Monday, September 14
Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.
All Day
Colorado
vs
First Two Rounds
Ty Holbrook is off to a good start to his senior season as a Buffalo.
Photo by: CUBuffs.com
Men's Golfers Open Season In Second At Vuori Invitational
September 14, 2026 | Men's Golf
Holbrook, Paxton Tied for Ninth Individually
RANCHO SANTA FE, Calif. – The Colorado men's golf team got rolling after a slow start and opened here Monday by closing the first day in second place in the inaugural Vuori Invitational.
Arkansas, ranked 10th in the Bushnell/Golfweek preseason poll, put back-to-back even-par 284 team rounds together for a 568 total, good for a four-stroke lead over the Buffaloes, who closed the day with a 4-over 572 score. Oregon is in third with a 7-over 575 tally, with 23rd-ranked BYU in fourth (9-over 577). Pacific had one scorer left on the course when play was called due to darkness; the Tigers were 11-over to round out the top five. All five teams have their quintet of scorers in the top 33 heading into the final round.
The Buffaloes were in a fourth after recording a 3-over 287 in the first round, rebounding after a very slow start. Starting on the back nine, CU hovered at the bottom of the standings after the five designated scorers had seven bogeys, three doubles and a triple on the first five holes but maxed out at 6-over par thanks to seven birdies also being scored. A strong finish elevated the team out of the dungeon and up the standings, followed by a good start in the second round propelled the Buffs into first place on a few occasions.
"The team showed a lot of grit today," CU head coach Roy Edwards said. ''We got off to a horrific start and were in last for most of the morning. Really have to give the guys an immense amount of credit for hanging in there and competing. Very mature golf from them. We did a very good job of adjusting as the greens got very firm throughout the day and after the wind kicked up."
The event is being held at Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club, a 7,003-yard, par-71 design that played as tough as advertised; 15 of the 18 holes played over par on average and two others a shade below par. Only four eagles were recorded Monday – one of which was a hole-in-one and two on approach shots on par-4's.
Senior Ty Holbrook is tied for ninth after opening his senior year with a 1-over 71-72—143 effort. He had an eagle, a team-high eight birdies – tied for fourth in the field -- and 18 pars, playing the par-5's at 1-under and the par-4's even. He was tied for the lead at 3-under with six holes to play before four straight bogeys deflated the run but did rally to finish with two pars. His eagle came on the 455-yard, par-4 2nd hole, when after a 300-yard plus drive, he found the cup from 134 yards out with a sand wedge. It was the 19th eagle of his career, becoming the all-time CU leader in the category as it broke a tie with Jeremy Paul, who had 18 from 2013 through 2017.
Junior Parker Paxton reversed Holbrook's scoring with a 72-71—143, matching the 1-over score to join him in a four-way tie for ninth. He turned in the most consistent performance by a Buff Monday, with three birdies and a tournament-high 29 pars opposite just four bogeys, the team-best on the day for fewest holes worse than par. His 16 pars were a career-high, eclipsing 15 he had on two previous occasions. He was 1-under on the par-5's, even on the par-3's and 2-over on the par-4's. He hung around par all day, as he was 1-under once, even seven times, 1-over six times and 2-over on 12 occasions, finishing 1-over after he birdied No. 5 and wrapped the round with four straight pars – his 15 holes of par or better to finish round two was the longest streak Monday by a Buff.
Sophomore Tyler Long is tied for 16th with a 3-over 69-76—145 scorecard. He got off to a good start, opening with a birdie and standing at 3-under par through 11, which had him tied for first place. He was still tied for third after his 2-under morning round and was 2-over through 12 the second time around the track when he endured a quadruple bogey on the 614-yard, par-5 4th hole. After bogeying No. 5, he regrouped and closed with two birdies on the last three holes. He had seven birdies and 18 pars, and his 4-under play on the par-4's on the day tied for the best in the 75-man field.
Senior Brandon Knight had a rough start, opening with 6-over 77 but came back with a vengeance with a 1-under 70 in the afternoon for a 5-over 147 total that has him tied for 33rd. In recording one of only seven subpar scores in the second round, he was able to jump up 26 spots from a tie for 59th. He turned things around on the par-4 holes; he was 7-over on the 11 configurations in the morning but played them 1-under the second time. He finished the 36 holes with six bird and 22 pars, the overage traced two holes where he had double and triple bogeys – back-to-back to open the tournament.
