BOULDER – The last of three annual summer updates on happenings with the University of Colorado men’s golf team:
ACADEMIC HONORS
The Golf Coaches Association of American (GCAA) announced its annual Division I Platform Golf Team Academic Award for the 2024-25 season on August 5, with the Buffaloes recognized for the fourth straight year (and eight time in the last 10 years) with a 3.18 team grade point average. Those schools make the list with a cumulative 3.0 GPA or higher by all team members combined.
BUFFS OPEN RANKED 26TH, 32ND
Golfweek released its preseason poll on Aug. 27, ranking a top 30, which makes sense since there are 308 Division I schools with the sport and 30 qualify for the NCAA Championship Finals. Colorado opens the year ranked 26th by the coaches after finishing 23rd in the NCAA last May (and 34th in the final GCAA/Coaches ballot prior to the postseason). Golfweek’s top 30 (includes six Big 12 Conference schools):
1. Oklahoma State; 2. Virginia; 3. Texas; 4. Auburn; 5. Florida; 6. Mississippi; 7. LSU; 8. Arizona State; 9. Oklahoma; 10. Illinois; 11. Florida State; 12. BYU; 13. Vanderbilt; 14. Tennessee; 15. SMU; 16. Alabama; 17. Georgia Tech; 18. North Carolina; 19. Texas Tech; 20. South Carolina; 21. Georgia; 22. Pepperdine; 23. Duke; 24. Arizona; 25. Utah; 26. Colorado; 27. Louisville; 28. Mississippi State; 29. New Mexico; 30. Long Beach State.
The GCAA/Coaches followed on Aug. 29, with the Buffaloes coming in at No. 32 (the GCAA does not release what coaches vote in the poll; first place votes in parenthesis):
1. Oklahoma State (15); 2. Auburn (1); 3. Texas; 4. Florida (1); 5. Mississippi (1); 6. Arizona State; 7. Virginia; 8. Oklahoma; 9. Florida State; 10. LSU; 11. Illinois; 12. Vanderbilt; 13 (tie). BYU, Georgia Tech; 15 (tie). North Carolina, Texas Tech; 17. Tennessee; 18. Alabama; 19. Pepperdine; 20. Texas A&M; 21. South Carolina; 22. Arizona; 23. Georgia; 24. UCLA; 25. San Diego State; 26. Utah; 27. SMU; 28. Wake Forest; 29. UNLV; 30. California; 31. USC; 32. Colorado; 33. Santa Clara; 34. Arkansas; 35. Stanford; 36 (tie). Clemson, Duke; 38 (tie). South Florida, TCU; 40 (tie). New Mexico, Northwestern; 42 (tie). Mississippi State, Notre Dame; 44 (tie). Louisville), Missouri.
CURRENT TEAM UPDATES
Zeqian “Michael” Fang played in China in mostly professional events this summer, recording his best effort in his last event there the first week of August:a tie for fifth place finish in the Beijing Tianxing Leg 3 event when he recorded an 11-under 70-69-66—205
Junior Ty Holbrook tied for second in the Colorado Amateur on August 2, two strokes back after entering the final round tied for the lead. He posted a 69-64-72-74—279 (-9) effort, finishing two back of the lead at the Walnut Creek Golf Preserve in Westminster.
The U.S. Amateur at the Olympic Club in San Francisco was unkind to the Buffaloes; the cut was at 3-over; Justin Biwer turned in the best effort, tying for 95th (74-72—146, +6). Hunter Swanson (151, +11) and Parker Paxton (157, +17) finished well down the line. Holbrook had alternate status a spot didn’t open for him.
Incoming frosh Tyler Long tied for fifth in the PGA High School National Invitational at Pinehurst, N.C. (72-67-69—208, -8) and tied for 21st in the Junior Americas Cup in Portland, Ore. (77-68-73—218, +2), both in late July. He was a member of Team Colorado that finished third in the latter.
Brandon Knight in the NCGA Amateur Qualifier at Pebble Beach’s Poppy Hills Course, he tied for 17th with a 71-73—144 (+1) effort; in match play, he won two matches before falling in the quarterfinals.
Hunter Swanson again caddied for CU junior Carolyn Fuller in the U.S. Women’s Amateur (Aug. 4-5); after a rough opening round 6-over par 78 on the tough Bandon Dunes (Ore.) Golf Resort Course, she bounced back with a 3-under 69 – her 3-over 145 missing advancing to match play by two strokes. She tied for 80th in the 156-woman field.
ALUMNI NOTES
Matt Call (’01) was co-medalist in the local USGA Mid-Amateur Qualifying at Coal Creek GC in Louisville on Aug. 19. He had a bogey-free round in firing a 5-under 67. He thus will play in the U.S. Mid-Am, Sept. 13-18, at Troon Country Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. Steve Irwin (’97) tried his hand but shot a 77; Pat Grady (’09) tried the day before at Lone Tree GC and turned in an even-par 72, with John Luoma (’95) carding a 77.
