Tuesday, September 29
Boulder, Colo.
All Day
Colorado
vs
First Two Rounds
Brandon Knight is tied for fourth in the Mark Simpson-CU Invitational.
Photo by: Scott Tan
Golfers In Third In Own Simpson-CU Invitational
September 29, 2026 | Men's Golf
Knight, Farrow, Kosney all in top 10
BOULDER – The Colorado men's golf team overcame a bit of a slow start but rallied late in both rounds to end the first day in third place of the 16th Annual Mark Simpson-Colorado Invitational.
Long Beach State, on the strength of two players in the top three, posted a 22-under par team score of 538. Defending Simpson champion is in hot pursuit, three back at 541. The host Buffaloes are in third with a 13-under team total, while Denver is fourth (551) and Kansas City, San Diego and Utah all tied for fifth with 552 totals.
In the opening round, the five Buffalo designated scorers were 1-over at the turn, having played 39 holes collectively in the staggered shotgun start, with six birdies and seven bogeys. The back nine held a different story, as Colorado played the first 28 holes on that side at 10-under, with an eagle and nine birdies, before the first bogey. CU turned in an 8-under par 272 for the round and was in fourth place at that juncture. Four birdies down the stretch in the second round help vault the Buffs from fifth into third at the day's end.
Senior Brandon Knight is leading CU's team attack, as he is tied for fourth after two subpar rounds (65, 69) that has him 5-under par on the 7,085-yard, par-70 Boulder Country Club course layout. His 134 total is his collegiate best 36-hole score after posting 136 on a few previous occasions. He opened the day with his first bogey-free round of the season – and team-best sixth of his career – when he made five birdies en route to a 5-under 65. He didn't bogey a hole until the 8th in the afternoon, and when combined with his last six Saturday in New Mexico' Tucker Invitational, his streak of 31 straight holes of par or better is the nest by a Buff thus far this season – it was also the time Knight has had streaks of 30 or more holes played without a bogey. He finished the day with eight birdies and 26 pars with only two bogeys (tied for the fewest in the 83-man field), while playing all hole configurations under par (3-inder on the par-4's, 2-under on the par-3's and 1-under on the par-5's).
"I felt like I played well all day," Knight said after posting back-to-back scores in the 60's. "I hit it pretty good. I didn't have a lot of stress throughout the round. had a lot of putts, but got a couple to fall, especially late and early in the morning. So it was good overall."
Sophomore Tyler Long closed his day with two of those late birdies to jump into a tie for 16th with a 3-under 70-67—137 total. He started his day with a bogey on his first hole (the 212-yard, par-3 3rd hole) and was chasing par until two birdies in the middle of the back nine enabled him to get back to even. He then took revenge on the 3rd hole in the second round, making one of 18 birdies on the hole for the day and was in the red for all but two holes his second time around the BCC track. He had seven birds, 25 pars and six bogeys, and was 3-under on the par-5's and even on the other two layouts,
Junior Parker Paxton is tied for 27th after posting a 1-under scorecard of 68-71—139. He had an eagle, five birdies and 24 pars opposite six bogeys, four of which came on par-3 holes. He played the par-5's at 4-under – tied for the best in the field -- and the par-3's at 1-under. His eagle on the 561-yard, par-5 12th hole was one of just three on the hole Tuesday (one of just two in the morning round).
Junior Asher Whitaker is also tied for 27th after posting a 69-70—139 performance; he had five birdies, 27 pars – tied for fourth in the field – and four bogeys on his scorecard. He started his second round with 16 straight pars before ending birdie-bogey. He was 2-under on the par-5's, 1-under on the 3's and 2-over on the 4's.
Senior Ty Holbrook is tied for 39th with a 1-over 131 after rounds of 72-69. He had a steady round with five birdies and 25 pars and six bogeys, playing the par-3's and par-5's even and the 4's at 1-over. He was on the unhappy side of par in both rounds anfter early bogeys but ended the day with a birdie on No. 1.
The entire nine-man CU roster is competing here, the four who are not designated scorers are playing as individuals with two ending day one in the top 10.
Freshman Colt Farrow is tied for seventh after recording a 4-under 70-65—135 effort, which included his first collegiate round in the 60's. He had a team-high of nine birdies, with an eagle against four bogeys and a double. Except for two short spans, he was either even or under par after 29 holes of play. He played the par-4's the fourth-best in the field at 6-under. In the second round, after his drive landed in-between the trees he holed out for an eagle on the 413-yard, par-4 9th hole, one of two players in the field that did so Tuesday. He was 82 yards from the pin and hit a 58-degree wedge he hit what he termed "a slight baby draw" to get it around the right side of a tree.