Junior Asher Whitaker, playing in his first event as a Buffalo after transferring to CU this past June from Oklahoma, turned in a 5-over 75-72—147 effort in his Buffalo debut, also tying him for 33rd. He got off to a bit of a rocky start, opening with a double bogey on No. 10 and standing at 4-over through 11 holes, but finished the first round even and settled down and at one point was 2-under before finishing the day with three bogeys on his last five holes. He had seven birdies and 18 pars while playing the par-5 holes his best at 3-under which is tied for second-best in the field.
Sophomore Casey Kosney is competing here as an individual – one of 15 in the overall field – he was on the 17th tee when play was suspended because of darkness. He is currently tied for 61st after opening with a 7-over 78 and was 4-over through 16 that has him 11-over par. He had four birdies and 17 pars when play was called. He did have two impressive birdies: in the first round on the 411-yard, par-3 14th, one of just two in the round and five overall, and then in the second round, on the 414-yard, par-4 6th was also just one of five on the day.
Oregon's Sebastian Desoisa and San Diego State's Brayden Forte are tied for the individual lead with 4-under 138 scorecards, good for a two-shot lead on the rest of the field.
The third and final round will be Tuesday, as Colorado will be paired again with BYU and Oregon beginning on the No. 10 tee, beginning play shortly after 9 a.m. MDT once those 12 players who could not finish Monday complete their second rounds.
CSU RAM MASTERS INVITATIONAL: Colorado officially opened its 102nd season of intercollegiate golf last week by having three players who did not make the trip to California play as individuals in Colorado State's Ram Masters Invitational at Fort Collins Country Club last Thursday and Friday. Both freshman recruits opened their collegiate careers: Colt Farrow tied for 15th with a 4-over par 70-71-73—214 scorecard on FCC's 7,234-yard, par-70 layout, while Gavin Amella tied for 32nd (75-71-72—218). Farrow's even=par 70 tied the fifth-lowest gross score as a Buffalo for his first round in college (tying for 30th for the low round in relation to par in a first collegiate tournament – many others were on par-72 or par-71 courses). Second-year graduate Jackson Rivera tied for 80th (78-75-74—227).
NOTES: Rancho Santa Fe is roughly 10 miles north of San Diego … The temperature peaked at 78 degrees in the mid-afternoon when the winds picked up a bit (gusting to 10 miles per hour); it was unusually humid as well (71 percent) … Long Beach State and San Diego State also had one player needing to finish … The average score for all 132 completed rounds was 73.95 (73.79 in the morning, 74.15 in the afternoon); the five CU designated scorers averaged 72.5 … 600-plus yard par-5's are becoming more and more common; two on Monday played at 614-yards (No. 4) and 603 (No. 18) – at sea level to boot – the CU scorers in each round held their own, playing both at 3-under … Pacific's 2-under 282 in the morning was the lone subpar team round Monday … There are just six players who are under par and just two are in at even through 36 holes … The six toughest holes Monday, all playing _0.25 over par, in order were 11, 13, 7, 14, 4 and five; the Colorado, Arkansas and Oregon scorers both played them combined at 20-over par (only BYU was better as 11-over) … The five scoring Buffs played the par-4's at 9-over (the best ahead of Arkansas and Pacific who were plus-11), the par-5's at 2-under (fourth, Arkansas was minus-8), and the par-3's at 8-over (sixth; BYU leads at 4-over) … Colorado is second in birdies (31; two back of Arkansas), is 10th in pars (110, San Diego has 120), and had 31 bogeys (third fewest behind Arkansas' 27) … Long Beach State's Bruce Macdonald had the ace – nailing the 191-yard, par-3 17th … CU has opened a season six times with a win in a major tournament, the last two coming back-to-back in 2018 and 2019 in Air Force's Gene Miranda Invitational in Colorado Springs, where the Buffs won for the first time to christen a a season in 1970 in the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate … Tulsa is playing in its first tournament in nearly 10 years, as it discontinued the program after the 2015-16 season The Colorado women also opened their season Monday in the Leadership and Golf Invitational outside of Seattle and also were in first place for a while before ending the day in second – the first time in CU history both teams were leading a major tournament simultaneously (occurring in the second round) … Vuori is a contemporary American activewear and lifestyle clothing brand known for its soft, premium performance apparel "inspired by the coastal California lifestyle."
Arkansas, ranked 10th in the Bushnell/Golfweek preseason poll, put back-to-back even-par 284 team rounds together for a 568 total, good for a four-stroke lead over the Buffaloes, who closed the day with a 4-over 572 score. Oregon is in third with a 7-over 575 tally, with 23rd-ranked BYU in fourth (9-over 577). Pacific had one scorer left on the course when play was called due to darkness; the Tigers were 11-over to round out the top five. All five teams have their quintet of scorers in the top 33 heading into the final round.
