ALBUQUERQUE, NM – After competing in the Tucker Intercollegiate for all 68 years of its running, the black and gold can finally call themselves champs on the 69th.
Winning by one stroke with a final team card of 282-284-286—852 was the first time the Colorado Buffaloes finished the tournament under par.
Head coach Roy Edwards sent the same lineup as the Ram Master Invitational, giving a glimpse of what the established lineup could look like for the remainder of the year.
The first day marked the Buff’s fifth round in the last four days, but fatigue was nowhere to be seen with seniors Justin Biwer and Dylan McDermott along with sophomore Brandon Knight all recording a subpar round.
Biwer’s 5-under 72-67–139 topped the Buffalo quintet along with the individual standings as he stood in a tie for third place. He shot a team-high nine birdies, 23 pars and just four bogeys. Knight came out running as his 4-under 68 in round one was the morning high for the buffs, but ultimately slowed down in round two, finishing the day with a 68-72–140 card for seventh.
McDermott shot the only eagle on the day, finishing in a tie for 12th with a final 3-under 69-72–141.
Junior Hunter Swanson and senior Freddy Eisenbeis sat at the bottom of the quintet, both with cards over par. Eisenbeis shot a pair of 73s for a final day one card of 2-over 146 tying him for 36th. Swanson didn’t play to his expectations, but it didn’t help when his first hole was a double bogey, CU’s only on the day. He would go on to partially recover, tying for 54th with a 4-over 75-73–148.
Freshman Parker Paxton competed as an individual yet again as he continues to build up confidence and get the feel of Division I play. He had a final day one 72-75–147 card tying him for 47th, only seeing a significant struggle on the par-3s.
Going into the final day, the Buffs sat alone at third, one stroke behind second-place Grand Canyon and 11 behind the first-place hosts New Mexico.
Eisnbeis led the pack on the final day, shooting a crucial 3-under 69 tying for the best score on the day while also moving up 27 spots in the individual leaderboard to a tie for ninth. McDermott was the only other buff to finish below par, continuing his dominant individual performance with a 2-under 70, finishing in third individually. Following just one stroke behind him was Biwer who put up a 1-over 73 on the final day, tying him for fourth.
Swanson and Knight’s struggles continued, both shooting over par. Swanson’s 2-over 74 was the final score to be put on the Buffs’ card, allowing them to claim first place by just one stroke after New Mexico’s round three explosion of 10-over 298. Knight ended his play with a score to not remember, a 5-over 77, but still saw success on par-5s as he shot 7-under throughout the two days.
Paxton’s second-ever collegiate tournament didn’t end like he wanted it to, shooting 5-over 77 tying him for 54th with a final 8-over 224 card. However, there was a bright side in the fact that out of the designated individual competitors, Paxton finished fourth.
Through a consistent and dominant performance, the Buffs’ ability to finish three rounds under par propelled them to a first-place finish by just one stroke, claiming the first of what they hope is the first of many more trophies this season.
The black and gold returns home next week to host the Mark Simpson Invitational at the Colorado National Golf Club in Erie, Colorado. Round one opens on Monday.
Cover photo from CU Athletics/CUBuffs.com
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