Colt Farrow was ahead in his match with one hole remaining to finish.
Buffaloes Open With Tie, Loss In Big 12 Match Play
October 12, 2026 | Men's Golf
Kansas State ties CU late; Houston got early edge and hung on
SALT LAKE CITY – The Colorado men's golf team opened competition here Monday in the Big 12 Conference Match Play Championship, earning a tie and suffering a loss in the two matches, though play was suspended late due to darkness.
In the morning match, it could have called a mini-Ryders Cup, as CU and Kansas State battled to a 2½-2½ tie. In the United State versus Europe, CU's five hailed from Colorado, California, Kansas, Texas and Wyoming, while K-State's quintet was from England, Finland, France, Sweden and Northern Ireland.
In the afternoon match versus Houston, the Buffs were trailing 3-2 when play was suspended; but the Cougars had completed three matches with wins while the Buffaloes were 1-up in the two others with three holes remaining between them.
"A disappointing day," lamented head coach Roy Edwards. "We played well against K-state and had a chance to get the win late but settled for a tie. We did compete well against Houston, but just didn't play well enough."
Senior Brandon Knight split his two matches. He won his morning match in dramatic fashion, as after tied through 17 holes with Kansas State's Erik Holmberg, on their last hole – the 379-yard, par-4 14th, after a monster drive, he holed out from 45 yards out for an eagle and to win 1-up. He led from the start and never trailed, only being tied on three occasions. With the eagle and four birdies – and no bogeys – he shot what amounted to a 6-under par 66 on the 7,209-yard, par-72 Salt Lake Country Club course.
Against Houston's Sacha Ruiz in the afternoon match, he fell behind at the start when Ruiz birdied the 171-yard, par-3 15th, and then dropped two back when he birdied 17. Both birdied 18 before heading to the front side, where Ruiz moved ahead by three after making a bird on the 183-yard, par-3 3rd hole. Knight knocked it right back to two when he birdied the 574-yard, par-5 4th, but slipped three back again after he made his first bogey of the day on 7 (his 29th hole Monday). Knight then birdied 9, Ruiz bogeyed 9 and the deficit was one as they moved to the back side. But Knight bogeyed 11 and Ruiz birdied 12 to go ahead by three, thus winning, 3 & 2.
Senior Ty Holbrook started with a loss on the 16th hole to KSU's Octavio Laurent, then won the next three holes going par-birdie-par. He would lead by as many as three holes, the last time after he birdied the 558-yard, par-5 8th. Laurent chipped away from there, pulling even through 12. Holbrook bounced back and made birdie on the 428-yard, par-4 13th and both parred 14. But a bogey on 15 when Laurent made par had the duo wind up halving the match.
Holbrook opened the afternoon pairing opposite Houston's Grant Doggett, starting again on 16 and parring the first holes with his fellow Texan, who went ahead after he birdies 18. Moving over to the front side, Holbrook birdied the long par-3 1st, then went 21up when Doggett bogeyed 2. After back-to-back birdies on 5 and 6, Holbrook was three ahead, but a bogey on 9 lowered his lead to two as they headed to the back nine. The lead was cut to one after Doggett birdied 11, then was briefly tied after Holbrook bogeyed 12 but he regained the lead when Doggett bogeyed 13. They had two holes to play when the horn sounded to suspend play.
Junior Asher Whitaker also split two matches. He started with a 1-up win against K-State's Oliver Toyer. He birdied his opening hole (14) to go 1-up, then bogeyed his second and the match would be tied for 10 of the next 15 holes; Toyer would go 1-up on three occasions but Whitaker came back tied the match each time on the next hole. Whitaker assumed the lead for good when he made par on the 195-yard, par-3 11th hole. Both then made an eagle on the 508-yard, par-5 13th and par on the 428-yard, par-4 13th to end the match.
Against Cougar Sebastian Gamboa in match two, he was chasing him from the start, losing their first hole (14) when Gamboa birdied, and the falling two back when he bogeyed 17. The two then matched wits – and scores – the next eight holes until Whitaker birdied the 9th to get back to within one. After three more draws, Gamboa birdied 12 while Whitaker made par to win 2 & 1.
