Men’s golf finishes middle of the pack in Tennessee

Dylan McDermott chipping from the fringe. The senior was the only Buff to finish the tournament under par. (Photo via CUBuffs.com)

FRANKLIN, Tenn. - The Colorado Buffaloes struggled at the Mason Rudolph Championship, claiming their worst score and placement of the season. With the Big 12 Championship around the corner, now is not the time to be flustered. 

The Buffs placed seventh, shooting a combined 3-over on Sunday. The squad did itself no favors in the first round, holing 21 combined bogeys or worse across the quintet. The Buffs scored 4-over on the first day, leaving them tied at No. 11 with Penn State.

In Colorado’s defense, heavy rains throughout Wednesday and Thursday created poor course conditions, causing eight of the 14 teams to shoot over par in the first round. 

Dylan McDermott was the only Buff to finish under par in the tournament (-4). The senior played his best in the second, shooting 3-under with four birdies and one bogey. The California native followed the stellar round with a 1-under performance in the third, good for No. 18 individually. 

Justin Biwer, the No. 55 golfer in the nation, shot the worst first-round score out of the Buffs quintet (+3). The veteran bounced back in the later rounds, shooting 1-under in the second and third rounds. Biwer finished 1-over, good for a No. 29 finish. 

Junior Hunter Swanson was consistent throughout all three rounds of the tournament, shooting 1-over in every round. The 3-over final score left Swanson at No. 37 on the individual podium. 

Jack Holland and Brandon Knight finished the tournament tied at No. 47, shooting 5-over. Holland played his best in the third round, scoring even par. His 2-over and 3-over in the first and second rounds were fourth in the quintet and counted towards the Buffs team score. 

Knight competed as an individual in Tennessee. Unlike Holland, the sophomore played his best golf in the first round, finishing at even par. Knight went on to shoot 4-over in the second and 1-over in the third.

Ty Holbrook rounded out the black and gold quintet, finishing the tournament at 7-over. The sophomore struggled in the second round, shooting 8 bogeys or worse en route to a 3-over score. Holbrook shot 3-over in the final round and finished at No. 61. 

The Buffaloes have one more tournament to get back into tip-top shape before the Big 12 Championships. The Thunderbird Intercollegiate starts on Friday in Phoenix.