Monday, May 12
Bremerton, Wash.
All Day
Colorado
vs
First Round
McDermott scored two of Monday's 10 eagles in the first round.
Photo by: Ashton Scott
Golfers Open In Third At NCAA Northwest/Washington Regional
May 12, 2025 | Men's Golf
McDermott Scores Two Eagles; Four Buffs In Top 25
BREMERTON, Wash. — The University of Colorado men's golf team had a strong opening round here Monday and stand in third place after the first round of the NCAA's Northwest/Washington Regional.
The top five teams out of 14 competing here will advance to the NCAA Finals later this month.
Second-seeded No. 8-ranked Florida created some mild separation after one round, building a seven-shot lead with a 9-under 279 team score. Those same seven strokes then separate the next six teams, with top seed (and No. 5) Arizona State second with a 2-under 286, followed the No. 32 and sixth-seeded Buffaloes at 1-over 289. No. 57 Kansas State and No. 29 South Florida, the fourth- and ninth-seeds, are tied for fourth at 2-over 290. The third- and fourth seeds, No. 17 Utah and No. 20 South Carolina are right behind with 3-over 291 and 5-over 293 totals
After all five Buffs finished the 515-yard, par-5 14th holes – when CU logged an eagle and three birdies – Colorado leapfrogged temporarily into lead for about half an hour, first at 4-under par and two up on Florida and topping out at 5-under at one point. But the four players who scored for CU on Monday were fairly steady, avoiding big numbers as they totaled two eagles, 14 birdies, 37 pars and 19 bogeys overall.
Senior Dylan McDermott is leading the CU attack, as he is tied for seventh with a 2-under par 70, one of just 13 subpar rounds Monday on the 7,167-yard, par-72 Olympic Course at Gold Mountain Golf Club. He recorded two eagles – on the par-5 6th and 14th holes – the only player in the 75-man field to score two (out of only 10 overall). He made the turn at 4-under, but got a bit off kilter opening the front nine with bogeys on Nos. 1, 3 and 4. The eagle on 6 got him back on track, though he closed bogey-par-par. In addition to the pair of eagles, he had three birdies and eight pars opposite five bogeys. He's one of four players playing the par-5's the best at 4-under, and he is the only player in the red on the par-3's at 1-under; he's plus-4 on the par-4's.
Three Buffaloes fashioned 1-under par-73's, and thus are all tied for 24th; Colorado joined Florida as the only teams with four players in the top 25 through 18 holes.
Senior Justin Biwer opened strong with birdies on Nos. 12 and 14, making the turn at 1-under after a bogey on No. 16. But a stretch of back-to-back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 3, 4 and 5 pushed him to plus-2 before he birdied the par-3 8th to get to his version of the 73. He did do something no one else accomplished in the first round – he was the only player to birdie the monster 251-yard, par-3 12th hole. He reached the green with a blistering, arching drive with a 7-wood and then drained a 30-foot putt for the 2. He tied for the team-high with 11 pars Monday, and played the par-3's even (two birdies, two bogeys), the par-5's at 1-under and the par-4's at 2-over.
Junior Hunter Swanson started on No. 10 like the others and opened bogey-birdie-bogey-par-birdie, returning to even five holes in; he made the turn at 1-under after birdying the short, 325-yard, par-4 18th hole (as three other Buffs did out of the 20 in the field that did so). But he dropped off a bit on the front side, back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 2 and 3 that lifted him back over par, where he eventually finished. He had a team-high four birdies, nine pars and five bogeys, three of the birds on the par-5's which he played at 2-under. He was 1-over on the par-3's and plus-2 on the par-4's.