Sophomore Tyler Long dropped both his matches. It was in a nip-and-tuck battle with KSU's Fionn Dobbin in his first match, as the two were tied most of the round until late. After tying the first four holes starting on No. 15, Long took the lead with a birdie on the 252-yard, Par-3 1st hole, but was tied when Dobbin birdied 2. Long went up by one again after making a birdie on the 558-yard, par-5 8th hole and held it after they both parred 9. After both made pars on 10 and 11, Dobbin birdied 12 and 13, with Long going par-bogey, thus Dobbin winning 2 & 1.
The second time around SLCC he was matched up against the Cougars' Hsuan-Yi Chen and a rough start, as after both made par on 15, he lost three of the first four holes. He closed two within two after he birdied the 427-yard 6th hole while Chen made double but fell four back after Chen bounced right back with two birdies on 7 and 8. Chen then doubled again on 9 while Long made par; but Yi-Chen iced the win with a birdie on the 195-yard, par-4 11th.
Junior Parker Paxton in his morning match, he fell behind on the third hole and then lost the fourth and was forced to play catch-up before eventually succumbing to Kansas State's Ville Virkkala, 4 & 3.
Freshman Colt Farrow sat out the first round and was inserted for Paxton for the afternoon matches. Starting on 14 playing against UH's Chi Chun, after both made par on the firs two holes, Farrow birdied the 295-yard, par-4 16th, and then maintained that hole edge until he made a par on the 427-yard, par-4 7th hole while Chun bogeyed, and then moved to 3-up when he birdied the 8th. His lead was down to one hole when he bogeyed 9, and after matching scores the next two holes, Farrow was 1-up after Chun birdied 12; they had 13 left to play when the suspension hit.
Pool B play will conclude Tuesday morning, first with completion of the unfinished matches; CU will then square off against second-seeded Texas Tech in a shotgun start at 8 a.m.. Depending on where it finishes in the pool standings, bracket play then begins and CU will cross over and play its similar counterpart in Pool C (#3 Arizona State, $6 BYU, #11 Utah or #14 Iowa State) in the afternoon. Place matches will wrap up the event on Wednesday.
NOTES: As expected. It was a bit chilly at the start of the day – 51 degrees – warming only to 55; light rain and minor wind (8-10 miles per hour) was prevalent early on, with rain falling on and off as the day progressed and ending with the temps in the upper 40's … Houston had a foreign flavor as well, with just one American, two from Taiwan and one each from France and Mexico; with Farrow in the afternoon lineup, that had two Buffs from Kansas in the lineup (Whitaker) … Match play has become a bit more common in the last few years; CU is now 12-11-1 in dual matches in 21 seasons under Edwards … The Buffs are now 2-1-1 against Kansas State and 0-2 versus Houston all-time head-to-head in duals and/or match play (prior to Monday last facing off against both before the 1970's) ... CU is 1-0 all-time in the same versus Texas Tech, Tuesday morning's opponent (the Buffs upset the No. 14 Red Raiders two years ago in the Big 12 Match Play at Hockley, Texas).
Big 12 Match Play Championship ResultsIn the morning match, it could have called a mini-Ryders Cup, as CU and Kansas State battled to a 2½-2½ tie. In the United State versus Europe, CU's five hailed from Colorado, California, Kansas, Texas and Wyoming, while K-State's quintet was from England, Finland, France, Sweden and Northern Ireland.
In the afternoon match versus Houston, the Buffs were trailing 3-2 when play was suspended; but the Cougars had completed three matches with wins while the Buffaloes were 1-up in the two others with three holes remaining between them.
"A disappointing day," lamented head coach Roy Edwards. "We played well against K-state and had a chance to get the win late but settled for a tie. We did compete well against Houston, but just didn't play well enough."
Senior Brandon Knight split his two matches. He won his morning match in dramatic fashion, as after tied through 17 holes with Kansas State's Erik Holmberg, on their last hole – the 379-yard, par-4 14th, after a monster drive, he holed out from 45 yards out for an eagle and to win 1-up. He led from the start and never trailed, only being tied on three occasions. With the eagle and four birdies – and no bogeys – he shot what amounted to a 6-under par 66 on the 7,209-yard, par-72 Salt Lake Country Club course.