"It was a good day," Farrow said after his best two rounds as a Buffalo. "I had a really good second round, and I stayed patient and I listened to what DT (associate head coach Derek Tolan) told me, and he gave me some good advice and was able to capitalize on some good breaks. I just had fun out there."
Sophomore Casey Kosney had back-to-back rounds in the 60's for the second time this year – and for his brief college career, as he is also tied for seventh with a 5-under 67-68—135 scorecard. A very steady round yielded eight birdies and 25 pars with only three bogeys, as he had runs of 14 and 11 consecutive holes of par or better. He is under par on all hole designs through 36 holes; 3-under on the par-3's – the best in the field – and 1-under on the 4's and 5's.
"In the first round, I stayed patient," he said. "I hit a lot of greens and I did make a lot of putts, only had one bogey, so I eliminated a lot of mistakes. And then the second round, same thing. G ot a couple putts to fall, and I feel I'm in a good position going in tomorrow."
Freshman Gavin Amella is tied for 39th after a 70-71—141 1-over par day. He had nine birdies to match Farow's team-high along with 19 pars and six bogeys and two doubles, playing the par-3's and 5's at 2-under (3-over on the par-4's). He scored two of his birdies on the 198-yard, par-3 3rd hole, of which there were just 16 all day on the third-toughest hole at +0.22 over par.
Graduate Jackson Rivera recorded a par of 2-over par 72's, tying for 62nd with a 4-over 144 overall total. His rounds were almost identical with two birdies and 14 pars and two bogeys – just not all on the same holes. He's 3-under on the par-5's as he birdied three of the four long ones. He was 6-over at one point, but knocked two strokes off that count after making birds on two of his last four holes.
"'We didn't have our best today, but the guys did a great job for the most part of staying in the present and their eyes forward on the task at hand," CU head coach Roy Edwards said. "That is why we were able to close the round out well and in a position to make a run tomorrow. We obviously have to play well as some very good teams are in front of us but I'm confident the guys are ready for the challenge."
"Individually Brandon, Casey and Colt had good days," he added. "Everyone had some good moments but we have to make fewer mistakes. Our good golf is really good but we just made too many bogeys."
Arkansas State's Henry Styles has a six-stroke lead in his pursuit of medalist honors after fashioning a 13-under par 63-64—127 score. The Red Wolves' junior tied the Simpson records for gross 18- and 36-hole totals; those were previously done on a par-72 course, so they did not tie the marl for in stroke count related to par (though with two fewer par-5's, harder to do).
The third and final round is Wednesday with a combined staggered start on the 1st hole for teams first through seventh starting at 8:00, and for the remainder of the field at 7:30 off of No. 10. Colorado will be paired with Arkansas State, Long B each State and Denver and will tee off beginning in 10-minute increments at 8:50 a.m. off the No. 1 tee. The weather could present a challenge, as the forecast is predicting a 50 percent chance of rain throughout the day; the high temperature is expected to be in the low 60's.
LES FOWLER INDIVIDUAL INVITATIONAL: CU, with assistance from Colorado Mines, hosted the third annual Fowler Individual at Bear Creek Golf Club in Southwest Denver that was completed Tuesday; an individual tournament that had 45 entrants – though no CU players were in the Simpson. Oklahoma State's John Wild claimed medalist honors with a 7-under 209, which was bolstered by his second round, bogey-free 9-under 63 that tied the course record shot on just one previous occasion. He won by three shots over his Cowboy teammate, Jaxon Bandelier.
ALUMNI WATCH: Ryan Schmitz ('17) tied for seventh in the stroke qualifying for the U.S. Mid-Amateur (3-under 72-67—139) at Sand Valley Resort in Nekoosa, Wis. He thus advanced into match play Monday, where he dropped his match in the Round of 64 to Christian Cavaliere, 1-up. He was down two through 16, but birdied a 609-yard, par-17th to pull to within one; both made pars on 18. Blake Moore ('07) missed advancing by one stroke (76-70—146). They were the ninth and 10th former Buffs to qualify for the mid-amateur – 16 total appearances -- with Schmitz the sixth to advance into match play (Steve Irwin ('97) who has qualified six times, made it the furthest, eliminated in the third round) … Justin Biwer ('25) had a successful summer playing professionally to the point where he finished high enough on the PGA Tour Americas to earn his Korn Ferry Tour card, and is also exempt until the final stage of Q School in December to earn his PGA Tour card.
