Knight stands adjacent to the Southwestern Scoreboard and his line.
Photo by: Derek Tolan
Knight Paces CU Contingent At Southwestern Amateur
June 14, 2025 | Men's Golf, Women's Golf
Junior-to-be finished third; Fuller ties for 16th in representing CU women
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The four Buffaloes – three men and one woman -- who teed off here Saturday all recorded subpar scores in the final round of the 110th Annual Southwestern Amateur, one of the oldest and most prestigious events of its kind west of the Mississippi.
Junior-to-be Brandon Knight closed with a 6-under par 66 on the 7,107-yard, par-72 Outlaw Course at Desert Mountain Golf Club, tied for the second-lowest score of the day as he moved from a tie for ninth into sole possession of third place with a 12-under 276 total. That tied the third-best performance ever by a Buffalo in the event, matching teammate Hunter Swanson's effort here last year; Scott Petersen claimed the title in Albuquerque in 1993, while current associate head coach Derek Tolan finished second in Las Vegas in 2006.
Knight had an eagle (on the par-4 10th hole) and six birdies with nine pars and two bogeys, the latter coming back-to-back on Nos. 14 and 15, but at best that cost him a tie for second in the end; third round leader Hartej Grewal also shot a 66 to win the event with a 16-under 272.
"I putted pretty well all week, I had been working hard at that so I was glad to see it pay off," Knight said. "I got food poisoning from breakfast before the second round so I grinded through that during rounds two and three, but I felt better today and was able to post a good score. I hit 16 greens in the first round (when he shot a 68) and 17 today, which almost always leads to good things."
Fighting the illness, he hit just eight greens on Thursday en route to a 1-over 73 and 11 on Friday, when he still managed a 3-under 69. For the week, he recorded three eagles, 18 birdies and 40 pars, opposite 10 bogeys and one double.
Incoming USC transfer Jackson Rivera, who was in same threesome as Knight Saturday, closed strong with a 2-under 70 that inched him up into sixth place with a 9-under 279 count. Fully recovered from an injury that sidelined him most of the year for the Trojans, he is starting to return to the form when he was one of the nation's top freshmen and sophomores. He had four birdies and 13 pars Saturday – the only blemish a double bogey on the par-4 11th – and had 17 birdies and a tournament-high 49 pars with just four bogeys and two doubles.
The senior-to-be Swanson rallied after struggling Friday (a 5-over 77) and went the other direction with a 5-under 67 – a bogey-free round at that – in tying for 20th with a 5-under 283. He had five birdies and 13 pars in recording the fifth-best final round effort in the 39-man field here to wrap things here, nearly matching his second round 65, which was also a bogey-free effort. He had 19 birdies and 41 pars overall, with 10 bogeys and two doubles.
Sophomore-to-be Parker Paxton had been in a tie for second through three rounds after a 9-under scorecard of 72-66-69—207, but he withdrew after Friday's round to return home to Riverton, Wyo., to attend his grandfather's funeral. He was playing extremely well, with an eagle, 16 birdies and 31 pars opposite five bogeys and a double, but felt it was more important to return home to be with his family, catching a late flight out of Phoenix.
WOMEN'S 5TH ANNUAL SOUTHWESTERN
Colorado junior-to-be Carolyn Fuller, after opening with 5-over 77 in the first round, responded with her third straight subpar effort – a second straight 1-under 71 to finish with a 1-over 289 scorecard. That tied her for 16th place after moving up five spots in the standings for the second day in a row on Desert Mountain's 6,278-yard, par-72 layout for the women.
Of the 38 players that made the cut, she was one of just seven to record three subpar rounds in the event. After settling down quickly after bogeying the first three holes in the first round, she played the last 69 at 2-under, posting 17 birdies and 40 pars opposite 12 bogeys (just seven after the first round) and three doubles. Returning to play in her home state (she prepped at Phoenix's Pinnacle High School), she finished 10 out of the lead but just five strokes out of a top five finish – Charlotte's Pimchompoo Chaisilprungruang won by two strokes with a 9-under 279 effort.
Junior-to-be Brandon Knight closed with a 6-under par 66 on the 7,107-yard, par-72 Outlaw Course at Desert Mountain Golf Club, tied for the second-lowest score of the day as he moved from a tie for ninth into sole possession of third place with a 12-under 276 total. That tied the third-best performance ever by a Buffalo in the event, matching teammate Hunter Swanson's effort here last year; Scott Petersen claimed the title in Albuquerque in 1993, while current associate head coach Derek Tolan finished second in Las Vegas in 2006.