Against Houston's Sacha Ruiz in the afternoon match, he fell behind at the start when Ruiz birdied the 171-yard, par-3 15th, and then dropped two back when he birdied 17. Both birdied 18 before heading to the front side, where Ruiz moved ahead by three after making a bird on the 183-yard, par-3 3rd hole. Knight knocked it right back to two when he birdied the 574-yard, par-5 4th, but slipped three back again after he made his first bogey of the day on 7 (his 29th hole Monday). Knight then birdied 9, Ruiz bogeyed 9 and the deficit was one as they moved to the back side. But Knight bogeyed 11 and Ruiz birdied 12 to go ahead by three, thus winning, 3 & 2.
Senior Ty Holbrook started with a loss on the 16th hole to KSU's Octavio Laurent, then won the next three holes going par-birdie-par. He would lead by as many as three holes, the last time after he birdied the 558-yard, par-5 8th. Laurent chipped away from there, pulling even through 12. Holbrook bounced back and made birdie on the 428-yard, par-4 13th and both parred 14. But a bogey on 15 when Laurent made par had the duo wind up halving the match.
Holbrook opened the afternoon pairing opposite Houston's Grant Doggett, starting again on 16 and parring the first holes with his fellow Texan, who went ahead after he birdies 18. Moving over to the front side, Holbrook birdied the long par-3 1st, then went 21up when Doggett bogeyed 2. After back-to-back birdies on 5 and 6, Holbrook was three ahead, but a bogey on 9 lowered his lead to two as they headed to the back nine. The lead was cut to one after Doggett birdied 11, then was briefly tied after Holbrook bogeyed 12 but he regained the lead when Doggett bogeyed 13. They had two holes to play when the horn sounded to suspend play.
Junior Asher Whitaker also split two matches. He started with a 1-up win against K-State's Oliver Toyer. He birdied his opening hole (14) to go 1-up, then bogeyed his second and the match would be tied for 10 of the next 15 holes; Toyer would go 1-up on three occasions but Whitaker came back tied the match each time on the next hole. Whitaker assumed the lead for good when he made par on the 195-yard, par-3 11th hole. Both then made an eagle on the 508-yard, par-5 13th and par on the 428-yard, par-4 13th to end the match.
Against Cougar Sebastian Gamboa in match two, he was chasing him from the start, losing their first hole (14) when Gamboa birdied, and the falling two back when he bogeyed 17. The two then matched wits – and scores – the next eight holes until Whitaker birdied the 9th to get back to within one. After three more draws, Gamboa birdied 12 while Whitaker made par to win 2 & 1.
Sophomore Tyler Long dropped both his matches. It was in a nip-and-tuck battle with KSU's Fionn Dobbin in his first match, as the two were tied most of the round until late. After tying the first four holes starting on No. 15, Long took the lead with a birdie on the 252-yard, Par-3 1st hole, but was tied when Dobbin birdied 2. Long went up by one again after making a birdie on the 558-yard, par-5 8th hole and held it after they both parred 9. After both made pars on 10 and 11, Dobbin birdied 12 and 13, with Long going par-bogey, thus Dobbin winning 2 & 1.
The second time around SLCC he was matched up against the Cougars' Hsuan-Yi Chen and a rough start, as after both made par on 15, he lost three of the first four holes. He closed two within two after he birdied the 427-yard 6th hole while Chen made double but fell four back after Chen bounced right back with two birdies on 7 and 8. Chen then doubled again on 9 while Long made par; but Yi-Chen iced the win with a birdie on the 195-yard, par-4 11th.
Junior Parker Paxton in his morning match, he fell behind on the third hole and then lost the fourth and was forced to play catch-up before eventually succumbing to Kansas State's Ville Virkkala, 4 & 3.
Freshman Colt Farrow sat out the first round and was inserted for Paxton for the afternoon matches. Starting on 14 playing against UH's Chi Chun, after both made par on the firs two holes, Farrow birdied the 295-yard, par-4 16th, and then maintained that hole edge until he made a par on the 427-yard, par-4 7th hole while Chun bogeyed, and then moved to 3-up when he birdied the 8th. His lead was down to one hole when he bogeyed 9, and after matching scores the next two holes, Farrow was 1-up after Chun birdied 12; they had 13 left to play when the suspension hit.
