Buffs finish sixth at Ka’anapali Classic, Long records first albatross in program history
The Colorado Buffaloes men’s golf team wrapped up their fall season this Tuesday at the 12th annual Ka'anapali Classic in Maui, finishing sixth out of 20 teams.
Royal Ka’anapali Golf Course hosts the tournament in Lahaina, Hawaii, a 6,700-yard par-71 course that usually plays easier compared to other courses the Buffs play.
However, this year was much tougher because of strong winds and difficult conditions, with only one team breaking par in the first round, compared to 16 last year.
The event was originally supposed to take place from Oct. 27-29, but was moved forward to begin on Sunday due to severe storms in Hawaii this week.
Colorado got off to a slow start on Sunday, opening with an 11-over 295, but bounced back strongly with sub-par finishes over the next two days to ultimately place in sixth.
Their 274 (-10) on the final day tied for the team’s second-best combined round relative to par this fall. The Georgia Bulldogs won the tournament with a team score of 829 (-23), edging out the Clemson Tigers at 830, with the TCU Horned Frogs coming in third place.
Senior Brandon Knight led the Buffs scoring for the fourth straight tournament, tying for 10th place at 209 (-4). He recorded his third top-10 finish and fifth top-20 finish of the fall.
Knight thrived on the par-5s, with an eight-under mark on those holes being the second-best in the field. He carded two eagles and 10 birdies. Knight ended the season with a scoring average of 69.87, the sixth-best fall average by a Buff ever.
Sophomore Tyler Long tied for 17th at 211 (-2), and made history on Monday. He started his second round on the 460-yard par-5 sixth, holing out from 134 yards with a gap wedge for the first known albatross in Colorado's 102-year program history.
“It felt almost surreal making an albatross,” Long said. “It was super cool to do it in front of both coaches and a teammate.”
Long also made a team-high 11 birdies throughout the tournament.
Junior Parker Paxton tied for 47th at 217 (+4), shaking off an opening-round 80 with a final round of 66, his best score of the fall. He made two eagles in that final round, including a 92-yard hole-out on the par-4 fourth.
Senior Ty Holbrook tied for 56th at 218 (+5), and junior Asher Whitaker tied for 59th at 219 (+6). Sophomore Casey Kosney competed as an individual and tied for 37th at 216 (+3). He carded two eagles during the tournament, including his first collegiate eagle.
Clemson’s Hampton Roberts and Georgia’s Grayson Wood both shared medalist honors at 11-under par (202).
The Buffaloes now enter their winter break and will return to action for their spring opener at The Prestige at PGA West in La Quinta, California, from Feb. 15-17.
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