Knight had an eagle (on the par-4 10th hole) and six birdies with nine pars and two bogeys, the latter coming back-to-back on Nos. 14 and 15, but at best that cost him a tie for second in the end; third round leader Hartej Grewal also shot a 66 to win the event with a 16-under 272.
"I putted pretty well all week, I had been working hard at that so I was glad to see it pay off," Knight said. "I got food poisoning from breakfast before the second round so I grinded through that during rounds two and three, but I felt better today and was able to post a good score. I hit 16 greens in the first round (when he shot a 68) and 17 today, which almost always leads to good things."
Fighting the illness, he hit just eight greens on Thursday en route to a 1-over 73 and 11 on Friday, when he still managed a 3-under 69. For the week, he recorded three eagles, 18 birdies and 40 pars, opposite 10 bogeys and one double.
Incoming USC transfer Jackson Rivera, who was in same threesome as Knight Saturday, closed strong with a 2-under 70 that inched him up into sixth place with a 9-under 279 count. Fully recovered from an injury that sidelined him most of the year for the Trojans, he is starting to return to the form when he was one of the nation's top freshmen and sophomores. He had four birdies and 13 pars Saturday – the only blemish a double bogey on the par-4 11th – and had 17 birdies and a tournament-high 49 pars with just four bogeys and two doubles.
The senior-to-be Swanson rallied after struggling Friday (a 5-over 77) and went the other direction with a 5-under 67 – a bogey-free round at that – in tying for 20th with a 5-under 283. He had five birdies and 13 pars in recording the fifth-best final round effort in the 39-man field here to wrap things here, nearly matching his second round 65, which was also a bogey-free effort. He had 19 birdies and 41 pars overall, with 10 bogeys and two doubles.
Sophomore-to-be Parker Paxton had been in a tie for second through three rounds after a 9-under scorecard of 72-66-69—207, but he withdrew after Friday's round to return home to Riverton, Wyo., to attend his grandfather's funeral. He was playing extremely well, with an eagle, 16 birdies and 31 pars opposite five bogeys and a double, but felt it was more important to return home to be with his family, catching a late flight out of Phoenix.
WOMEN'S 5TH ANNUAL SOUTHWESTERN
Colorado junior-to-be Carolyn Fuller, after opening with 5-over 77 in the first round, responded with her third straight subpar effort – a second straight 1-under 71 to finish with a 1-over 289 scorecard. That tied her for 16th place after moving up five spots in the standings for the second day in a row on Desert Mountain's 6,278-yard, par-72 layout for the women.
Of the 38 players that made the cut, she was one of just seven to record three subpar rounds in the event. After settling down quickly after bogeying the first three holes in the first round, she played the last 69 at 2-under, posting 17 birdies and 40 pars opposite 12 bogeys (just seven after the first round) and three doubles. Returning to play in her home state (she prepped at Phoenix's Pinnacle High School), she finished 10 out of the lead but just five strokes out of a top five finish – Charlotte's Pimchompoo Chaisilprungruang won by two strokes with a 9-under 279 effort.
MEN'S LEADERS
| 1. | Hartej Grewal, UC Riverside | 71-68-67-66—272 |
| 2. | Matthew Javier, Southern Mississippi | 71-70-66-67—274 |
| 3. | Brandon Knight, Colorado | 68-73-69-66—276 |
| T4. | Kentaro Nanayama, Purdue | 68-68-72-70—278 |
| T4. | Charlie Wylie, TCU | 72-72-64-69—278 |
| 6. | Jackson Rivera, Colorado | 72-70-67-70—279 |
| T20. | Hunter Swanson, Colorado | 74-65-77-67—283 |
| WD. | Parker Paxton, Colorado | 72-66-69—207 |
| MC. | Ty Holbrook, Colorado | 73-75—148 |
WOMEN'S LEADERS
| 1. | Pimchompoo Chaisilprungruang, Charlotte | 73-68-69-69—279 |
| 2. | Kaili Xiao, Chino Hills, Calif. | 73-69-70-69—281 |
| T3. | Makayla Tyrrell, Oklahoma | 67-73-74-68—282 |
| T3. | Amy DeKock, Kansas | 73-71-68-70—282 |
| T16. | Carolyn Fuller, Colorado | 77-70-71-71—289 |
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
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