Brandon Knight led the Buffs with a 15th place finish in the "Land of Enchantment"
Photo by: Scott Tan
Golfers Finish Seventh In UNM Tucker
September 26, 2026 | Men's Golf
Knight, Paxton Post Top 20 Finishes
ALBUQUERQUE – The Colorado men's golf team set out to finish strong but never got totally untracked here Saturday as the Buffaloes finished in seventh as the 71st Annual William H. Tucker Invitational came to a close.
San Diego State, who held the lead when play was suspended due to weather on Friday, pulled away from the field and won with a 31-under par 833 team score; the Aztecs shot the second-lowest score in the final round in doing so (16-under 272). Host New Mexico claimed the runner-up spot with a 25-under 839, with Brigham Young (843), Nevada-Las Vegas (844) and Santa Clara (846) rounding out the top five. UNLV had the best team round of the day – and tournament – with a 19-under 269.
Colorado was tied for fourth when play was called and would end 36 holes in fifth place after posting a 7-under 281, its best 18 holes of the event.
Senior Brandon Knight tied for 15th to pace the Buffalo attack, finishing with a 5-under par 211 score after wrapping things Saturday with a 73 on the 7,555-yard, par-72 UNM Championship Course layout. After four pars, had his lone birdie in the round on the 504-yard, par-4 13th hole – one of just seven on the hole all day and of 18 over the three rounds. He avoided big numbers for the week, recording nine birdies. He led the team and the 88-man field in pars with 41, tied for second with four others with the fewest bogeys (four) and played the par-4's at 4-under, tied for the sixth-best. He had the fewest holes worse than par of all the Buffs here, with his 19 on the season (162 holes) also the low count on the team.
It was his 16th time he finished with a subpar score in a tournament, the most by any current Buffalo and the seventh-most in school history (as are his 17 events ending with par or better efforts). It was the 10th time he either led or shared the top spot by a Buff in a tourney.
Junior Parker Paxton fashioned an even-par 72 that maintained his 3-under effort, the 213 tally tying him for 20th, the ninth top 20 finish of his career. He had four birdies and 10 pars opposite four bogeys, two of which opened and closed his round. For the event, he had an eagle and 10 birdies with 34 pars and nine bogeys, as he played the par-5's at 5-under and the 3's and 4's at 1-over. With a round of 69 a pair of 72's here, he now has seven rounds (out of nine) this year of par or better to lead the team.
Senior Ty Holbrook tied for 29th with a 1-under 215, getting into the red by closing with a 1-under 71, thanks in part to closing the round with a birdie, one of his co-team high of six Saturday. He recovered from a touch start, as after starting on 10, he was 4-over after four holes before settling down with a par on 14 and running off a string of five straight birdies on 15, 16, 17, 18 and 1. He had 11 birdies overall, including one on the 517-yard, par-4 10th hole in the second round that was one of only 13 over the 264 times it was played by the field in the Tucker, holding its reputation as the course's No. 2 handicap hole. He added 34 pars and eight bogeys with a double while playing the par-5's at 6-under.
Sophomore Tyler Long posted a second straight 3-under 69 – after opening with a 77 – that brought him back to the happy side of par for the meet, also tying for 29th with a 1-under 215. He started the round with a bogey on 13, but then bounced right back to birdie four of the next five holes and went on to match Holbrook with a team-best six birdies for the round. For the tourney, he had the most by a Buff with 13 – tied for 18th in the field – he also made 30 pars and was 7-under on the par-5 holes, which was 13th-best. Now with five rounds in the 60's, he assumed the team lead with the pair here.
Junior Asher Whitaker placed 72nd after he carded a 2-over 74 that pushed him to 7-over 223 overall. His first and third rounds – both 74's – were similar (two birdies, 14 pars, two bogeys), though Saturday he made the turn at even whereas he was 3-over on Friday. He made bogeys on 1 and 3 before closing with six straight pars, six of the 34 he had here to go with seven birdies, 12 bogeys and a double.
Sophomore Casey Kosney competed here as an individual and had a few good moments but in the end the first time playing the UNM course won out as it does with so many, as he closed with an 8-over 80 for a 16-over 230 total that tied him for 84th. He had eight birdies and 27 pars against 17 bogeys, one double and one triple, playing the par-5's here his best at even. He was one of 13 players who competed as individuals.
