Tuesday, April 22
Tulsa, Okla.
All Day
Colorado
vs
First Two Rounds
McDermott and Coach Edwards analyze an approach shot Tuesday afternoon.
Photo by: Seth Pringle
Golfers In Fourth At Midway Point of Big 12's
April 22, 2025 | Men's Golf
McDermott Leading The Way In Tie For Sixth
TULSA — The University of Colorado men's golf team made its return to some former roots here Tuesday, finishing the day in fourth place in the 28th Annual Big 12 Championships, the Buffs first appearance in the event since a 13-year hiatus in the Pac-12.
The nation's fourth- and fifth-ranked teams have separated from the pack for now, with No. 4 Arizona State owning the lead at the midway point with a 1-over par 561 team total, while No. 5 Oklahoma State is four back at 5-over 565. No. 54 TCU holds third (20-over 560), followed by No. 34 Colorado in fourth (21-over 581) and No. 40 Houston (22-over 582) to round out the top five.
The Buffaloes were in a five-way tie for fourth after the morning round with a 15-over 295 tally, as Arizona State was the only team under par with a 3-under 277. That led Oklahoma State by nine strokes. Colorado got off to a sluggish start, scoring nine bogeys before its first birdie, and fluctuated between 11th and 13th place for a while before a few birdies zoomed it up into the top five late in the first round. CU's 6-over 286 then stood as the fourth-best posting by itself for the second round.
Going in, head coach Roy Edwards said that par would be a good score on most, if not all holes. That certainly proved to be the case, as birdies were few and far between but the Buffs for the most part avoided big numbers on the 7,556-yard, par-70 Southern Hills Country Club course (that's correct: 7,556 yards playing to a par-70 at 725 feet of altitude, a recipe for higher numbers for all).
In fact, all holes with the exception of the 632-yard, par-5 13th averaged over par Tuesday. The Buffs more or less held their own on the seven toughest (in order, Nos. 18, 8, 9, 10, 3, 7 and 15): CU played those at 18-over; Okie State played them the best at 12-over, while ASU did so at 15-over and TCU at 20-over.
Senior Dylan McDermott paced the Buffaloes here Tuesday, as he is tied for sixth, recording a 2-over 74-68—142 scorecard. After opening with a rare birdie-free 4-over 74, his highest score of the year, he came right back with a 2-under 68, one of just 11 subpar rounds all day. He worked his way into the red quickly in the second round, scoring a 3 on the 500-yard, par-4 2nd hole, and made the turn at 2-under after a birdie on No. 9. He then held steadfast down the stretch, closing with five pars and a birdie. It was the fourth time this year he shaved six or more strokes in the second round from his first round effort. He had three birdies and a team-high 28 pars and only five bogeys overall, while playing the par-5's even and both the par-3's and par-4's at 1-over.
Sophomore Ty Holbrook had a steady day as he ended tied for 19th after posting a 5-over par 73-72—145 effort. He had four birdies and 23 pars with nine bogeys, played the par-5's even, the par-4's at 2-over and the par-3's at 3-over. He had one back patch in each round, opening with three bogeys in his first five holes, and then after scoring a birdie on the 456-yard, par-4 12th hole to get to 2-under in the afternoon, bogeyed the next three holes in a row. He birdied his last hole in the first round but bogeyed it in the second.
Senior Justin Biwer is tied for 23rd after shooting a 6-over par 72-74—146 performance, the latter tying his high score for the year (both he and McDermott have the low "high" individual rounds in the conference this season through Tuesday). After opening with two quick bogeys and a birdie, he made the turn at 2-over before birdying Nos. 2, 4 and 7 to get into the red; but a double bogey on the 251-yard, par-3 8th hole sent him back to the unhappy side of par, where he remained the rest of the day. He had a team-high seven birdies to go with 17 pars, opposite 11 bogeys and a double. Most of his overage has come on the long and challenging par-3's (5-over), while playing the par-4's at 3-over and the par-5's at 2-under.