The Buffaloes were in a fourth after recording a 3-over 287 in the first round, rebounding after a very slow start. Starting on the back nine, CU hovered at the bottom of the standings after the five designated scorers had seven bogeys, three doubles and a triple on the first five holes but maxed out at 6-over par thanks to seven birdies also being scored. A strong finish elevated the team out of the dungeon and up the standings, followed by a good start in the second round propelled the Buffs into first place on a few occasions.
"The team showed a lot of grit today," CU head coach Roy Edwards said. ''We got off to a horrific start and were in last for most of the morning. Really have to give the guys an immense amount of credit for hanging in there and competing. Very mature golf from them. We did a very good job of adjusting as the greens got very firm throughout the day and after the wind kicked up."
The event is being held at Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club, a 7,003-yard, par-71 design that played as tough as advertised; 15 of the 18 holes played over par on average and two others a shade below par. Only four eagles were recorded Monday – one of which was a hole-in-one and two on approach shots on par-4's.
Senior Ty Holbrook is tied for ninth after opening his senior year with a 1-over 71-72—143 effort. He had an eagle, a team-high eight birdies – tied for fourth in the field -- and 18 pars, playing the par-5's at 1-under and the par-4's even. He was tied for the lead at 3-under with six holes to play before four straight bogeys deflated the run but did rally to finish with two pars. His eagle came on the 455-yard, par-4 2nd hole, when after a 300-yard plus drive, he found the cup from 134 yards out with a sand wedge. It was the 19th eagle of his career, becoming the all-time CU leader in the category as it broke a tie with Jeremy Paul, who had 18 from 2013 through 2017.
Junior Parker Paxton reversed Holbrook's scoring with a 72-71—143, matching the 1-over score to join him in a four-way tie for ninth. He turned in the most consistent performance by a Buff Monday, with three birdies and a tournament-high 29 pars opposite just four bogeys, the team-best on the day for fewest holes worse than par. His 16 pars were a career-high, eclipsing 15 he had on two previous occasions. He was 1-under on the par-5's, even on the par-3's and 2-over on the par-4's. He hung around par all day, as he was 1-under once, even seven times, 1-over six times and 2-over on 12 occasions, finishing 1-over after he birdied No. 5 and wrapped the round with four straight pars – his 15 holes of par or better to finish round two was the longest streak Monday by a Buff.
Sophomore Tyler Long is tied for 16th with a 3-over 69-76—145 scorecard. He got off to a good start, opening with a birdie and standing at 3-under par through 11, which had him tied for first place. He was still tied for third after his 2-under morning round and was 2-over through 12 the second time around the track when he endured a quadruple bogey on the 614-yard, par-5 4th hole. After bogeying No. 5, he regrouped and closed with two birdies on the last three holes. He had seven birdies and 18 pars, and his 4-under play on the par-4's on the day tied for the best in the 75-man field.
Senior Brandon Knight had a rough start, opening with 6-over 77 but came back with a vengeance with a 1-under 70 in the afternoon for a 5-over 147 total that has him tied for 33rd. In recording one of only seven subpar scores in the second round, he was able to jump up 26 spots from a tie for 59th. He turned things around on the par-4 holes; he was 7-over on the 11 configurations in the morning but played them 1-under the second time. He finished the 36 holes with six bird and 22 pars, the overage traced two holes where he had double and triple bogeys – back-to-back to open the tournament.
Junior Asher Whitaker, playing in his first event as a Buffalo after transferring to CU this past June from Oklahoma, turned in a 5-over 75-72—147 effort in his Buffalo debut, also tying him for 33rd. He got off to a bit of a rocky start, opening with a double bogey on No. 10 and standing at 4-over through 11 holes, but finished the first round even and settled down and at one point was 2-under before finishing the day with three bogeys on his last five holes. He had seven birdies and 18 pars while playing the par-5 holes his best at 3-under which is tied for second-best in the field.
Sophomore Casey Kosney is competing here as an individual – one of 15 in the overall field – he was on the 17th tee when play was suspended because of darkness. He is currently tied for 61st after opening with a 7-over 78 and was 4-over through 16 that has him 11-over par. He had four birdies and 17 pars when play was called. He did have two impressive birdies: in the first round on the 411-yard, par-3 14th, one of just two in the round and five overall, and then in the second round, on the 414-yard, par-4 6th was also just one of five on the day.
Oregon's Sebastian Desoisa and San Diego State's Brayden Forte are tied for the individual lead with 4-under 138 scorecards, good for a two-shot lead on the rest of the field.