NOTES: The temperature was a brisk 59 degrees under cloudy skies when the teams teed off at 8:15 a.m.; it rose to 65 degrees by Noon and reached a high of 71 with the cloud cover … This is the fifth time in the 16 years of the event that all five Division I programs – CU, AFA, CSU. DU and UNC – are playing … Only UNC and Wyoming have joined the Buffs in playing in all 16 Simpsons … Wednesday will end one of the busiest stretches in CU history, as the Buffs will have played 12 rounds in 17 days … The average score for all 186 rounds is 70.63 (70.67 in round one, 70.56 in round two); the five CU scorers averaged 69.0 for its 10 rounds on Tuesday … There are 32 players presently under par and six who are even … Eleven holes are playing over par, none too out of whack; the three toughest -- all +0.22 or higher, in order are 8, 10 and 6;; the Buff quintet played those at 1-under for the day – the four Buff indies combined to play those even … The Buffs and Long Beach State are playing the par-3's the best at 1-over; CU is playing the par-5's second-best at 9-under (behind minus-12 by DU) and are playing the par-4's fifth-best at 3-over (LBSU is 15-under) … Colorado has the 11th-most birdies (30, Long Beach has 46), the second-most pars (126; Arkansas State has 128), and has the third-fewest bogeys (21; Arkansas State has 16) … The Buffaloes have now posted nine subpar team rounds this season (all in a row); over the last two-plus seasons, CU now has 61, with five even-par rounds, in its last 90 overall .
Long Beach State, on the strength of two players in the top three, posted a 22-under par team score of 538. Defending Simpson champion is in hot pursuit, three back at 541. The host Buffaloes are in third with a 13-under team total, while Denver is fourth (551) and Kansas City, San Diego and Utah all tied for fifth with 552 totals.
In the opening round, the five Buffalo designated scorers were 1-over at the turn, having played 39 holes collectively in the staggered shotgun start, with six birdies and seven bogeys. The back nine held a different story, as Colorado played the first 28 holes on that side at 10-under, with an eagle and nine birdies, before the first bogey. CU turned in an 8-under par 272 for the round and was in fourth place at that juncture. Four birdies down the stretch in the second round help vault the Buffs from fifth into third at the day's end.
Senior Brandon Knight is leading CU's team attack, as he is tied for fourth after two subpar rounds (65, 69) that has him 5-under par on the 7,085-yard, par-70 Boulder Country Club course layout. His 134 total is his collegiate best 36-hole score after posting 136 on a few previous occasions. He opened the day with his first bogey-free round of the season – and team-best sixth of his career – when he made five birdies en route to a 5-under 65. He didn't bogey a hole until the 8th in the afternoon, and when combined with his last six Saturday in New Mexico' Tucker Invitational, his streak of 31 straight holes of par or better is the nest by a Buff thus far this season – it was also the time Knight has had streaks of 30 or more holes played without a bogey. He finished the day with eight birdies and 26 pars with only two bogeys (tied for the fewest in the 83-man field), while playing all hole configurations under par (3-inder on the par-4's, 2-under on the par-3's and 1-under on the par-5's).
"I felt like I played well all day," Knight said after posting back-to-back scores in the 60's. "I hit it pretty good. I didn't have a lot of stress throughout the round. had a lot of putts, but got a couple to fall, especially late and early in the morning. So it was good overall."
Sophomore Tyler Long closed his day with two of those late birdies to jump into a tie for 16th with a 3-under 70-67—137 total. He started his day with a bogey on his first hole (the 212-yard, par-3 3rd hole) and was chasing par until two birdies in the middle of the back nine enabled him to get back to even. He then took revenge on the 3rd hole in the second round, making one of 18 birdies on the hole for the day and was in the red for all but two holes his second time around the BCC track. He had seven birds, 25 pars and six bogeys, and was 3-under on the par-5's and even on the other two layouts,
Junior Parker Paxton is tied for 27th after posting a 1-under scorecard of 68-71—139. He had an eagle, five birdies and 24 pars opposite six bogeys, four of which came on par-3 holes. He played the par-5's at 4-under – tied for the best in the field -- and the par-3's at 1-under. His eagle on the 561-yard, par-5 12th hole was one of just three on the hole Tuesday (one of just two in the morning round).
