University of Colorado Athletics
Biwer displays the trophy (Paul Bunyan's Ax) for winning in Brainerd.
Photo by: PGATOUR Americas
Men's Golf: Biwer Nets First Win; Summer Update #3
August 30, 2026 | Men's Golf, Alumni C Club
BOULDER – The last of three annual summer updates on happenings with the Colorado Buffalo men's golf program:
BIWER WINS FIRST PROFESSIONAL EVENTBRAINERD, Minn. – Back-to-back birdies on the 71st and 72nd holes lifted Justin Biwer ('25) to his first win as a professional here Sunday in the CRMC Championship presented by Northern Pacific Center in Brainerd, Minn.
Playing in his first season and in his ninth start on the PGATOUR Americas, he finished with a 22-under par scorecard of 65-61-65-67—258 on the Cragun's Legacy Course, a 7,491-yard, par-70 layout. Biwer entered Sunday's final round with a three-stroke lead He led by four at the midway point after a course record 9-under 61, his low round, high school, college or pro.
Tied for third after the first round, he assumed the lead midway through the second round and led by five shots at one point on Sunday. He made the turn at 4-under, which held until a double bogey on 13 and then a bogey on 16 dropped him into a tie with Bryan Lee, who had finished his round at 20-under. But he collected himself and made two long birdie putts to win in style, an 18-footer on the par-5 17th to retake the lead, with the icing on the cake a 30-footer on short, 108-yard, par-3 18th.
"I wasn't even trying to make that, I really just saw a 30-foot putt and said just get it close, make this, end it here," Biwer told the media afterward about his last birdie. "Saw the last five feet or so just tracking on the right side of the cup and it fell. I kind of just felt a huge wave of relief, we were finally done, I could just take a breath and now enjoy all of this. Hopefully celebrate a little bit with my family, my mom as well, and move on to the next one now. Enjoy this for the little bit that I have, but we have a few more tournaments left in the season to close everything out in a good way, so I'm looking forward to that as well."
"It was funny, with all the doubles that I've made, it almost feels like it kind of brought me back to reality and calmed me down because it was like, it's not over," Biwer said of his mindset when he learned he was tied for the lead. "I felt like it just kind of settled me down and basically said to myself like, 'Hey, like still got a couple more holes left.'"
"I feel like I really proved something to myself today, just all the work that I've been putting in," he added. "I've said that multiple times this week, being able to stay with it every day throughout the round … it's the reason why I'm standing here right now."
He played half the holes under par, scoring two eagles and 34 birdies (the latter easily the most in the field), with 27 pars opposite three bogeys, five doubles, and a triple. He minimized the damage of the six multiple bogeys by making an eagle and three birdies on the next hole. Biwer led the field in driving accuracy (92.3 percent, hitting 48 of 52 fairways) and in putts per greens-in-regulation (1,42).
With the win, not only did Biwer collect the $40,500 winner's share (in his 12th start as a pro), he is projected to move from No. 43 to No. 6 on the PGATOUR Americas Points List with just three events remaining in the race for 10 Korn Ferry Tour cards at season's end. He can earn it another way, as next up on his schedule is the first leg of the Korn Ferry Tour Finals – the Simmons Bank Open in Franklin, Tenn. (Sept. 10-13).
Earlier in the month, he finished tied for ninth in the KFT's AdventHealth Championship in Kansas City (67-64-70-65 266; also 22-under); his final round 65 jumped him up 20 spots in the standings. His scoring average for those eight rounds to end August was an impressive 65.5.
CGA AMATEUR REPRISE
Several Buffs competed in the CGA's 90th Amateur Championship (formerly known as the Stroke Play Championship before 2015) the first week of August at Sonnenalp Golf Club in Edwards. Senior Ty Holbrook was in contention until early in the final round and finished third with a 7-under (68-64-69-72—273), his second round scire tying the low 18 hole effort in the event. Sophomore Tyler Long claimed fourth, thanks to the best final round score, closing with a 2-under par effort (69-75-69-66—278). Junior Parker Paxton and incoming freshman Gavin Amella tied for eighth with 6-over 286 scores, and former Buff Patrick Grady ('09), the winner in 2006 when he was a sophomore, tied for 25th (13-over 293). The par-70 Sonnenalp layout was challenging, as only four players of the 41 who made the cut in the finished under par.
U.S. AMATEUR REPRISE
In the 126th U.S. Amateur in Pennsylvania (Merion GC and Philadelphia CC), Brandon Knight had the best performance of the 13 CU golfers (14 appearances) who have played in the event dating back to 1959. The fifth Buff to qualify for three U.S. Amateurs (joining Scott Petersen, Derek Tolan, Steve Irwin and Dylan McDermott), in stroke play, he tied with 21 others for 33rd with a 69-72—141 scorecard (he played Merion first) and was seeded 48th. In the first round of match play, he beat Connor Graham (Texas Tech) 6 & 5; in the second round, he beat the '25 U.S. Amateur runner-up Noah Kent (Florida) 3 & 2; and in the third round, he defeated Gaven Lane (Oklahoma State) 1-up after trailing the entire match in rallying from three down to win the 18th hole to advance to the quarterfinals. Against Carter Loflin (Georgia) in the quarters, he dropped the match 3 & 2, the closest one of the four and only one that went beyond 14 holes. Four previous Buffaloes had made it to the third round; he became the first to advance to the quarterfinals. By virtue of reaching the quarterfinals, he is exempt for the 2027 event at Oak Hill Country Club outside of Rochester, N.Y. Tyler Long also qualified but missed the cut by five shots (74-73—147, +7), tying for 160th out of 312 competitors, regardless, a decent performance.
