Tuesday, May 13
Bremerton, Wash.
All Day
Colorado
vs
Second Round
Swanson conquered Gold Mountain with a 4-under 68 Tuesday.
Photo by: Ashton Scott
Buffaloes In Fourth Through Two Rounds Of NCAA Northwest Regional
May 13, 2025 | Men's Golf
Top Five Advance to NCAA Finals; Swanson Fires 4-under 68
BREMERTON, Wash. — The University of Colorado men's golf team, thanks to a late rally, moved down just one notch into fourth place after the second round was completed here Tuesday in the NCAA's Northwest/Washington Regional.
Second-seeded and No. 8-ranked Florida continued to hold the lead, expanding it to nine strokes over top seed and No. 5 Arizona State, as the two separated from the other 12 teams in the field. The Gators posted the best team round of the event – a 16-under 272 – to stand at 25-under par 551 through 36 holes. The Sun Devils hung in a with a 14-under 274 for a 16-under 560. But then 14 strokes separate the two from the remainder of the field. No. 20 South Carolina, the fourth seed, moved into third, at 2-under 574 the only other school under par. The Buffaloes turned in an even-par round (288) for a 1-over 577 score, with Kansas State – the ninth-seed – in fifth with a 582 total.
The top five teams out of 14 competing here will advance to the NCAA Finals later this month. Lurking in sixth in Charlotte (583), with South Florida and Utah, tied for seventh (584) likely the only others at this stage within striking distance of the top 5,
After landing in third place after the first round (with a 1-over 289 team score), the Buffs got off to a slow start, dipping at times as low as seventh in the logjam that had formed between second and seventh. CU's score rose as high as 5-over, but dropped back down to even midway through the round before another rough patch ballooned the total to 5-over again.
But the four scorers for the Buffs Tuesday closed with six birdies with just one birdie on the last four holes, which enabled Colorado to finish with an even par round of 288, and thus, it's 1-over 577 total. In fact, CU's 5-under effort on Nos. 15- through 18 was better than the three teams ahead of it: Florida was 4-under, ASU 3-under and South Carolina 1-over.
Colorado has four players in the top 30 (actually the top 29) though 36 holes, matched by Arizona State (its four in top 13), Florida (four in top 16) and South Carolina (four in top 29).
Junior Hunter Swanson is tied for ninth with a 3-under 141 total after fashioning a second round, 4-under 68 on the 7,114-yard, par-72 Olympic Course at Gold Mountain Golf Club. After starting a bit slow (par-bogey), he finished up with 16 holes of par or better, which including five birdies. His first was on the 363-yard, par-4 4th hole to get back to even (one of only nine on the hole by the field), then after scoring a 4 on the 563-yard, par-5 6th, he would be in the red the remainder of the day. He opened the back nine with birds on Nos. 10 and 11, and made his final one on the 357-yard, par-4 15th. He was 2-under on both the par-4's and par-5's and was even on the par-3's.
The 68 tied the seventh-lowest score by a Buffalo in an NCAA event, the fifth-best in a regional competition. It was one of just nine rounds in the 60's on Tuesday; players from Florida, ASU and South Carolina each had two, CU and Utah one, as did an individual representing Rice.
Senior Dylan McDermott, who paced CU in the first round with a 2-under 70, had some uncharacteristic struggles in carding a 4-over 76 for a 2-over 146 total, tying him for 24th. While he had two birdies and a team-high 13 pars, two holes in particular inflated his score to what match his high round this season. First, a triple bogey on the par-4 4th – just his second triple of the season in 648 holes – and then a double on the 357-yard, par-4 15th accounted for his overage on the day, finishing at 6-over on the par-4 holes. Otherwise, he played the par-5's at 2-under and the par-3's even.
Sophomore Ty Holbrook, sometimes known for having a "rollercoaster" round at times, had one of those Tuesday but when all was said and done, finished with a second straight 1-over 73 for a 2-over 146, which also tied him for 24th. At 1-over par through four holes, he finished the front side going bogey-birdie-birdie-double-birdie for a 1-over 37. Settling down a bit, he made three pars to open the back nine and then birdied No. 13 to get back to even. But a triple bogey on the 515-yard, par-5 15th ballooned him back to plus-3; to his credit, he put that behind him and finished par-par-birdie-birdie (the bird on No. 17 one of just eight on the hole for the round). He thus had a team-high six birdies with eight pars opposite two bogeys, the double and triple. He's 5-over on the par-3's (which add to 818 yards here) but is 3-under on the par-4's (tied for fourth-best in the field) and even on the par-5's.
