Brandon Knight is one of two seniors along with Ty Holbrook in the '26-27 Buffaloes/
Photo by: Tony Harman
Men's Golf: ‘26-27 Season Preview
September 08, 2026 | Men's Golf
Edwards Begins His 21st Season As CU’s Head Coach
BOULDER — The Colorado men's golf team will open the fall portion of its 2026-27 schedule Thursday with three individuals set to play in Colorado State's Ram Masters Invitational in Fort Collins.
The CSU tournament has 36 holes scheduled for Thursday with the final 18 on Friday at Fort Collins Country Club, which plays to a 7,234-yard, par-70 configuration. Both days start with 8 a.m. tee times.
The first tournament for the team follows next Monday, as the Buffaloes will be participating in the inaugural Vuori Invitational, hosted by the University of San Diego. In addition to CU and host USD, the 12-team field includes Arkansas, BYU, Colorado State, Long Beach State, Oregon, Oregon State, Pacific, San Diego State, Southern California and Tulsa.
It's the first time the Buffaloes will open the full season in California since 2008 in San Francisco's Olympic Club Intercollegiate and just the third time in their 102-year history; CU opened a curtailed schedule due to COVID-19 in the spring of 2021 in Palm Desert in The Prestige at PGA West.
Two rounds are scheduled for Monday and the final 18 on Tuesday at Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club, a 7,035-yard, par-72 that opened in 1929 and underwent a complete renovation in 2002. It has been distinguished as one of the finest "walkable" designs in the world. Both days will have play beginning at 9 a.m. mountain time off holes 1 and 10, with the long range weather forecast at present has high temperatures in the upper 70's or low 80's with no precipitation expected.
Colorado is in its 21st season under head coach Roy Edwards, who has guided the program to two NCAA Championship Finals appearance in the last four years, with three of the seasons among the best in program history. Associate head coach Derek Tolan is in his sixth season with his alma mater.
"We feel really good about this year's team," Edwards said. "We certainly expect to perform at a high level, but our main focus is on practicing and preparing at an elite level every day. If we do that, we expect guys to have some great seasons individually, and that will ultimately lead to team success. There are going to be a lot of opportunities for guys to compete in tournaments this fall, and I expect we'll see a few different lineups that we can be successful with."
This year's roster features six returning lettermen, led by seniors Ty Holbrook and Brandon Knight. Both are coming off their best seasons as a collegian, and Knight became the first Buff to reach the quarterfinals in the U.S. Amateur last month. The duo was among CU's record-setting five players with sub-73 stroke averages for the season, Knight second on the team with a 70.94 figure and Holbrook right behind him at 71.13 (the eighth and 10th best, respectively, in the CU record book). Both led the team with four top 10 finishes.
Junior Parker Paxton recorded one of the best fall seasons ever at CU, posting top 20 finishes in all five fall events, just the sixth Buff to accomplish that feat, with a 68.80 stroke norm. Though he cooled off a bit in the spring, he still logged a 71.74 average for the full season, 19th-best overall in program history but the fourth-best by a sophomore.
Jackson Rivera, who played four seasons at the University of Southern California who joined the Buffaloes as a graduate transfer, is in his final year of eligibility (the only player on the roster as the NCAA's new five-year eligibility maximum would apply to all others). Rivera had an immediate impact on the team, with his tying for second – with Knight – in Wyoming's Desert Intercollegiate the best individual finishes by a Buff last season. He finished with a 72.08 average and was the third low amateur in July's Inspirato Colorado Open.
Two sophomores complete the returning lettermen, Casey Kosney and Tyler Long. Kosney had a good summer with several top 15 results, including tying for second in the Sacramento City Amateur, for fifth in the Carolinian Amateur for 13th in the Carolinas Open. Long, who qualified for the U.S. Amateur; he didn't advance into match play but played well overall in tying for 160th out of 312 entered in the event. He tied for second with a 6-under 66 in the U.S. Open Qualifier, finished fourth in the Colorado Amateur and tied for 29th in the Pacific Coast Amateur.
There are three newcomers on the roster, talented freshmen Gavin Amella (Castle View High School in Castle Rock) and Colt Farrow (Central High in Andover, Kan.). They were joined by Oklahoma transfer Asher Whitaker, who as a senior at Mount Carmel Catholic High School in Wichita, Kan., was considered the No. 14 golfer in the nation in the 2024 class.
Amella won the Colorado Golf Association's junior championship and qualified for the U.S. Junior Amateur, while Farrow had several impressive top 20 finishes in major events. Both were state high school champions as juniors.
The CSU tournament has 36 holes scheduled for Thursday with the final 18 on Friday at Fort Collins Country Club, which plays to a 7,234-yard, par-70 configuration. Both days start with 8 a.m. tee times.