ALUMNI NOTES
- Victor Bjorlow ('21) played in the Scottish Challenge supported by The R&A on the Hotel Planner Tour, but missed the cut (70-75—145). He turned right around and played in the Irish Challenge, tying for 51st (70-73-72-72, -1) and then tied for 40th in the Vierumäki Finnish Challenge (70-66-73-70—279; -9). He ended a busy August in Sweden in the Dormy Open by Creekhouse (80-77—157, +15).
- Tucker Clark ('25) missed the cut in the Arizona Open by two shots at Papago Golf Course in Phoenix (71-70—141, +1). Mike Brenneman ('04) also missed the cut but had a good second round rally (78-70—148, +8).
- Derek Fribbs ('13) tied for 12th in the Utah Open at Riverside Country Club in Provo (13-under, 68-66-69—203); he won the event in 2021 and 2024. He tied for 50th in the Rocky Mountain Open (68-70-72—210; -3).
- Kevin Kring ('12) was tied for eighth through two rounds Sunday in attempting to defend his Missouri Mid-Amateur title at Jefferson City Country Club. He had rounds of 71-72—143 (-1), three off the lead.
- Jeremy Paul ('17) has played both the PGA and Korn Ferry tours this year; he opened the month in the KFT's Pinnacle Bank Championship, where he finished tied for 56th (-5: 69-69-72-69—279). He also made the cut in the KFT's Albertsons Boise Open, tying for 68th with a 9-under effort (68-69-68-70—275).
- Yannik Paul ('18) made the cut in the Scottish Challenge supported by The R&A on the Hotel Planner Tour, tying for 20th with a 10-under score (68-68-66-72—274). In the Nexo Championship in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, Paul tied for 24th (74-71-74-68---287; -1).
- Hunter Swanson ('26) tied for ninth in the Rocky Mountain Open (65-69-65—199; -14). His second top 10 finish in as many tries as a pro (tied for sixth in last month's Colorado Open).
LATEST WORLD AMATEUR RANKINGS
Here's where the current Buffaloes ranked in the latest World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) as of August 26: Brandon Knight (#388), Ty Holbrook (#499), Parker Paxton (#1002), Jackson Rivera (#1450), Tyler Long (#1606) and Asher Whitaker (#1882). Sophomore Casey Kosney and incoming freshmen Gavin Amella and Colt Farrow do not have enough events yet to be ranked.
STILL GOING STRONG AT 78!
Dave Roylance ('71) tied for 12th in the Masters Division of the CGA's "Super-Senior Amateur Championship" at Estes Park Golf Course, having produced a scorecard of 86-89—175, +33 … remember, he's 78. He won the Masters Division as recently as in 2020 when he was 72 (75-80—155, +11 at Gypsum Creek). He gave me some background I found interesting; in his own words:
"I was born in Salt Lake City and went to high school at Rome Free Academy in Rome, N.Y. I played for the Buffs during the 1966-67 season and in the fall of 1967. I ran out of money and joined the Navy to acquire the G.I. Bill educational assistance. I returned to CU in 1971 and played on the team. Early in the 1972 fall campaign, Coach Fowler asked me if I had taken money for ski racing. I had. I was skiing on the Jeep Pro Tour part time and had received some prize money. It was pre-Jeremy Bloom and I was ruled ineligible to continue."
Dave lettered under coach Les Fowler and when he returned, a teammate was CU's next head coach. Mark Simpson. That freshman season he was a teammate of Hale Irwin and a few who won the Big Eight title the next season in May 1968. A former All-Navy golfer, he won 10 club championships at four courses over his lifetime.
DID YOU KNOW?
The Colorado Senior Golf Association was founded in 1935 by Charles Bagnall? He didn't play college golf as there were no teams in Colorado at the turn of the century back then, but his son, Charles Bagnall Jr. played for the Silver & Gold in 1927 ("Buffaloes" was not adopted as the official nickname until November 1934).
CALLING IT A CAREER
After 40 years at Boulder Country Club – the last 28 as the head pro, Kevin Bolles ('86) retired on Sept. 1; read all about it and his career here: https://www.coloradogolf.org/news/bidding-adieu2-article?fbclid=IwY2xjawT0uZpwZG9mBWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMUFkWEtYaVR6U0VTclo5UTNzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEenujkFBLM2JaZD72vwOOtLG0X4VEuN0OpNPzWwGDcZ3FEaWqopHNC0Hs2BtE_aem_aXV2HLFAyei-H6f2O7sInw
LOOKING AHEAD
- The CGA's Senior Amateur at Fox Hill Club in Longmont on September 21-23 has several Buff alums set to compete; Mike Glaesel ('90), Steve Ivan ('84) and Charlie Luther ('90) are among the expected field.
- The Buffaloes are set to tee off their 102nd season of intercollegiate golf in the Vuori Invitational, hosted by San Diego State in Rancho Santa Fe, Sept. 14-15.
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