Sophomore Ty Holbrook also arrived at his 73 in the same fashion as Swanson – team-high four birdies, nine pars and five bogeys. He also got off to a rocky start, bogeying three of his first four holes (Nos. 10, 12 and 13), but rallied to birdie three of the last five on that nine (Nos. 14, 15 and 18) to get back to even. Then after scoring his fourth birdie on the round on the 481-yard, par-4 3rd hole he was in red numbers, until he returned to the unhappy side of par for the day with back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 7 and 8 before closing with a par. He was 1-under on the par-5's, even on the par-4's and 2-over on the par-3's.
Sophomore Brandon Knight is tied for 52nd after opening with a 5-over 77; he got off to a slow start and was 3-over two-thirds of the way through his round when he birdied two of three holes (Nos. 4 and 6) to get back to 1-under. But after bogeying the 462-yard, par-4 7th, he tripled the 207-yard, par-3 8th to spike up to plus-5 on the day. The par-3's were his nemesis on the day, playing them at 5-over; he was 1-under under on the par-5's and plus-1 on the par-4's.
Senior Jack Holland is the sixth Buffalo on the trip, as the NCAA instituted a format change in 2018 allowing for teams to bring an alternate player who can substitute in for any round due to illness, injury or for a player simply struggling.
"The guys did a great job battling today, "head coach Roy Edwards said. "A big goal we had set going in was to really focus on the shot and task at hand, and I thought they did that really well. We had a rough patch on our second nine on some hard holes, but we managed it really well. We just need to keep doing the same thing tomorrow.'
Florida's Luke Poulter and Kansas State's Cooper Schultz are atop the leaderboard after the first round with a 4-under 68's, with four others one back with 3-under 69's.
The second round is set for Tuesday; Colorado will be paired with Florida and Arizona State and will tee off in 11-minute intervals on No. 1 beginning at 9 a.m. MDT. The third and final round will be played Wednesday.
NOTES: It was a crisp 52 degrees with partly cloudy skies when the Buffs teed off at 8:30 a.m. local time … CU's 1-over 289 tied for the school's 10th-best round in relation to par out of 73 regional rounds … Biwer officially became the eighth Buffalo to play in for NCAA Championships (regionals and finals), and his 13th NCAA round Monday tid for the fourth-most in school history … The average score for all 75 rounds Monday was 74.61; there are 13 players under par and 10 others who are even at present … The par-3's here (Nos. 8, 12, 16 and 5) add to 818 yards, but a reminder the course is 39 feet above sea level and thus are playing as four of the toughest eight holes after one round … The eight toughest holes in the first round, in order, were Nos. 7, 8, 12, 3, 16, 17, 1 and 5; Florida and Arizona State's scorers played them the best at 6-over; CU was next at 8-over, then Kansas State at 9-over (USF was plus-11) … Colorado played the par-3's at 7-over (fifth), the par-4's at 8-over (seventh) and the par-5's at 9-under (third) … The Buffs are first in eagles (2), tied for fourth in birdies (16; Florida leads with 21), is 13th in pars (48; Arizona State leads with 61), is 10th in fewest bogeys (23; Florida had just 12) and is tied for first in fewest holes worse than bogey (1) … Twelve of the 18 holes played over par in the first round, a 13th at even; the par-5 14th was the easiest (-0.51; CU was 5-under on the hole with an eagle and three birdies) … Tennessee leads the Amherst Regional after two rounds, as it was moved up a day due to expected weather (-4); the other regional leaders after 18 holes are Florida State (-14), Auburn (-13), Illinois (-7) and Texas (+2) … The NCAA Finals are scheduled for May 23-28 in Carlsbad, Calif. (the University of Texas will host at Omni La Costa Resort Champions Course).
The top five teams out of 14 competing here will advance to the NCAA Finals later this month.