"This was a disappointing day overall, as we really had a chance today to move up the board in a very deep field and we were unable to do that," CU head coach Roy Edwards said. "Overall, we were pretty flat other than Tyler. The competitiveness and focus were good, but this team has a chance to be great and having our competitiveness and focus being just 'good' isn't going to get the job done, and where anybody on the team wants and expects to go. Us coaches could have done a better job on the front end and the tournament this week has provided all of us with a great learning opportunity.
"We get a chance to see what we learned right away with Tuesday and Wednesday to get right at the Simpson (CU's annual home tournament)," he continued. "Fortunately we have a spectacular group that wants to learn and get better and we fully expect that to be the outcome of this week."
New Mexico senior Johnnie Clark and San Diego State freshman Brayden Forte earned co-medalist honors, each with 13-under par 203 scorecards; Clark caught him with a final round 67 while Forte shot 70. They both birdied the first two playoff holes before the SDSU team had to leave to catch its flight home.
Colorado returns to action in less than 72 hours as the Buffaloes will host the 16th annual Mark Simpson-Colorado Invitational this Tuesday and Wednesday at Boulder Country Club. In addition to CU, the 17-team field includes Air Force, Arkansas State, Boise State, Colorado State, Denver, Long Beach State, Missouri-Kansas City, Nevada, Northern Colorado, Pacific, San Diego, Texas-El Paso, Utah, Utah State, Utah Valley and Wyoming.
ALUMNI WATCH: The Paul twins both made the cut in the FedEx Open de France on the Le Golf National course in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines. Entering Sunday's final round, Paul ('17) is tied for 28th at 7-under (69-70-67—206), while Yannik ('18) is 4-under (69-67-73—209) and is tied for 50th.
NOTES: The temperature was again in the mid-50's when the teams resumed the second round at 7:30 a.m.; it warmed to the low 70's under mostly sunny skies for the remainder of the meet … This was CU's third tournament in 12 days (nine total rounds) … Only CU, host New Mexico and New Mexico State have played in all 71 Tuckers, one of the oldest tournaments west of the Mississippi that dates back to 1955 … The average score for all 264 rounds was 72.44 (72.23 in the first and final rounds, 72.86 in the second); the five CU scorers here averaged a shade under that at 71.8 … There were 34 players who finished under par and 10 who were even … Eleven holes played over par; the seven toughest all +0.20 or higher, in order were 13, 10, 8, 7, 11, 17 and 5; the Buff quintet played those at 5-over in the final round … The Buffs tied for fourth in playing the par-4's the best at 11-over (SDSU was the only subpar team at minus-4); they tied for seventh playing the par-5's (25-under; SDSU was first at 34-under) and were eighth on the par-3's ar 11-over (BYU topped the field at 2-over) … Colorado tied for 11th in birdies (50, Santa Clara led with 60), was second in pars (173; Arkansas State had 176), and tied for the fourth-fewest bogeys (43; Arkansas State had 35) … The Buffaloes have now posted seven subpar team rounds this season (all in a row); over the last two-plus seasons, CU has 59, with five even-par rounds, in its last 88 overall … After Knight's 16 times finishing subpar in event, Holbrook has now done so 12 times, Paxton 10 times and Long on five occasions … Colorado received votes in the second Bushnell/Golfweek Coaches poll released Friday, earning 24 points that had the Buffs rank 39th out of 53 teams that were mentioned on ballots … CU is now 35-7 against Division I competition and 105-20-1 in single rounds thus far this season.
San Diego State, who held the lead when play was suspended due to weather on Friday, pulled away from the field and won with a 31-under par 833 team score; the Aztecs shot the second-lowest score in the final round in doing so (16-under 272). Host New Mexico claimed the runner-up spot with a 25-under 839, with Brigham Young (843), Nevada-Las Vegas (844) and Santa Clara (846) rounding out the top five. UNLV had the best team round of the day – and tournament – with a 19-under 269.
Colorado was tied for fourth when play was called and would end 36 holes in fifth place after posting a 7-under 281, its best 18 holes of the event.
