The University of Colorado men’s golf team finished the day in fifth place on March 17 when play was suspended due to darkness at the Arizona Thunderbirds Intercollegiate in Tucson. The Buffaloes were one shot behind fourth-place Oklahoma and six under par, with five players still having holes left to complete.
The tournament is significant as it features several top-ranked teams, including No. 32 Long Beach State, which led at 21-under par but had not completed its round. Host and No. 22 Arizona, No. 5 Arizona State, and No. 14 Oklahoma rounded out the top four spots among the field of fourteen teams.
Senior Hunter Swanson led Colorado through the first two rounds, sitting tied for sixth individually at five under par after a strong opening round of 66 and birdying his first four holes. “We played well in the morning,” head coach Roy Edwards said. “The guys really came out and competed from the start. Hunter and Parker had really nice rounds. We got off to a pretty good start in round two, but struggled a little in the middle of the round. The wind came up and the greens got very firm. We are looking for a good finish to the round in the morning and then play well in round three.” Junior Ty Holbrook was tied for sixteenth at two under par with two holes remaining when play stopped.
Other notable performances included sophomore Parker Paxton, junior Brandon Knight, and graduate transfer Jackson Rivera, all tied for thirty-ninth at three over par totals as they worked through their second rounds amid changing weather conditions that saw winds pick up during afternoon play.
The completion of the second round is scheduled for Tuesday morning before competitors move on to the third and final round. Individual leader Alejandro De Castro from Long Beach State held a four-stroke lead at thirteen under par with five holes left to finish when play was halted.
Looking ahead, Colorado aims to capitalize on its strong start as it completes its remaining holes and competes in the final round.