Senior Justin Biwer has yet to break through but has hung around par both days, as he is tied for 29th with a 3-over 147 total after a 2-over 74 on Tuesday. He made the turn at even with seven pars on the front nine, but scored three of his four bogeys on the back side. He's had a "love-hate" relationship with the par-3 holes here, with four birdies and four bogeys combined through two rounds (two each again in the second round). He otherwise was 2-over again on the par-4's and even on the par-5's, of which he is 1-under on after two days.
Sophomore Brandon Knight is tied for 45th after rallying with a 1-over 73 in round two for a 6-over 150 total; he was the "tale of two nines," opening his day with back-to-back birdies and with a double bogey on No. 7 followed by another bogey on No. 8, he made the turn with a 5-over 41. He then caught fire, scoring five birdies on the back nine (on all the even-numbered holes: 10, 12, 14, 16, 18) with one bogey to come home with a 4-under 32. He had eight pars with those birdies and played the par-3's at 1-under (after the same at 5-over on Monday), and also the par-5's at minus-1, the par-4's thus at 3-over.
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. He hasn't been activated the last two days.
"Incredibly proud of the team," head coach Roy Edwards said. "They really fought through some tough golf and squeezed out a great finish and ended up having a pretty good round, which is not what it was looking like midway through. Hunter played spectacularly, while Ty and Brandon had big comebacks. Dylan and Justin both played better than they scored. We are all looking forward to tomorrow. The guys know the stakes and it's vital to just focus on each of themselves and their own games."
Florida golfers own the top two spots in the individual race, with Matthew Kress tying the course record with a 7-under 65 to land at 10-under 134, while first round co-leader Luke Poulter shot a 67 Tuesday and is one back at 9-under 135. Utah's Braxton Watts is tied for third (6-under 138), but tops the field of those individuals not affiliated with a team in the top five, as that player will also advance to the NCAA Finals.
The third and final round is set for Wednesday; Colorado will be paired with Kansas State and Charlotte and will tee off in 11-minute intervals on No. 10 beginning at 9:30 a.m. MDT.
NOTES: The weather conditions were about the same, a tad warmer when play started – 54 degrees – again with partly cloudy skies when the Buffs teed off at 8 a.m. local time … Swanson has had a solid last couple of weeks: he won the state's Four-Ball Championship with former Buff Wes Erling and last Thursday was the medalist in U.S. Open Local Qualifying with a 6-under 66 at The Broadlands in Broomfield … In the 31 previous regionals that CU has participated in (23 as a full team), on 21 occasions the difference between fifth and sixth place was either one stroke (13 times), the other eight occasions the last qualifying team was decided in a playoff … The course was shortened some 53 yards just for the second round, with two par-3's slightly reduced (No. 12 from 251 yards to 227, No. 16 from 188 to 159); it will return to Monday's layout for Wednesday's final round … CU's even-par 288 tied was its third even-par round in its NCAA regional history, tied for the eighth-best overall in relation to par (now out of 74 regional rounds) … The average score for all 150 rounds is exactly 74.00; it was 73.39 for the second round after a 74.61 norm for the first… There are 15 players under par and five others who are even at present … The eight toughest holes in the second round, in order, were Nos. 7, 8, 12, 3, 1, 17, 13 and 16; the Buffs played them fairly well at just 6-over … Colorado is playing the par-3's at 9-over (fourth), the par-4's at 14-over (fifth) and the par-5's at 13-under (sixth) … The Buffs are tied for first in eagles (2), tied for fifth in birdies (36; Florida leads with 42), is tied for ninth in pars (101; Florida leads with 117), is sixth in fewest bogeys (35; Florida had just 18) and is fifth in fewest holes worse than bogey (6) … Eleven of the 18 holes continue to play over par through two rounds, two of the par-5's (6th and 14th) the easiest (-0.38 and -0.48, respectively; CU is 10-under combined on those two holes with two eagles and six birdies) … Vanderbilt (-3) won the expedited (due to weather concerns) Amherst Regional; the other regional leaders Florida State (-21), Auburn (-19), Illinois (-10) and BYU (-4) … 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).
Second-seeded and No. 8-ranked Florida continued to hold the lead, expanding it to nine strokes over top seed and No. 5 Arizona State, as the two separated from the other 12 teams in the field. The Gators posted the best team round of the event – a 16-under 272 – to stand at 25-under par 551 through 36 holes. The Sun Devils hung in a with a 14-under 274 for a 16-under 560. But then 14 strokes separate the two from the remainder of the field. No. 20 South Carolina, the fourth seed, moved into third, at 2-under 574 the only other school under par. The Buffaloes turned in an even-par round (288) for a 1-over 577 score, with Kansas State – the ninth-seed – in fifth with a 582 total.