Junior Hunter Swanson is tied for 34th, fashioning a 76-72—148 (8-over par) scorecard Tuesday. After starting with three bogeys on his first five holes, he bounced back with his only birdie in the first round (on the 417-yard, par-4 15th). He closed the back nine with three straight pars, but opened the front with back-to-back bogeys, which in the second round, he sought out revenge and birdied both. Unfortunately, he ended the morning with bogeys and the afternoon with one, the latter after birdying the 371-yard, par-4 17th, one of just 17 on the hole throughout the day despite it being the shortest par-4 on the course.
Senior Tucker Clark never could get untracked all day, ending 75th with a 19-over 80-79—159 score. He struggled never getting a birdie putt to fall while recording 20 pars, 13 bogeys and three doubles. He was 2-over on the four par-5's combined, 4-over on the eight par-3's but 12-over on the par-4's.
Sophomore Brandon Knight is also on the trip as the sixth man who the coaches can substitute in for any number of reasons; he will switch out with Clark for Wednesday's third round.
"Overall a nice day, Edwards said. "The guys did a really good job of staying patient and engaged despite it being a very long day at the course and playing a world-class championship venue like Southern Hills, which is quite possibly the greatest site in modern championship golf.
"Dylan had a wonderful day and a tremendous afternoon round. Arizona State and Oklahoma State are up there right now, and it is tightly packed all around us, but if we focus on ourselves tomorrow we can move up the board and see if we can get into the mix on Thursday."
Arizona State's Connor Williams and Jose Luis Ballester are one-two in the race for medalist honors, and are the only players under par through 36 holes. Williams' afternoon 66, the best round Tuesday, vaulted him into first with a 4-under 136 score, with Ballester in with a 68-71—139 effort.
The third round is slated for Wednesday; Colorado will be paired with the leaders – Arizona State, Oklahoma State and TCU –and will tee off in 12-minute intervals on No. 1 beginning at 7 a.m. MDT. The fourth and final round is set to get underway at 6 a.m. mountain time.
NOTES: While sunny skies prevailed all day, winds prevailed much of the day, gusting at times to 15-20 miles per hour … Overall, nine of the nation's top 50 (13 of the top 75) with 28 of the top 150 individuals are competing here (14 of the top 50) … The average score for all 160 rounds Tuesday 74.41; it was 74.74 in the morning, when just three players were under par and six even (with seven in the 80's), and 74.09 in the afternoon, with eight players in the red and five even (and nine 80-plus) … With so many premier golfers here, there were just two eagles recorded all day (one on each of the par-5 holes) … Overall through 36 holes, there are only two players under par, one that is in at even (and 32 at 10-over par or higher) … Colorado is playing the par-3's at 17-over (tied for 13th; ASU is first at 2-over) — the four add to 868 yards combined, incidentally, including No.8, a 251-yard monster) — but the par-4's third-best at 23-over (ASU tops here as well at 8-over); and the par-5's at even (tied for sixth; ASU and Kansas State are 4-under) … The Buffs made 19 birdies (first; ASU again ahead with 32) and 106 pars (eighth; Kansas and OSU have 115 to top the list). However, CU had the third-most bogeys (51; Arizona State had 34) and is tied for the third-fewest count of doubles or worse with four (OSU an TCU had three) … CU did see the team mark for most birdies in a season fall, as it now has 818, topping the 804 recorded in 2017-18.
The nation's fourth- and fifth-ranked teams have separated from the pack for now, with No. 4 Arizona State owning the lead at the midway point with a 1-over par 561 team total, while No. 5 Oklahoma State is four back at 5-over 565. No. 54 TCU holds third (20-over 560), followed by No. 34 Colorado in fourth (21-over 581) and No. 40 Houston (22-over 582) to round out the top five.
