sophomore Collin Morikawa, Cal; 13. Jared du Toit, Arizona State; 17. senior Rico Hoey, USC; 34. freshman Norman Xiong, Oregon; 48. senior Wyndham Clark, Oregon.
Stanford Coach Conrad Ray on Senior Maverick McNealy, the World’s Top-Ranked Amateur: “He’s almost at that stage where he’s in rare air. He’s tied with Tiger Woods and Patrick Rodgers for career wins at Stanford with 11. It would be neat for him to (do that) at the Pac-12s. It’s hard to put into words (what he’s meant to the program). It’s pretty neat to see him operate. He’s been a great leader for our team. He really flourishes within this environment; college golf at a really high level and high-level academics at the same time can coexist. They’re not mutually exclusive. He’s a great example of that. He’s a mechanical science and engineering major and he has a GPA north of 3.5. He’s doing great things and he’s a really good kid on top of it all. He’s very thoughtful and very humble to a fault sometimes when you talk to him. He’s had an immeasurable impact on our program, no question.”
Some of the best amateurs in the world — a handful of whom could very well be competing on the PGA Tour within several years — will be on hand April 28-30 when Boulder Country Club hosts the men’s Pac-12 Conference Championship.
Don’t believe it?
Last year’s individual champion at the event was Jon Rahm of Arizona State, who in his rookie season on the PGA Tour has won the Farmers Insurance Open and posted three other top-five finishes.
Other past Pac-12 (or Pac-8/Pac-10) champions include Tiger Woods (Stanford), Phil Mickelson (Arizona State), Al Geiberger (USC), Dave Stockton (USC), Corey Pavin (UCLA), Paul Casey (Arizona State), Scott Simpson (USC) and Peter Jacobsen (Oregon).
As for this year’s field, it includes:
— The No. 1 player in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, Stanford senior Maverick McNealy. He’s one of six Pac-12 competitors ranked among the top 50 amateurs in the world. The others are USC junior Sean Crocker (eighth), Cal sophomore Collin Morikawa (ninth), ASU senior Jared du Toit (13th), USC senior Rico Hoey (17th), Oregon freshman Norman Xiong (34th) and Oregon senior — and Colorado resident — Wyndham Clark (48th).
— The No. 1-ranked college player in the nation — by both Golfstat and Golfweek, Clark, whose many successes include two college individual wins this season, along with two Colorado state high school titles and the 2010 CGA Amateur Championship. Clark is one of five Pac-12 players currently ranked among the nation’s top 10 collegians.
— The No. 1 team in the land, Southern California, along with two other top-10 men’s golf schools: three-time defending Pac-12 champion Stanford and 2016 national champion Oregon.
“(How big a tournament this is), that’s the message we’re trying to get out there for sure,” University of Colorado coach Roy Edwards said at Wednesday’s Pac-12 media day event at BCC. “Jon Rahm, a PGA Tour Rookie of the Year shoe-in guy, won the championship last year. There’s a number of those (kind of) guys this year. That’s something people need to know. And this is a fun environment to watch those players because they’re competing for their school and for a championship. It’s not just like they’re playing a recreational round out here.”
With admission to the Pac-12 Championship being free to the general public, Boulder Country Club officials said they wouldn’t be surprised if crowds reached into the “thousands”.
After an April 27 practice day — which is also open to spectators — the competitors will play 36 holes on April 28 and 18 holes each on April 29 and 30. Unlike most college tournaments, each school will feature six players, with the best five scores from those six each day counting toward the team total.
For CU, this will mark the first men’s conference championship it has hosted since 1972, when the Big Eight meet came to Boulder CC.
“It means a lot being a Colorado kid and coming up and representing your state, representing your school and competing against some of the best teams and best players in the country,” said CU’s Spencer Painton, an Aurora resident who won a 5A state high school individual title while at Regis Jesuit. “I’ve had some nice success here in the past (he was runner-up in the 2016 CGA Amateur at BCC) and it feels like home to me. I’ll have a lot of family and friends coming over. It’s going to be a pretty special week for the entire Buffs team.”
Certainly CU is treating it as a special week. The school is even bringing in two of the four CU players who have won individual conference championships to be honorary starters and hit the first tee shots on April 28 — not unlike what the Masters does. Former BCC head professional Terry Kahl (the 1981 Big Eight champion) and Bob Kalinowski (the ’93 and ’94 winner of the Big Eight meet) will do the honors. (The other individual conference champions from CU are Hale Irwin (1966 and ’67) and Keith Alexander (1954).