The top five teams out of 14 competing here will advance to the NCAA Finals later this month. Lurking in sixth in Charlotte (583), with South Florida and Utah, tied for seventh (584) likely the only others at this stage within striking distance of the top 5,
After landing in third place after the first round (with a 1-over 289 team score), the Buffs got off to a slow start, dipping at times as low as seventh in the logjam that had formed between second and seventh. CU's score rose as high as 5-over, but dropped back down to even midway through the round before another rough patch ballooned the total to 5-over again.
But the four scorers for the Buffs Tuesday closed with six birdies with just one birdie on the last four holes, which enabled Colorado to finish with an even par round of 288, and thus, it's 1-over 577 total. In fact, CU's 5-under effort on Nos. 15- through 18 was better than the three teams ahead of it: Florida was 4-under, ASU 3-under and South Carolina 1-over.
Colorado has four players in the top 30 (actually the top 29) though 36 holes, matched by Arizona State (its four in top 13), Florida (four in top 16) and South Carolina (four in top 29).
Junior Hunter Swanson is tied for ninth with a 3-under 141 total after fashioning a second round, 4-under 68 on the 7,114-yard, par-72 Olympic Course at Gold Mountain Golf Club. After starting a bit slow (par-bogey), he finished up with 16 holes of par or better, which including five birdies. His first was on the 363-yard, par-4 4th hole to get back to even (one of only nine on the hole by the field), then after scoring a 4 on the 563-yard, par-5 6th, he would be in the red the remainder of the day. He opened the back nine with birds on Nos. 10 and 11, and made his final one on the 357-yard, par-4 15th. He was 2-under on both the par-4's and par-5's and was even on the par-3's.
The 68 tied the seventh-lowest score by a Buffalo in an NCAA event, the fifth-best in a regional competition. It was one of just nine rounds in the 60's on Tuesday; players from Florida, ASU and South Carolina each had two, CU and Utah one, as did an individual representing Rice.
Senior Dylan McDermott, who paced CU in the first round with a 2-under 70, had some uncharacteristic struggles in carding a 4-over 76 for a 2-over 146 total, tying him for 24th. While he had two birdies and a team-high 13 pars, two holes in particular inflated his score to what match his high round this season. First, a triple bogey on the par-4 4th – just his second triple of the season in 648 holes – and then a double on the 357-yard, par-4 15th accounted for his overage on the day, finishing at 6-over on the par-4 holes. Otherwise, he played the par-5's at 2-under and the par-3's even.
Sophomore Ty Holbrook, sometimes known for having a "rollercoaster" round at times, had one of those Tuesday but when all was said and done, finished with a second straight 1-over 73 for a 2-over 146, which also tied him for 24th. At 1-over par through four holes, he finished the front side going bogey-birdie-birdie-double-birdie for a 1-over 37. Settling down a bit, he made three pars to open the back nine and then birdied No. 13 to get back to even. But a triple bogey on the 515-yard, par-5 15th ballooned him back to plus-3; to his credit, he put that behind him and finished par-par-birdie-birdie (the bird on No. 17 one of just eight on the hole for the round). He thus had a team-high six birdies with eight pars opposite two bogeys, the double and triple. He's 5-over on the par-3's (which add to 818 yards here) but is 3-under on the par-4's (tied for fourth-best in the field) and even on the par-5's.
Senior Justin Biwer has yet to break through but has hung around par both days, as he is tied for 29th with a 3-over 147 total after a 2-over 74 on Tuesday. He made the turn at even with seven pars on the front nine, but scored three of his four bogeys on the back side. He's had a "love-hate" relationship with the par-3 holes here, with four birdies and four bogeys combined through two rounds (two each again in the second round). He otherwise was 2-over again on the par-4's and even on the par-5's, of which he is 1-under on after two days.
Sophomore Brandon Knight is tied for 45th after rallying with a 1-over 73 in round two for a 6-over 150 total; he was the "tale of two nines," opening his day with back-to-back birdies and with a double bogey on No. 7 followed by another bogey on No. 8, he made the turn with a 5-over 41. He then caught fire, scoring five birdies on the back nine (on all the even-numbered holes: 10, 12, 14, 16, 18) with one bogey to come home with a 4-under 32. He had eight pars with those birdies and played the par-3's at 1-under (after the same at 5-over on Monday), and also the par-5's at minus-1, the par-4's thus at 3-over.