The Buffaloes were in a five-way tie for fourth after the morning round with a 15-over 295 tally, as Arizona State was the only team under par with a 3-under 277. That led Oklahoma State by nine strokes. Colorado got off to a sluggish start, scoring nine bogeys before its first birdie, and fluctuated between 11th and 13th place for a while before a few birdies zoomed it up into the top five late in the first round. CU's 6-over 286 then stood as the fourth-best posting by itself for the second round.
Going in, head coach Roy Edwards said that par would be a good score on most, if not all holes. That certainly proved to be the case, as birdies were few and far between but the Buffs for the most part avoided big numbers on the 7,556-yard, par-70 Southern Hills Country Club course (that's correct: 7,556 yards playing to a par-70 at 725 feet of altitude, a recipe for higher numbers for all).
In fact, all holes with the exception of the 632-yard, par-5 13th averaged over par Tuesday. The Buffs more or less held their own on the seven toughest (in order, Nos. 18, 8, 9, 10, 3, 7 and 15): CU played those at 18-over; Okie State played them the best at 12-over, while ASU did so at 15-over and TCU at 20-over.
Senior Dylan McDermott paced the Buffaloes here Tuesday, as he is tied for sixth, recording a 2-over 74-68—142 scorecard. After opening with a rare birdie-free 4-over 74, his highest score of the year, he came right back with a 2-under 68, one of just 11 subpar rounds all day. He worked his way into the red quickly in the second round, scoring a 3 on the 500-yard, par-4 2nd hole, and made the turn at 2-under after a birdie on No. 9. He then held steadfast down the stretch, closing with five pars and a birdie. It was the fourth time this year he shaved six or more strokes in the second round from his first round effort. He had three birdies and a team-high 28 pars and only five bogeys overall, while playing the par-5's even and both the par-3's and par-4's at 1-over.
Sophomore Ty Holbrook had a steady day as he ended tied for 19th after posting a 5-over par 73-72—145 effort. He had four birdies and 23 pars with nine bogeys, played the par-5's even, the par-4's at 2-over and the par-3's at 3-over. He had one back patch in each round, opening with three bogeys in his first five holes, and then after scoring a birdie on the 456-yard, par-4 12th hole to get to 2-under in the afternoon, bogeyed the next three holes in a row. He birdied his last hole in the first round but bogeyed it in the second.
Senior Justin Biwer is tied for 23rd after shooting a 6-over par 72-74—146 performance, the latter tying his high score for the year (both he and McDermott have the low "high" individual rounds in the conference this season through Tuesday). After opening with two quick bogeys and a birdie, he made the turn at 2-over before birdying Nos. 2, 4 and 7 to get into the red; but a double bogey on the 251-yard, par-3 8th hole sent him back to the unhappy side of par, where he remained the rest of the day. He had a team-high seven birdies to go with 17 pars, opposite 11 bogeys and a double. Most of his overage has come on the long and challenging par-3's (5-over), while playing the par-4's at 3-over and the par-5's at 2-under.
Junior Hunter Swanson is tied for 34th, fashioning a 76-72—148 (8-over par) scorecard Tuesday. After starting with three bogeys on his first five holes, he bounced back with his only birdie in the first round (on the 417-yard, par-4 15th). He closed the back nine with three straight pars, but opened the front with back-to-back bogeys, which in the second round, he sought out revenge and birdied both. Unfortunately, he ended the morning with bogeys and the afternoon with one, the latter after birdying the 371-yard, par-4 17th, one of just 17 on the hole throughout the day despite it being the shortest par-4 on the course.
Senior Tucker Clark never could get untracked all day, ending 75th with a 19-over 80-79—159 score. He struggled never getting a birdie putt to fall while recording 20 pars, 13 bogeys and three doubles. He was 2-over on the four par-5's combined, 4-over on the eight par-3's but 12-over on the par-4's.
Sophomore Brandon Knight is also on the trip as the sixth man who the coaches can substitute in for any number of reasons; he will switch out with Clark for Wednesday's third round.