Senior Brandon Knight tied for 15th to pace the Buffalo attack, finishing with a 5-under par 211 score after wrapping things Saturday with a 73 on the 7,555-yard, par-72 UNM Championship Course layout. After four pars, had his lone birdie in the round on the 504-yard, par-4 13th hole – one of just seven on the hole all day and of 18 over the three rounds. He avoided big numbers for the week, recording nine birdies. He led the team and the 88-man field in pars with 41, tied for second with four others with the fewest bogeys (four) and played the par-4's at 4-under, tied for the sixth-best. He had the fewest holes worse than par of all the Buffs here, with his 19 on the season (162 holes) also the low count on the team.
It was his 16th time he finished with a subpar score in a tournament, the most by any current Buffalo and the seventh-most in school history (as are his 17 events ending with par or better efforts). It was the 10th time he either led or shared the top spot by a Buff in a tourney.
Junior Parker Paxton fashioned an even-par 72 that maintained his 3-under effort, the 213 tally tying him for 20th, the ninth top 20 finish of his career. He had four birdies and 10 pars opposite four bogeys, two of which opened and closed his round. For the event, he had an eagle and 10 birdies with 34 pars and nine bogeys, as he played the par-5's at 5-under and the 3's and 4's at 1-over. With a round of 69 a pair of 72's here, he now has seven rounds (out of nine) this year of par or better to lead the team.
Senior Ty Holbrook tied for 29th with a 1-under 215, getting into the red by closing with a 1-under 71, thanks in part to closing the round with a birdie, one of his co-team high of six Saturday. He recovered from a touch start, as after starting on 10, he was 4-over after four holes before settling down with a par on 14 and running off a string of five straight birdies on 15, 16, 17, 18 and 1. He had 11 birdies overall, including one on the 517-yard, par-4 10th hole in the second round that was one of only 13 over the 264 times it was played by the field in the Tucker, holding its reputation as the course's No. 2 handicap hole. He added 34 pars and eight bogeys with a double while playing the par-5's at 6-under.
Sophomore Tyler Long posted a second straight 3-under 69 – after opening with a 77 – that brought him back to the happy side of par for the meet, also tying for 29th with a 1-under 215. He started the round with a bogey on 13, but then bounced right back to birdie four of the next five holes and went on to match Holbrook with a team-best six birdies for the round. For the tourney, he had the most by a Buff with 13 – tied for 18th in the field – he also made 30 pars and was 7-under on the par-5 holes, which was 13th-best. Now with five rounds in the 60's, he assumed the team lead with the pair here.
Junior Asher Whitaker placed 72nd after he carded a 2-over 74 that pushed him to 7-over 223 overall. His first and third rounds – both 74's – were similar (two birdies, 14 pars, two bogeys), though Saturday he made the turn at even whereas he was 3-over on Friday. He made bogeys on 1 and 3 before closing with six straight pars, six of the 34 he had here to go with seven birdies, 12 bogeys and a double.
Sophomore Casey Kosney competed here as an individual and had a few good moments but in the end the first time playing the UNM course won out as it does with so many, as he closed with an 8-over 80 for a 16-over 230 total that tied him for 84th. He had eight birdies and 27 pars against 17 bogeys, one double and one triple, playing the par-5's here his best at even. He was one of 13 players who competed as individuals.
"This was a disappointing day overall, as we really had a chance today to move up the board in a very deep field and we were unable to do that," CU head coach Roy Edwards said. "Overall, we were pretty flat other than Tyler. The competitiveness and focus were good, but this team has a chance to be great and having our competitiveness and focus being just 'good' isn't going to get the job done, and where anybody on the team wants and expects to go. Us coaches could have done a better job on the front end and the tournament this week has provided all of us with a great learning opportunity.
"We get a chance to see what we learned right away with Tuesday and Wednesday to get right at the Simpson (CU's annual home tournament)," he continued. "Fortunately we have a spectacular group that wants to learn and get better and we fully expect that to be the outcome of this week."
New Mexico senior Johnnie Clark and San Diego State freshman Brayden Forte earned co-medalist honors, each with 13-under par 203 scorecards; Clark caught him with a final round 67 while Forte shot 70. They both birdied the first two playoff holes before the SDSU team had to leave to catch its flight home.