Tucker Clark (’25) finished in a tie for 20th in the Colorado Open on July 27 – his first tournament as a professional – then caught a flight to Phoenix and played in the Arizona Open that started the next day. With no practice round for him on the Papago Golf Club course, he shot the third-lowest score in the final round (a 6-under 64) and vaulted into a tie for third place with a 67-68-64—199 (-11) effort … He missed the cut in an Asher Tour event at Dove Canyon, Calif. on Aug. 18, turning in a 70-76—146 (+6) score (missed by six shots.
Freddy Eisenbeis (’25) competed in the DP World Tour’s Omega European Masters (Aug. 28-31) at Crans-sur-Sierre GC, Crans Montana, Switzerland. He tied for 121st in the 156-man field, but was the third low amateur out of six overall, turning in a 4-over 73-71—144 score (the 36-hole cut was 3-under). He had earned an exemption into the event when he won the Oliver Barras Memorial in Switzerland on June 26.
Derek Fribbs (’13) attempted to defend his 2024 title in the Utah Open (Aug. 15-17), at Riverside Country Club in Provo; he played well and finished with an 8-under 68-70-70—208 effort, which tied him for 15th (he also won the event in 2021).
Patrick Grady (’09) also tied for second in the Colorado Amateur on August 2, two strokes back after entering the final round tied for the lead. He posted a 69-69-67-74—279 (-9) effort, just missing in his try to win it for the second time (he won in 2006). Matthew Zions (’02) tied for 14th, as he recorded a 73-72-69-75—289 (-1) scorecard in the event at the Walnut Creek Golf Preserve in Westminster.
Steve Jones (’81) returned to his first action in almost a year, tying for 59th in the Boeing Classic (Aug. 8-10) in Snoqualmie, Wash.; he turned in a 4-over 69-77-74—220 performance.
Kevin Kring (’12) won the Missouri Mid-Amateur on Aug. 24 by three strokes, recording a 7-under 66-71—137 scorecard at Jefferson City Country Club. In late July, he tied for ninth in the Missouri Stroke Play Championship (68-743-74-71—286, -2), also at Jefferson City CC.
In DP Tour Qualifying (First Stage at The Players Club in Bristol, England, Aug. 26-29), Dylan McDermott (’25) tied for 14th and advanced to the second stage of qualifying at one of four locations in Spain (Oct. 30-Nov. 2). He finished with a 74-76-71-65-286 (+6) scorecard; the top 17 plus ties advanced to stage two. His final round 32-33—65 was the best score in the field (by two shots), as he recorded eight birdies on the day, and in miserable conditions no less. The medalist was just 5-under, with only three others scoring par or better (all 1-under). If he makes it out of stage two, the final qualifying is set for Nov. 7-12, also in Spain. “I was actually playing good all tournament, but the course was just really hard and the conditions were brutal,” McDermott said. “I finally had some putts drop (in the final round) and made sure to keep the ball in play. I knew I had to go low to have a chance, so it freed me up to go at the pins and hit the kind of drives I hadn’t the days before.” (Clark also competed but struggled, turning in an 81-76—157 (+17) effort, placing 69th in the 78-man field.)
Jeremy Paul (’17) is in his first year on the PGA Tour, and to date has made the cut in nine of 20 tournaments (no August PGA events); he has one top 5 finish and has earned $675,000 thus far. He was 131st in the FedEx Cup Standings with 271 points.
Yannik Paul (’18) is currently ranked 107th in the race to Dubai and has won over 200,000 Euros in 19 tournaments thus far this season. The top 50 players in the DP World Tour Rankings at the end of the season qualify for the Race to Dubai finale (the top 70 players compete in the Abu Dhabi Championship the week before.)
Dave Roylance (’71) tied for 15th in the Masters Division of the CGA’s Super Senior Amateur Championship at Meadow Hills Golf Club on August 12, with an 85-80—165 scorecard.
Matthew Zions (’02) tied for first in the CGA’s Western Chapter Championship at Battlement Mesa Golf Club, one of just four players in the field to finish in red numbers (72-70-68—210, -6); but lost on the first playoff hole.
LATEST WORLD AMATEUR RANKINGS
Here’s where the current Buffaloes ranked in the latest World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) as of August 27: Hunter Swanson (#553), Zeqian “Michael” Fang (#559); Brandon Knight (#700), Ty Holbrook (#751), Parker Paxton (#1492), Tyler Long (#1621) and Jackson Rivera (#3492; he was ranked as high as #102 before injuries set it in, he’ll zoom back up fairly quickly). Incoming freshman Casey Kosney is not yet ranked.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Buffaloes open their 102nd year of collegiate golf in Pullman, competing for the second straight year in Washington State’s Palouse Collegiate on Sept. 9-10. CU finished second last September, with a 34-under par team score of 818; Hunter Swanson placed fourth with a 12-under 201 (65-67-69) effort.
Graduated senior Jack “Dutchy” Holland is back home in Australia and has been playing in small local events. He is set to compete in the DP World Tour Q-School from Sept. 16-19.