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. He hasn't been activated the last two days.
"Incredibly proud of the team," head coach Roy Edwards said. "They really fought through some tough golf and squeezed out a great finish and ended up having a pretty good round, which is not what it was looking like midway through. Hunter played spectacularly, while Ty and Brandon had big comebacks. Dylan and Justin both played better than they scored. We are all looking forward to tomorrow. The guys know the stakes and it's vital to just focus on each of themselves and their own games."
Florida golfers own the top two spots in the individual race, with Matthew Kress tying the course record with a 7-under 65 to land at 10-under 134, while first round co-leader Luke Poulter shot a 67 Tuesday and is one back at 9-under 135. Utah's Braxton Watts is tied for third (6-under 138), but tops the field of those individuals not affiliated with a team in the top five, as that player will also advance to the NCAA Finals.
The third and final round is set for Wednesday; Colorado will be paired with Kansas State and Charlotte and will tee off in 11-minute intervals on No. 10 beginning at 9:30 a.m. MDT.
NOTES: The weather conditions were about the same, a tad warmer when play started – 54 degrees – again with partly cloudy skies when the Buffs teed off at 8 a.m. local time … Swanson has had a solid last couple of weeks: he won the state's Four-Ball Championship with former Buff Wes Erling and last Thursday was the medalist in U.S. Open Local Qualifying with a 6-under 66 at The Broadlands in Broomfield … In the 31 previous regionals that CU has participated in (23 as a full team), on 21 occasions the difference between fifth and sixth place was either one stroke (13 times), the other eight occasions the last qualifying team was decided in a playoff … The course was shortened some 53 yards just for the second round, with two par-3's slightly reduced (No. 12 from 251 yards to 227, No. 16 from 188 to 159); it will return to Monday's layout for Wednesday's final round … CU's even-par 288 tied was its third even-par round in its NCAA regional history, tied for the eighth-best overall in relation to par (now out of 74 regional rounds) … The average score for all 150 rounds is exactly 74.00; it was 73.39 for the second round after a 74.61 norm for the first… There are 15 players under par and five others who are even at present … The eight toughest holes in the second round, in order, were Nos. 7, 8, 12, 3, 1, 17, 13 and 16; the Buffs played them fairly well at just 6-over … Colorado is playing the par-3's at 9-over (fourth), the par-4's at 14-over (fifth) and the par-5's at 13-under (sixth) … The Buffs are tied for first in eagles (2), tied for fifth in birdies (36; Florida leads with 42), is tied for ninth in pars (101; Florida leads with 117), is sixth in fewest bogeys (35; Florida had just 18) and is fifth in fewest holes worse than bogey (6) … Eleven of the 18 holes continue to play over par through two rounds, two of the par-5's (6th and 14th) the easiest (-0.38 and -0.48, respectively; CU is 10-under combined on those two holes with two eagles and six birdies) … Vanderbilt (-3) won the expedited (due to weather concerns) Amherst Regional; the other regional leaders Florida State (-21), Auburn (-19), Illinois (-10) and BYU (-4) … 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 |
| T9. | Hunter Swanson | 73-68—141 |
| T24. | Ty Holbrook | 73-73—146 |
| T24. | Dylan McDermott | 70-76—146 |
| T29. | Justin Biwer | 73-74—147 |
| T45. | Brandon Knight | 77-73—150 |
| INDIVIDUAL LEADERS |
| 1. | Matthew Kress, Florida | 69-65—134 |
| 2. | Luke Poulter, Florida | 68-67—135 |
| T3. | Braxton Watts, Utah | 72-66—138 |
| T3. | Frankie Harris, South Carolina | 72-66—138 |
| T3. | Connor Williams, Arizona State | 73-65—138 |
| TEAM STANDINGS |
| 1. | Florida | 279-272—551 |
| 2. | Arizona State | 286-274—560 |
| 3. | South Carolina | 293-281—574 |
| 4. | COLORADO | 289-288—577 |
| 5. | Kansas State | 290-292—582 |
| ---Projected Third Round Cut--- | ||
| 6. | Charlotte | 298-285—583 |
| T7. | South Florida | 290-294—584 |
| T7. | Utah | 291-293—584 |
| 9. | Colorado State | 295-296—591 |
| 10. | Kansas | 297-295—592 |
| 11. | Seattle | 303-297—600 |
| 12. | Elon | 309-294—603 |
| 13. | Coastal Carolina | 311-293—604 |
| 14. | Oral Roberts | 307-300—607 |
Players Mentioned
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