Pool B play will conclude Tuesday morning, first with completion of the unfinished matches; CU will then square off against second-seeded Texas Tech in a shotgun start at 8 a.m.. Depending on where it finishes in the pool standings, bracket play then begins and CU will cross over and play its similar counterpart in Pool C (#3 Arizona State, $6 BYU, #11 Utah or #14 Iowa State) in the afternoon. Place matches will wrap up the event on Wednesday.
NOTES: As expected. It was a bit chilly at the start of the day – 51 degrees – warming only to 55; light rain and minor wind (8-10 miles per hour) was prevalent early on, with rain falling on and off as the day progressed and ending with the temps in the upper 40's … Houston had a foreign flavor as well, with just one American, two from Taiwan and one each from France and Mexico; with Farrow in the afternoon lineup, that had two Buffs from Kansas in the lineup (Whitaker) … Match play has become a bit more common in the last few years; CU is now 12-11-1 in dual matches in 21 seasons under Edwards … The Buffs are now 2-1-1 against Kansas State and 0-2 versus Houston all-time head-to-head in duals and/or match play (prior to Monday last facing off against both before the 1970's) ... CU is 1-0 all-time in the same versus Texas Tech, Tuesday morning's opponent (the Buffs upset the No. 14 Red Raiders two years ago in the Big 12 Match Play at Hockley, Texas).
Round One
No. 1 Oklahoma State def. No. 16 UCF, 5-0
No. 2 Texas Tech def. No. 15 Houston, 4-1
No. 3 Arizona State def. No. 14 Iowa State, 3½-1½
No. 4 Kansas def. No. 13 Baylor, 3-2
No. 12 West Virginia def. No. 5 TCU, 4-1
No. 6 BYU def. No. 11 Utah, 3-2
No. 7 Colorado def. No. 10 Kansas State, 3-2
No. 8 Cincinnati tied No. 9 Arizona, 2½-2½
Colorado 2½, Kansas State 2½ (tie)
Asher Whitaker (CU) def. Oliver Toyer, 1-up
Ville Virkkala (KSU) def. Parker Paxton (CU), 4 & 3
Brandon Knight (CU) def. Erik Holmberg, 1-up
Fionn Dobbin (KSU) def. Tyler Long, 2 & 1
Ty Holbrook (CU) halved Octavio Laurent
Round Two
No. 1 Oklahoma State leading No. 9 Arizona, 3-2 (4 matches undecided)
No. 2 Texas Tech tied with No. 10 Kansas State, 2½-2½ (4 matches undecided0
No. 3 Arizona State leading No. 11 Utah, 4-1 (1 match undecided)
No. 4 Kansas tied with No. 12 West Virginia, 2½-2½ (1 match undecided)
No. 5 TCU leading No. 13 Baylor, 3-2 (4 matches undecided)
No. 6 BYU tied with No. 14 Iowa State, 2½-2½ (4 matches undecided)
No. 15 Houston leading No. 7 Colorado (leading 3-2 (2 matches undecided)
No. 8 Cincinnati leading No. 16 UCF, 4-1 (1 match undecided)
Houston leading Colorado, 3-2
Sacha Ruiz (UH) def. Brandon Knight, 3 & 2
Ty Holbrook (CU) 1-up vs. Grant Doggett through 16
Hsuan-Yi-Chen (UH) def. Tyler Long, 4 & 3
Sebastian Gamboa (UH) def. Asher Whitaker, 2 & 1
Colt Farrow (CU) 1-up vs. Chi Chun through 17
Round Three Schedule (Tuesday a.m.)
No. 1 Oklahoma State (1-0) vs. No. 8 Cincinnati (1-0-1)
No. 2 Texas Tech (1-0) vs. No. 7 Colorado (0-1-1)
No. 3 Arizona State (2-0) vs. No. 6 BYU (1-0)
No. 4 Kansas (0-1) vs. No. 5 TCU (0-1)
No. 9 Arizona (0-1) vs. No. 16 UCF (0-2)
No. 10 Kansas State (0-0-1) vs. No. 15 Houston (1-1)
No. 11 Utah (0-2) vs. No. 14 Iowa State (0-1)
No. 12 West Virginia (0-1) vs. No. 13 Baylor (0-1)
Players Mentioned
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