Second-seeded No. 8-ranked Florida created some mild separation after one round, building a seven-shot lead with a 9-under 279 team score. Those same seven strokes then separate the next six teams, with top seed (and No. 5) Arizona State second with a 2-under 286, followed the No. 32 and sixth-seeded Buffaloes at 1-over 289. No. 57 Kansas State and No. 29 South Florida, the fourth- and ninth-seeds, are tied for fourth at 2-over 290. The third- and fourth seeds, No. 17 Utah and No. 20 South Carolina are right behind with 3-over 291 and 5-over 293 totals
After all five Buffs finished the 515-yard, par-5 14th holes – when CU logged an eagle and three birdies – Colorado leapfrogged temporarily into lead for about half an hour, first at 4-under par and two up on Florida and topping out at 5-under at one point. But the four players who scored for CU on Monday were fairly steady, avoiding big numbers as they totaled two eagles, 14 birdies, 37 pars and 19 bogeys overall.
Senior Dylan McDermott is leading the CU attack, as he is tied for seventh with a 2-under par 70, one of just 13 subpar rounds Monday on the 7,167-yard, par-72 Olympic Course at Gold Mountain Golf Club. He recorded two eagles – on the par-5 6th and 14th holes – the only player in the 75-man field to score two (out of only 10 overall). He made the turn at 4-under, but got a bit off kilter opening the front nine with bogeys on Nos. 1, 3 and 4. The eagle on 6 got him back on track, though he closed bogey-par-par. In addition to the pair of eagles, he had three birdies and eight pars opposite five bogeys. He's one of four players playing the par-5's the best at 4-under, and he is the only player in the red on the par-3's at 1-under; he's plus-4 on the par-4's.
Three Buffaloes fashioned 1-under par-73's, and thus are all tied for 24th; Colorado joined Florida as the only teams with four players in the top 25 through 18 holes.
Senior Justin Biwer opened strong with birdies on Nos. 12 and 14, making the turn at 1-under after a bogey on No. 16. But a stretch of back-to-back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 3, 4 and 5 pushed him to plus-2 before he birdied the par-3 8th to get to his version of the 73. He did do something no one else accomplished in the first round – he was the only player to birdie the monster 251-yard, par-3 12th hole. He reached the green with a blistering, arching drive with a 7-wood and then drained a 30-foot putt for the 2. He tied for the team-high with 11 pars Monday, and played the par-3's even (two birdies, two bogeys), the par-5's at 1-under and the par-4's at 2-over.
Junior Hunter Swanson started on No. 10 like the others and opened bogey-birdie-bogey-par-birdie, returning to even five holes in; he made the turn at 1-under after birdying the short, 325-yard, par-4 18th hole (as three other Buffs did out of the 20 in the field that did so). But he dropped off a bit on the front side, back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 2 and 3 that lifted him back over par, where he eventually finished. He had a team-high four birdies, nine pars and five bogeys, three of the birds on the par-5's which he played at 2-under. He was 1-over on the par-3's and plus-2 on the par-4's.
Sophomore Ty Holbrook also arrived at his 73 in the same fashion as Swanson – team-high four birdies, nine pars and five bogeys. He also got off to a rocky start, bogeying three of his first four holes (Nos. 10, 12 and 13), but rallied to birdie three of the last five on that nine (Nos. 14, 15 and 18) to get back to even. Then after scoring his fourth birdie on the round on the 481-yard, par-4 3rd hole he was in red numbers, until he returned to the unhappy side of par for the day with back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 7 and 8 before closing with a par. He was 1-under on the par-5's, even on the par-4's and 2-over on the par-3's.
Sophomore Brandon Knight is tied for 52nd after opening with a 5-over 77; he got off to a slow start and was 3-over two-thirds of the way through his round when he birdied two of three holes (Nos. 4 and 6) to get back to 1-under. But after bogeying the 462-yard, par-4 7th, he tripled the 207-yard, par-3 8th to spike up to plus-5 on the day. The par-3's were his nemesis on the day, playing them at 5-over; he was 1-under under on the par-5's and plus-1 on the par-4's.
Senior Jack Holland is the sixth Buffalo on the trip, as the NCAA instituted a format change in 2018 allowing for teams to bring an alternate player who can substitute in for any round due to illness, injury or for a player simply struggling.
