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Writer's pictureEthan Greer

Men's golf wins championship in first match play of spring season



Indian Wells, Calif. –The University of Colorado’s men's Golf team won the Wyoming Desert Match Play in Indian Wells, California in their third annual attempt after finishing second last year and fifth in 2022. Entering as the No. 2 seed in the tournament, the Buffs took down top-seeded Cal State Fullerton in a tightly competitive match, 4½-1½.  


The Buffs' opening day of the tournament came with a dominant performance against seventh-seeded Utah State in the quarter-finals and Sacramento State in the semi-finals. On the day, they won 70 holes, tied 82, and only lost an impressive 33 out of the 135 that were played.


Freshman Brandon Knight, sophomore Hunter Swanson, and juniors Tucker Clark and Dylan McDermott all swept their opening-day matchups. Knight ended his front nine down two strokes but was able to win his first matchup against the Aggies’ John Cook after parring the first six holes to start the back nine while Cook shot a bogey on hole 15. His second matchup against SSU’s Zach Matzke ended quickly after taking the lead on the first hole and never losing it for the rest of the 18 holes.


Swanson played through both of his matches with a comfortable edge as at the end of the day, he had won 14 of 20 holes, tying 14, and only losing two. Beating the Aggies' Luis Cantu in the quarterfinals 2-up and SSU’s Jake Aberle in the semifinals with a two-hole edge. McDermott never trailed in his first match against the Aggies’ Ashton McArthur as he shot a birdie on the par-5 hole one and breezed till the end. His semi-final match against SSU’s Jeffrey Perry was cut short, up three strokes, after CU was declared the winner of the match with four wins.


Juniors Justin Biwer and Freddy Eisenbeis were the lone buffs to not sweep their opening matchups as Biwer lost to the Aggies’ Julio Arronte by a 2-hole edge in the quarterfinals. Eisenbeis lost to SSU’s Gabriel Smith in the semifinals by one hole after the match was called due to CU being declared the overall winner.


The second and final day of the tournament came with CU’s championship match against Cal State Fullerton. The Buffs won four out of their six matchups, tying one, and losing the other. Knight continued his stellar tournament performance, defeating CSF’s Matthew Schafer, 4 & 2, winning six holes, losing only two, and tying the other eight. Clark and McDermott won both of their matchups to join McDermott as one of three buffs to win all three of their matchups. Clark Defeated Trevor McNary, 2 & 1, despite falling behind in the front nine. McDermott Defeated Russel Howlett, with an identical score to Clark, controlling the majority of the match as he was only down for the first hole of the 18. Biwer defeated Tegan Andrews after the match got called in CU’s favor after he was two up on the 16th hole.


Eusenbeis’s tournament struggles continued with his second tie of the tournament to Howard Yoon. Trailing for nearly the entire match, his late efforts weren’t enough to get a win but was able to come away with a tie. Swanson lost his first match of the tournament against Garret Boe as the match was called when Boe was up one hole going into hole 17.


The Buffaloes' season continues on March 4 as they are set to compete in the Lamkin San Diego Classic.


Cover photo by Ka'anapali Golf Course/CUBuffs.com

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