Junior Asher Whitaker is also tied for 27th after posting a 69-70—139 performance; he had five birdies, 27 pars – tied for fourth in the field – and four bogeys on his scorecard. He started his second round with 16 straight pars before ending birdie-bogey. He was 2-under on the par-5's, 1-under on the 3's and 2-over on the 4's.
Senior Ty Holbrook is tied for 39th with a 1-over 131 after rounds of 72-69. He had a steady round with five birdies and 25 pars and six bogeys, playing the par-3's and par-5's even and the 4's at 1-over. He was on the unhappy side of par in both rounds anfter early bogeys but ended the day with a birdie on No. 1.
The entire nine-man CU roster is competing here, the four who are not designated scorers are playing as individuals with two ending day one in the top 10.
Freshman Colt Farrow is tied for seventh after recording a 4-under 70-65—135 effort, which included his first collegiate round in the 60's. He had a team-high of nine birdies, with an eagle against four bogeys and a double. Except for two short spans, he was either even or under par after 29 holes of play. He played the par-4's the fourth-best in the field at 6-under. In the second round, after his drive landed in-between the trees he holed out for an eagle on the 413-yard, par-4 9th hole, one of two players in the field that did so Tuesday. He was 82 yards from the pin and hit a 58-degree wedge he hit what he termed "a slight baby draw" to get it around the right side of a tree.
"It was a good day," Farrow said after his best two rounds as a Buffalo. "I had a really good second round, and I stayed patient and I listened to what DT (associate head coach Derek Tolan) told me, and he gave me some good advice and was able to capitalize on some good breaks. I just had fun out there."
Sophomore Casey Kosney had back-to-back rounds in the 60's for the second time this year – and for his brief college career, as he is also tied for seventh with a 5-under 67-68—135 scorecard. A very steady round yielded eight birdies and 25 pars with only three bogeys, as he had runs of 14 and 11 consecutive holes of par or better. He is under par on all hole designs through 36 holes; 3-under on the par-3's – the best in the field – and 1-under on the 4's and 5's.
"In the first round, I stayed patient," he said. "I hit a lot of greens and I did make a lot of putts, only had one bogey, so I eliminated a lot of mistakes. And then the second round, same thing. G ot a couple putts to fall, and I feel I'm in a good position going in tomorrow."
Freshman Gavin Amella is tied for 39th after a 70-71—141 1-over par day. He had nine birdies to match Farow's team-high along with 19 pars and six bogeys and two doubles, playing the par-3's and 5's at 2-under (3-over on the par-4's). He scored two of his birdies on the 198-yard, par-3 3rd hole, of which there were just 16 all day on the third-toughest hole at +0.22 over par.
Graduate Jackson Rivera recorded a par of 2-over par 72's, tying for 62nd with a 4-over 144 overall total. His rounds were almost identical with two birdies and 14 pars and two bogeys – just not all on the same holes. He's 3-under on the par-5's as he birdied three of the four long ones. He was 6-over at one point, but knocked two strokes off that count after making birds on two of his last four holes.
"'We didn't have our best today, but the guys did a great job for the most part of staying in the present and their eyes forward on the task at hand," CU head coach Roy Edwards said. "That is why we were able to close the round out well and in a position to make a run tomorrow. We obviously have to play well as some very good teams are in front of us but I'm confident the guys are ready for the challenge."
"Individually Brandon, Casey and Colt had good days," he added. "Everyone had some good moments but we have to make fewer mistakes. Our good golf is really good but we just made too many bogeys."
Arkansas State's Henry Styles has a six-stroke lead in his pursuit of medalist honors after fashioning a 13-under par 63-64—127 score. The Red Wolves' junior tied the Simpson records for gross 18- and 36-hole totals; those were previously done on a par-72 course, so they did not tie the marl for in stroke count related to par (though with two fewer par-5's, harder to do).
The third and final round is Wednesday with a combined staggered start on the 1st hole for teams first through seventh starting at 8:00, and for the remainder of the field at 7:30 off of No. 10. Colorado will be paired with Arkansas State, Long B each State and Denver and will tee off beginning in 10-minute increments at 8:50 a.m. off the No. 1 tee. The weather could present a challenge, as the forecast is predicting a 50 percent chance of rain throughout the day; the high temperature is expected to be in the low 60's.
LES FOWLER INDIVIDUAL INVITATIONAL: CU, with assistance from Colorado Mines, hosted the third annual Fowler Individual at Bear Creek Golf Club in Southwest Denver that was completed Tuesday; an individual tournament that had 45 entrants – though no CU players were in the Simpson. Oklahoma State's John Wild claimed medalist honors with a 7-under 209, which was bolstered by his second round, bogey-free 9-under 63 that tied the course record shot on just one previous occasion. He won by three shots over his Cowboy teammate, Jaxon Bandelier.