The third and final round will be Tuesday, as Colorado will be paired again with BYU and Oregon beginning on the No. 10 tee, beginning play shortly after 9 a.m. MDT once those 12 players who could not finish Monday complete their second rounds.
CSU RAM MASTERS INVITATIONAL: Colorado officially opened its 102nd season of intercollegiate golf last week by having three players who did not make the trip to California play as individuals in Colorado State's Ram Masters Invitational at Fort Collins Country Club last Thursday and Friday. Both freshman recruits opened their collegiate careers: Colt Farrow tied for 15th with a 4-over par 70-71-73—214 scorecard on FCC's 7,234-yard, par-70 layout, while Gavin Amella tied for 32nd (75-71-72—218). Farrow's even=par 70 tied the fifth-lowest gross score as a Buffalo for his first round in college (tying for 30th for the low round in relation to par in a first collegiate tournament – many others were on par-72 or par-71 courses). Second-year graduate Jackson Rivera tied for 80th (78-75-74—227).
NOTES: Rancho Santa Fe is roughly 10 miles north of San Diego … The temperature peaked at 78 degrees in the mid-afternoon when the winds picked up a bit (gusting to 10 miles per hour); it was unusually humid as well (71 percent) … Long Beach State and San Diego State also had one player needing to finish … The average score for all 132 completed rounds was 73.95 (73.79 in the morning, 74.15 in the afternoon); the five CU designated scorers averaged 72.5 … 600-plus yard par-5's are becoming more and more common; two on Monday played at 614-yards (No. 4) and 603 (No. 18) – at sea level to boot – the CU scorers in each round held their own, playing both at 3-under … Pacific's 2-under 282 in the morning was the lone subpar team round Monday … There are just six players who are under par and just two are in at even through 36 holes … The six toughest holes Monday, all playing _0.25 over par, in order were 11, 13, 7, 14, 4 and five; the Colorado, Arkansas and Oregon scorers both played them combined at 20-over par (only BYU was better as 11-over) … The five scoring Buffs played the par-4's at 9-over (the best ahead of Arkansas and Pacific who were plus-11), the par-5's at 2-under (fourth, Arkansas was minus-8), and the par-3's at 8-over (sixth; BYU leads at 4-over) … Colorado is second in birdies (31; two back of Arkansas), is 10th in pars (110, San Diego has 120), and had 31 bogeys (third fewest behind Arkansas' 27) … Long Beach State's Bruce Macdonald had the ace – nailing the 191-yard, par-3 17th … CU has opened a season six times with a win in a major tournament, the last two coming back-to-back in 2018 and 2019 in Air Force's Gene Miranda Invitational in Colorado Springs, where the Buffs won for the first time to christen a a season in 1970 in the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate … Tulsa is playing in its first tournament in nearly 10 years, as it discontinued the program after the 2015-16 season The Colorado women also opened their season Monday in the Leadership and Golf Invitational outside of Seattle and also were in first place for a while before ending the day in second – the first time in CU history both teams were leading a major tournament simultaneously (occurring in the second round) … Vuori is a contemporary American activewear and lifestyle clothing brand known for its soft, premium performance apparel "inspired by the coastal California lifestyle."
| BUFFALO INDIVIDUALS |
| T9. | Ty Holbrook | 71-72—143 |
| T9. | Parker Paxton | 72-71—143 |
| T16. | Tyler Long | 69-76—145 |
| T33. | Brandon Knight | 77-70—147 |
| T33. | Asher Whitaker | 75-72—147 |
| T61. | *Casey Kosney | 78-(+4)—[+11] |
| INDIVIDUAL LEADERS |
| T1. | Sebastian Desoisa, Oregon | 67-71—138 |
| T1. | Brayden Forte, San Diego State | 70-68—138 |
| 3. | Thomas Curry, Arkansas | 73-67—140 |
| T4. | Gerardo Gomez, Arkansas | 67-74—141 |
| T4. | Kihei Akina, BYU | 71-70--141 |
| TEAM STANDINGS |
| 1. | Arkansas | 284-284—568 |
| 2. | COLORADO | 287-285—572 |
| 3. | Oregon | 285-290—575 |
| 4. | Brigham Young | 288-289—577 |
| 5. | Pacific | 282-(+13)—[+11] |
| 6. | Southern California | 290-290—580 |
| 7. | San Diego State | 288-(+9)—[+13] |
| 8. | San Diego | 289-293—582 |
| 9. | Colorado State | 291-294—585 |
| 9. | Long Beach State | 289-(+5)—[+17] |
| 11. | Tulsa | 288-300—588 |
| 12. | San Jose State | 311-293—604 |
Players Mentioned
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