“It’ll be a special, unique touch to the tournament that all the participants will enjoy,” Edwards said.
Of course, the Buffs would like to make the weekend even more special by contending for a team title. CU hasn’t won a conference championship, team-wise, since 1968 in the Big Eight. The Buffs are currently ranked 25th in the nation by Golfweek and 32nd by Golfstat, but they suffered a significant blow this week when their all-time scoring leader, Jeremy Paul, announced he is going pro immediately.
“Jeremy was obviously a great player — one of the best in our history,” Edwards said. “At the same time, everybody has the ability to play well. We fully expect to perform at a high level. …
“We don’t go to any tournament expecting to finish worse than first place. At the same time, it’s not like ‘Ricky Bobby’ — if you’re not first you’re last kind of thing. We’re probably ranked around sixth in the league or so. We expect at home to play to a higher level than that. If we do our business we’ll be competitive on Sunday for a high finish, if not winning the tournament.”
Whatever the case, CU and Boulder Country Club hope a significant number of fans show up for the festivities. They’ve certainly made a point of making golfers around the state aware of the event.
“The CGA and the (Colorado) PGA have sent some stuff out about it, and we sent (informational) posters to every club within 50 miles of campus — 97 facilities,” Edwards said. “We’ve emailed every high school coach in the state. We’ve had a lot of print (ads). We’ve done a ton of stuff at our games — football basketball, lacrosse — and some radio stuff, online. It’s gotten out there pretty well.”
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Men’s Pac-12 Conference Championship: Just the Essentials
When: April 28-30 (April 27 practice rounds). Tee times begin at 7:30 a.m. on April 28, 10 a.m. on April 29, and 8 a.m. on April 30.
Where: Boulder Country Club (7350 Clubhouse Rd., Boulder).
Admission: Free.
Format: 72 holes of stroke play: 36 on April 28 and 18 each on April 29 and 30. For the team competition, each school counts the best five of its six individual scores each day.
Boulder Country Club Course: 7,129 yards, Par-70.
Coloradans Expected to Compete: Ethan Freeman and Spencer Painton from the University of Colorado, Wyndham Clark from Oregon, Kyler Dunkle from Utah and possibly one more CU player.
TV: Taped coverage airing May 7 at noon on Pac-12 Network.
Defending Champion: Stanford, which has won the last three years. The Cardinal claimed the title by 29 strokes in 2016. Jon Rahm of Arizona State won the 2016 individual title as a senior and has since turned professional and won on the PGA Tour.
Where Did CU Finish Last Year: Tied for sixth.
How Did Top Returning CU Player Fare in 2016?: Ethan Freeman (35th place).
CU’s Top Finish Since Joining Pac-12: Fourth in 2014.
Top 25 Nationally Ranked Teams in Field: Southern California (No. 1 by Golfstat and Golfweek), Stanford (No. 5 by Golfstat and No. 8 by Golfweek), Oregon (No. 8 by Golfstat and No. 10 by Golfweek), Arizona State (No. 22 by Golfweek), CU (No. 25 by Golfweek).
Top 10 Nationally Ranked Individuals in Field: Senior Wyndham Clark, Oregon (No. 1 by Golfstat and Golfweek); junior Sean Crocker, USC (No. 2 Golfstat, No. 4 Golfweek); senior Maverick McNealy, Stanford (No. 3 Golfweek, No. 4 Golfstat); freshman Norman Xiong, Oregon (No. 7 Golfstat, No. 8 Golfweek); sophomore Collin Morikawa, Cal (No 8 Golfstat, No. 9 Golfweek).
Players in Field in Top 50 in World Amateur Golf Rankings: 1. senior Maverick McNealy, Stanford; 8. junior Sean Crocker, USC; 9. sophomore Collin Morikawa, Cal; 13. Jared duToit, Arizona State; 17. senior Rico Hoey, USC; 34. freshman Norman Xiong, Oregon; 48. senior Wyndham Clark, Oregon.
Honorary Starters: Prior to the first round on April 28, two former Big Eight champions from CU — Terry Kahl (1981) and Bob Kalinowski (1993 and ’94) — will serve as honorary starters and hit the first tee shots, a la the Masters.