The University of Colorado men’s golf team finished in a tie for third place on March 17 at the Arizona Thunderbirds Intercollegiate, after recording its best final round of the season. The Buffaloes posted a 14-under-par 274 in the last round, which was the lowest score among all teams that day and matched the best single-round score of the tournament.
This result is significant as it propelled Colorado from fifth to a tie for third in a competitive field, beating two top-20 ranked teams and tying another. The team’s overall score was just four shots behind host and winner Arizona, who finished with a total of 839. Long Beach State placed second with an 840, while Colorado and Arizona State both ended at 843. Oklahoma rounded out the top five with an 847.
Junior Ty Holbrook led Colorado by tying for third individually with a total score of seven-under-par (209). Holbrook’s final round included six birdies and an eagle, helping him achieve his best finish this season. “I putted well and hit my irons pretty solid the whole week,” Holbrook said. “I made a conscious effort to play the golf course the right way and let opportunities come naturally – and not force much which helped not making silly mistakes. I was able to cruise today since I was swinging it well and was able to give myself a lot of birdie looks.”
Senior Hunter Swanson tied for eighth after shooting one-under-par in his final round, reaching an important milestone by joining Colorado’s “10,000 Stroke Club.” Swanson said about this achievement: “This accomplishment means a whole lot to me because I’ve worked so hard from my freshman year on to help out the team as much as possible… It’s been such a privilege having the opportunity to gain as much experience in tournaments as I have… You can’t really ask for much more.” Head coach Roy Edwards commented on Swanson’s consistency: “The 10,000 stroke club is an interesting stat. It shows a lot of consistency over a career. It is especially impressive with Hunter because we have had so many good teams, so it wasn’t easy to even play in that many tournaments.”
Other notable performances included Brandon Knight finishing tied for 27th at two-under-par, Jackson Rivera tying for 32nd at even par after matching his best final round effort as a Buffalo, and Parker Paxton tying for 37th after rebounding from an uncharacteristic second round with strong opening and closing rounds.
Coach Edwards praised his team’s performance: “Tremendous round and tournament by Ty, he played great today,” Edwards said. “Hunter as well. He is just so tough. All the rest of the guys really played well today… This is really a fun and enjoyable group to be around who work very hard. We are looking forward to the rest of the season.” The Buffaloes will next compete at Stanford’s “The Goodwin” tournament from March 26-28.
