SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The Colorado Buffaloes bounced back in San Diego on Tuesday after their below-average performance a few weeks ago in Palm Springs, California. Colorado’s men’s golf squad finished second at the R.E. Lamkin Invitational with a score of 27-under (tied with the host, the University of San Diego Toreros).
Three of the black and gold quintet finished inside the top-10 individual leaderboard. Seniors Dylan McDermott and Justin Biwer led Colorado in the tournament with scores of 9-under and tied for sixth place.
Both seasoned veterans have been the most consistent golfers for the Buffs throughout the season. Neither golfer has landed lower than No. 27 individually all season, and both seniors have finished every tournament under par.
Hunter Swanson trailed his fellow teammates by just one stroke, finishing 8-under in San Diego. The junior finished ninth overall, marking his third top-10 finish of the season.
Swanson shot 4-under in each of the first two rounds, leaving him tied for fifth individually. Unfortunately, the Denver native could not replicate his early-round scores in the third. He shot even par on Tuesday, dropping him four spots on the leaderboard. Another 4-under round would have put Swanson inside the top three individual scores.
Senior Jack Holland competed in his first team tournament of the season in San Diego. The Australian placed No. 32 with a score of 1-under. Holland has competed in three tournaments this season, posting scores of 4-under, 2-under and 3-over.
Underclassmen Brandon Knight and Parker Paxton struggled in Southern California. Knight was the fifth member of the quintet but was unable to contribute to the team score in any round. The sophomore scored 1-over in the first round but got worse as the tournament continued. Knight shot 2-over in the second and 6-over in the third, landing him at No. 76 on the podium with a score of 9-over.
Paxton competed as an individual in this tournament, placing four spots above Knight. The freshman got off to a rocky start, shooting 4-over in the first round. Scores of two-over in the second and third dropped Paxton to a finish of 8-over.
The black and gold need more consistency from its fourth and fifth golfers in the quintet to compete with the best teams in the nation. Colorado has three more tournaments to help prepare them for the Big 12 Championship in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The road to Tulsa continues on March 27 at the Wally Goodwin Intercollegiate in Palo Alto, California.
Comments