ALUMNI WATCH: Ryan Schmitz ('17) tied for seventh in the stroke qualifying for the U.S. Mid-Amateur (3-under 72-67—139) at Sand Valley Resort in Nekoosa, Wis. He thus advanced into match play Monday, where he dropped his match in the Round of 64 to Christian Cavaliere, 1-up. He was down two through 16, but birdied a 609-yard, par-17th to pull to within one; both made pars on 18. Blake Moore ('07) missed advancing by one stroke (76-70—146). They were the ninth and 10th former Buffs to qualify for the mid-amateur – 16 total appearances -- with Schmitz the sixth to advance into match play (Steve Irwin ('97) who has qualified six times, made it the furthest, eliminated in the third round) … Justin Biwer ('25) had a successful summer playing professionally to the point where he finished high enough on the PGA Tour Americas to earn his Korn Ferry Tour card, and is also exempt until the final stage of Q School in December to earn his PGA Tour card.
NOTES: The temperature was a brisk 59 degrees under cloudy skies when the teams teed off at 8:15 a.m.; it rose to 65 degrees by Noon and reached a high of 71 with the cloud cover … This is the fifth time in the 16 years of the event that all five Division I programs – CU, AFA, CSU. DU and UNC – are playing … Only UNC and Wyoming have joined the Buffs in playing in all 16 Simpsons … Wednesday will end one of the busiest stretches in CU history, as the Buffs will have played 12 rounds in 17 days … The average score for all 186 rounds is 70.63 (70.67 in round one, 70.56 in round two); the five CU scorers averaged 69.0 for its 10 rounds on Tuesday … There are 32 players presently under par and six who are even … Eleven holes are playing over par, none too out of whack; the three toughest -- all +0.22 or higher, in order are 8, 10 and 6;; the Buff quintet played those at 1-under for the day – the four Buff indies combined to play those even … The Buffs and Long Beach State are playing the par-3's the best at 1-over; CU is playing the par-5's second-best at 9-under (behind minus-12 by DU) and are playing the par-4's fifth-best at 3-over (LBSU is 15-under) … Colorado has the 11th-most birdies (30, Long Beach has 46), the second-most pars (126; Arkansas State has 128), and has the third-fewest bogeys (21; Arkansas State has 16) … The Buffaloes have now posted nine subpar team rounds this season (all in a row); over the last two-plus seasons, CU now has 61, with five even-par rounds, in its last 90 overall .
| BUFFALO INDIVIDUALS |
| T4. | Brandon Knight | 65-69—134 |
| T7. | *Colt Farrow | 70-65—135 |
| T7. | *Casey Kosney | 67-68—135 |
| T16. | Tyler Long | 70-67—137 |
| T27. | Parker Paxton | 68-71—139 |
| T27. | Asher Whitaker | 69-70—139 |
| T39. | Ty Holbrook | 72-69—141 |
| T39. | *Gavin Amella | 70-71—141 |
| T62. | *Jackson Rivera | 72-72—144 |
| INDIVIDUAL LEADERS |
| 1. | Henry Styles, Arkansas State | 63-64—127 |
| 2. | Jaden Huggins, Long Beach State | 67-65—132 |
| 3. | Norwin Gohm, Long Beach State | 64-69—133 |
| T4. | Brandon Knight, Colorado | 65-69—134 |
| T4. | Campbell McFadden, UNC | 68-66—134 |
| T4. | Filiph Dock, Kansas City | 69-65—134 |
| TEAM STANDINGS |
| 1. | Long Beach State | 265-273—538 |
| 2. | Arkansas State | 267-274—541 |
| 3. | COLORADO | 272-275—547 |
| 4. | Denver | 270-281—551 |
| T5. | Kansas City | 277-275—552 |
| T5. | Utah | 277-275—552 |
| T5. | San Diego | 277-275—552 |
| 8. | Nevada | 275-282—557 |
| 9. | Texas-El Paso | 281-278—559 |
| T10. | Pacific | 282-280—562 |
| T10. | Northern Colorado | 284-278—562 |
| T12. | Air Force | 282-282—564 |
| T12. | Utah State | 283-281—564 |
| 14. | Boise State | 282-283—565 |
| 15. | Colorado State | 283-284—567 |
| 16. | Wyoming | 294-281—575 |
| 17. | Utah Valley | 290-287—577 |
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