Colorado returns to action in less than 72 hours as the Buffaloes will host the 16th annual Mark Simpson-Colorado Invitational this Tuesday and Wednesday at Boulder Country Club. In addition to CU, the 17-team field includes Air Force, Arkansas State, Boise State, Colorado State, Denver, Long Beach State, Missouri-Kansas City, Nevada, Northern Colorado, Pacific, San Diego, Texas-El Paso, Utah, Utah State, Utah Valley and Wyoming.
ALUMNI WATCH: The Paul twins both made the cut in the FedEx Open de France on the Le Golf National course in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines. Entering Sunday's final round, Paul ('17) is tied for 28th at 7-under (69-70-67—206), while Yannik ('18) is 4-under (69-67-73—209) and is tied for 50th.
NOTES: The temperature was again in the mid-50's when the teams resumed the second round at 7:30 a.m.; it warmed to the low 70's under mostly sunny skies for the remainder of the meet … This was CU's third tournament in 12 days (nine total rounds) … Only CU, host New Mexico and New Mexico State have played in all 71 Tuckers, one of the oldest tournaments west of the Mississippi that dates back to 1955 … The average score for all 264 rounds was 72.44 (72.23 in the first and final rounds, 72.86 in the second); the five CU scorers here averaged a shade under that at 71.8 … There were 34 players who finished under par and 10 who were even … Eleven holes played over par; the seven toughest all +0.20 or higher, in order were 13, 10, 8, 7, 11, 17 and 5; the Buff quintet played those at 5-over in the final round … The Buffs tied for fourth in playing the par-4's the best at 11-over (SDSU was the only subpar team at minus-4); they tied for seventh playing the par-5's (25-under; SDSU was first at 34-under) and were eighth on the par-3's ar 11-over (BYU topped the field at 2-over) … Colorado tied for 11th in birdies (50, Santa Clara led with 60), was second in pars (173; Arkansas State had 176), and tied for the fourth-fewest bogeys (43; Arkansas State had 35) … The Buffaloes have now posted seven subpar team rounds this season (all in a row); over the last two-plus seasons, CU has 59, with five even-par rounds, in its last 88 overall … After Knight's 16 times finishing subpar in event, Holbrook has now done so 12 times, Paxton 10 times and Long on five occasions … Colorado received votes in the second Bushnell/Golfweek Coaches poll released Friday, earning 24 points that had the Buffs rank 39th out of 53 teams that were mentioned on ballots … CU is now 35-7 against Division I competition and 105-20-1 in single rounds thus far this season.
| BUFFALO INDIVIDUALS |
| T15. | Brandon Knight | 68-70-73—211 |
| T20. | Parker Paxton | 69-72-72—213 |
| T29. | Ty Holbrook | 74-70-71—215 |
| T29. | Tyler Long | 77-69-69—215 |
| 72. | Asher Whitaker | 74-75-74—223 |
| T84. | *Casey Kosney | 76-74-80—230 |
| INDIVIDUAL LEADERS |
| 1. | Brayden Forte, San Diego State | 66-67-70—203 |
| 2. | Johnnie Clark, New Mexico | 67-69-67—203 |
| 3. | Emil Nielsen, Santa Clara | 66-64-75—205 |
| T4. | Kihei Akina, BYU | 67-70-69—206 |
| T4. | Thayer Plewe, New Mexico | 67-67-72—206 |
| T4. | Harry Takis, San Diego State | 69-71-66—206 |
| TEAM STANDINGS |
| 1. | San Diego State | 277-284-272—833 |
| 2. | New Mexico | 275-286-278—839 |
| 3. | Brigham Young | 278-286-279—843 |
| 4. | Nevada-Las Vegas | 292-283-269—844 |
| 5. | Santa Clara | 280-277-289—846 |
| 6. | Arkansas State | 287-284-276—847 |
| 7. | COLORADO | 285-281-285—851 |
| 8. | Grand Canyon | 292-277-284—853 |
| 9. | Arizona | 286-287-284—857 |
| 10. | New Mexico State | 292-288-279—859 |
| 11. | UC Santa Barbara | 288-286-288—862 |
| 12. | Texas-El Paso | 282-289-289—863 |
| 13. | Long Beach State | 278-299-295—872 |
| 14. | Missouri | 286-298-289—873 |
| 15. | SMU | 286-299-297—882 |
Players Mentioned
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