"Overall a nice day, Edwards said. "The guys did a really good job of staying patient and engaged despite it being a very long day at the course and playing a world-class championship venue like Southern Hills, which is quite possibly the greatest site in modern championship golf.
"Dylan had a wonderful day and a tremendous afternoon round. Arizona State and Oklahoma State are up there right now, and it is tightly packed all around us, but if we focus on ourselves tomorrow we can move up the board and see if we can get into the mix on Thursday."
Arizona State's Connor Williams and Jose Luis Ballester are one-two in the race for medalist honors, and are the only players under par through 36 holes. Williams' afternoon 66, the best round Tuesday, vaulted him into first with a 4-under 136 score, with Ballester in with a 68-71—139 effort.
The third round is slated for Wednesday; Colorado will be paired with the leaders – Arizona State, Oklahoma State and TCU –and will tee off in 12-minute intervals on No. 1 beginning at 7 a.m. MDT. The fourth and final round is set to get underway at 6 a.m. mountain time.
NOTES: While sunny skies prevailed all day, winds prevailed much of the day, gusting at times to 15-20 miles per hour … Overall, nine of the nation's top 50 (13 of the top 75) with 28 of the top 150 individuals are competing here (14 of the top 50) … The average score for all 160 rounds Tuesday 74.41; it was 74.74 in the morning, when just three players were under par and six even (with seven in the 80's), and 74.09 in the afternoon, with eight players in the red and five even (and nine 80-plus) … With so many premier golfers here, there were just two eagles recorded all day (one on each of the par-5 holes) … Overall through 36 holes, there are only two players under par, one that is in at even (and 32 at 10-over par or higher) … Colorado is playing the par-3's at 17-over (tied for 13th; ASU is first at 2-over) — the four add to 868 yards combined, incidentally, including No.8, a 251-yard monster) — but the par-4's third-best at 23-over (ASU tops here as well at 8-over); and the par-5's at even (tied for sixth; ASU and Kansas State are 4-under) … The Buffs made 19 birdies (first; ASU again ahead with 32) and 106 pars (eighth; Kansas and OSU have 115 to top the list). However, CU had the third-most bogeys (51; Arizona State had 34) and is tied for the third-fewest count of doubles or worse with four (OSU an TCU had three) … CU did see the team mark for most birdies in a season fall, as it now has 818, topping the 804 recorded in 2017-18.
| BUFFALO INDIVIDUALS |
| T6. | Dylan McDermott | 74-68—142 |
| T19. | Ty Holbrook | 73-72—145 |
| T23. | Justin Biwer | 72-74—146 |
| T34. | Hunter Swanson | 76-72—148 |
| 75. | Tucker Clark | 80-79—159 |
| INDIVIDUAL LEADERS |
| 1. | Connor Williams, Arizona State | 70-66—136 |
| 2. | Jose Luis Ballester, Arizona State | 68-71—139 |
| 3. | Preston Stout, Oklahoma State | 70-70—140 |
| T4. | Michael Mjaaseth, Arizona State | 69-72—141 |
| T4. | Wolfgang Glawe, Houston | 70-71—141 |
| T6. | Dylan McDermott, Colorado | 74-68—142 |
| TEAM STANDINGS |
| 1. | Arizona State | 277-284—561 |
| 2. | Oklahoma State | 286-279—565 |
| 3. | TCU | 297-283—580 |
| 4. | COLORADO | 295-286—581 |
| 5. | Houston | 295-287—582 |
| 6. | Cincinnati | 290-294—584 |
| 7. | Arizona | 299-288—587 |
| 7. | Brigham Young | 291-296--587 |
| 7. | Texas Tech | 299-288—587 |
| 7. | Kansas State | 295-292—587 |
| 11. | Kansas | 295-297—592 |
| 12. | Utah | 295-299—594 |
| 13. | Baylor | 300-301—601 |
| 14. | West Virginia | 302-300—602 |
| T15. | Iowa State | 306-297—603 |
| T15. | Central Florida | 298-305—603 |
Players Mentioned
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