PHOENIX – In the CU men's golf teams' last team tournament before the Pac-12 Championships, they traveled south to Phoenix, Arizona to compete in the Thunderbird Intercollegiate, hosted by No. 4 Arizona State.
Competing against a loaded lineup of schools, six of the 17 being in the top 25, the No. 66 Buffs fought their way to a 13th-place finish with a total three-round team score of 858.
Colorado's worst round came off the jump in round one where only juniors Justin Biwer and Tucker Clark finished under par, each with a round-one score of 1-under 70. Biwer shot three birdies along with two bogeys to cap off his first round, whereas Clark shot four birdies with one double bogey on the par-3 fourth hole. Junior Dylan McDermott and freshman Brandon Knight were the other two Buffs to be put on the team scorecard, with McDermott shooting a 2-over 73 and Knight shooting a 3-over 74. Sophomore Hunter Swanson’s 6-over 77 left him out of the scorecard for the first 18.
Later that day the Buffs started their second round with their struggles continuing. Luck fell on them that night as all of the quintet had their play suspended at 7:14 p.m. MT, giving them a well-needed break. At the time of the suspension, the Buffs were tied for 13th with Biwer and Clark tied for 25th in the individual standings.
Come Saturday morning, the quintet would finish their remaining holes while not improving their position in the standings with not a single Buff finishing below par. Biwer and McDermott both shot an even 71, with Swanson and Clark finishing off the scorecard both with a 1-over 72. Knight was left off the scorecard with a 4-over 75 including six bogeys and two birdies.
The extra break ended up not helping as expected with the Buffs ending the second round with a score of 286, one stroke better than round one.
Round three turned out to be the best 18 holes the Buffs played on the weekend, shooting a team total of 285. Biwer led the black and gold as the lone Buff under par with a 3-under 68 including six birdies, one bogey, and one double bogey. He finished 4-under 209 overall, putting him in a tie for 11th place alongside two other golfers. Clark was only one stroke away from breaking par on the day and overall as he shot an even 71 and even 213 overall with his second eagle of the season and 10 pars adding to his team-high 34 on the weekend. His performance put him in a tie for 27th with six other golfers.
Swanson, McDermott, and Knight all finished above par. Late struggles hit McDermott, shooting a bogey on three of his last four holes but finished the best out of the three shooting a 1-over 72 in round three and a 3-over 212 overall. Knight shot a 3-over 74 in round three, leaving him tied for 86th and off the scorecard, including his fourth eagle of the year on hole one and a 10-over 223 overall. Swanson’s continuous struggles carried into the third round where he shot only one birdie while bogeying eight. He ended the day at 7-over 78 and 14-over 227 overall, putting him only three golfers away from the bottom of the standings at 93rd.
The Buffs sat in 13th at the end of the weekend with a 6-over 858 overall, 44 strokes separating them from first-place Arizona State.
Despite a relatively disappointing season, the Buffs will travel down to Carefree, Arizona on April 26 to compete in the Pac-12 Championships with a chance to defy all odds and secure a bid in the NCAA Regional Championship.
Cover photo by Mike Rasay/CUBuffs.com
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