"The guys did a great job battling today, "head coach Roy Edwards said. "A big goal we had set going in was to really focus on the shot and task at hand, and I thought they did that really well. We had a rough patch on our second nine on some hard holes, but we managed it really well. We just need to keep doing the same thing tomorrow.'
Florida's Luke Poulter and Kansas State's Cooper Schultz are atop the leaderboard after the first round with a 4-under 68's, with four others one back with 3-under 69's.
The second round is set for Tuesday; Colorado will be paired with Florida and Arizona State and will tee off in 11-minute intervals on No. 1 beginning at 9 a.m. MDT. The third and final round will be played Wednesday.
NOTES: It was a crisp 52 degrees with partly cloudy skies when the Buffs teed off at 8:30 a.m. local time … CU's 1-over 289 tied for the school's 10th-best round in relation to par out of 73 regional rounds … Biwer officially became the eighth Buffalo to play in for NCAA Championships (regionals and finals), and his 13th NCAA round Monday tid for the fourth-most in school history … The average score for all 75 rounds Monday was 74.61; there are 13 players under par and 10 others who are even at present … The par-3's here (Nos. 8, 12, 16 and 5) add to 818 yards, but a reminder the course is 39 feet above sea level and thus are playing as four of the toughest eight holes after one round … The eight toughest holes in the first round, in order, were Nos. 7, 8, 12, 3, 16, 17, 1 and 5; Florida and Arizona State's scorers played them the best at 6-over; CU was next at 8-over, then Kansas State at 9-over (USF was plus-11) … Colorado played the par-3's at 7-over (fifth), the par-4's at 8-over (seventh) and the par-5's at 9-under (third) … The Buffs are first in eagles (2), tied for fourth in birdies (16; Florida leads with 21), is 13th in pars (48; Arizona State leads with 61), is 10th in fewest bogeys (23; Florida had just 12) and is tied for first in fewest holes worse than bogey (1) … Twelve of the 18 holes played over par in the first round, a 13th at even; the par-5 14th was the easiest (-0.51; CU was 5-under on the hole with an eagle and three birdies) … Tennessee leads the Amherst Regional after two rounds, as it was moved up a day due to expected weather (-4); the other regional leaders after 18 holes are Florida State (-14), Auburn (-13), Illinois (-7) and Texas (+2) … The NCAA Finals are scheduled for May 23-28 in Carlsbad, Calif. (the University of Texas will host at Omni La Costa Resort Champions Course).
| BUFFALO INDIVIDUALS |
| T7. | Dylan McDermott | 38-32—70 |
| T24. | Justin Biwer | 38-35—73 |
| T24. | Hunter Swanson | 38-35—73 |
| T24. | Ty Holbrook | 37-36—73 |
| T52. | Brandon Knight | 39-38—77 |
| INDIVIDUAL LEADERS |
| 1. | Luke Poulter, Florida | 33-35—68 |
| 2. | Cooper Schultz, Kansas State | 34-34—68 |
| T3. | Peer Wernicke, Arizona State | 34-35—69 |
| T3. | Matthew Kress, Florida | 36-33—69 |
| T3. | Gabriel Palacios, Utah | 37-32—69 |
| T3. | Will Koch, Seattle | 37-32—69 |
| TEAM STANDINGS |
| 1. | Florida | 279 |
| 2. | Arizona State | 286 |
| 3. | COLORADO | 289 |
| T4. | Kansas State | 290 |
| T4. | South Florida | 290 |
| 6. | Utah | 291 |
| 7. | South Carolina | 293 |
| 8. | Colorado State | 295 |
| 9. | Kansas | 297 |
| 10. | Charlotte | 298 |
| 11. | Seattle | 303 |
| 12. | Oral Roberts | 307 |
| 13. | Elon | 309 |
| 14. | Coastal Carolina | 311 |
Players Mentioned
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