The first tournament for the team follows next Monday, as the Buffaloes will be participating in the inaugural Vuori Invitational, hosted by the University of San Diego. In addition to CU and host USD, the 12-team field includes Arkansas, BYU, Colorado State, Long Beach State, Oregon, Oregon State, Pacific, San Diego State, Southern California and Tulsa.
It's the first time the Buffaloes will open the full season in California since 2008 in San Francisco's Olympic Club Intercollegiate and just the third time in their 102-year history; CU opened a curtailed schedule due to COVID-19 in the spring of 2021 in Palm Desert in The Prestige at PGA West.
Two rounds are scheduled for Monday and the final 18 on Tuesday at Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club, a 7,035-yard, par-72 that opened in 1929 and underwent a complete renovation in 2002. It has been distinguished as one of the finest "walkable" designs in the world. Both days will have play beginning at 9 a.m. mountain time off holes 1 and 10, with the long range weather forecast at present has high temperatures in the upper 70's or low 80's with no precipitation expected.
Colorado is in its 21st season under head coach Roy Edwards, who has guided the program to two NCAA Championship Finals appearance in the last four years, with three of the seasons among the best in program history. Associate head coach Derek Tolan is in his sixth season with his alma mater.
"We feel really good about this year's team," Edwards said. "We certainly expect to perform at a high level, but our main focus is on practicing and preparing at an elite level every day. If we do that, we expect guys to have some great seasons individually, and that will ultimately lead to team success. There are going to be a lot of opportunities for guys to compete in tournaments this fall, and I expect we'll see a few different lineups that we can be successful with."
This year's roster features six returning lettermen, led by seniors Ty Holbrook and Brandon Knight. Both are coming off their best seasons as a collegian, and Knight became the first Buff to reach the quarterfinals in the U.S. Amateur last month. The duo was among CU's record-setting five players with sub-73 stroke averages for the season, Knight second on the team with a 70.94 figure and Holbrook right behind him at 71.13 (the eighth and 10th best, respectively, in the CU record book). Both led the team with four top 10 finishes.
Junior Parker Paxton recorded one of the best fall seasons ever at CU, posting top 20 finishes in all five fall events, just the sixth Buff to accomplish that feat, with a 68.80 stroke norm. Though he cooled off a bit in the spring, he still logged a 71.74 average for the full season, 19th-best overall in program history but the fourth-best by a sophomore.
Jackson Rivera, who played four seasons at the University of Southern California who joined the Buffaloes as a graduate transfer, is in his final year of eligibility (the only player on the roster as the NCAA's new five-year eligibility maximum would apply to all others). Rivera had an immediate impact on the team, with his tying for second – with Knight – in Wyoming's Desert Intercollegiate the best individual finishes by a Buff last season. He finished with a 72.08 average and was the third low amateur in July's Inspirato Colorado Open.
Two sophomores complete the returning lettermen, Casey Kosney and Tyler Long. Kosney had a good summer with several top 15 results, including tying for second in the Sacramento City Amateur, for fifth in the Carolinian Amateur for 13th in the Carolinas Open. Long, who qualified for the U.S. Amateur; he didn't advance into match play but played well overall in tying for 160th out of 312 entered in the event. He tied for second with a 6-under 66 in the U.S. Open Qualifier, finished fourth in the Colorado Amateur and tied for 29th in the Pacific Coast Amateur.
There are three newcomers on the roster, talented freshmen Gavin Amella (Castle View High School in Castle Rock) and Colt Farrow (Central High in Andover, Kan.). They were joined by Oklahoma transfer Asher Whitaker, who as a senior at Mount Carmel Catholic High School in Wichita, Kan., was considered the No. 14 golfer in the nation in the 2024 class.
Amella won the Colorado Golf Association's junior championship and qualified for the U.S. Junior Amateur, while Farrow had several impressive top 20 finishes in major events. Both were state high school champions as juniors.
"Most of our guys had really good summers and have continued to improve," Edwards noted. "Rising sophomore Casey Kosney has taken a big jump forward. Brandon Knight has really taken his game up a notch, and Ty Holbrook has become extremely consistent—you can see a real polish in what he's doing. Jackson Rivera played well at the Colorado Open and is rounding into form. Parker Paxton had a big professional win in Nebraska, and Tyler Long had a really good summer as well. We expect to see Tyler in the lineup a lot this season and expect big things from him."
"As far as the newcomers, freshmen Colt Farrow and Gavin Amella both played great this summer and look ready to contribute right away. Junior transfer Asher Whitaker will be a key part of this team, and we're excited to see him carrying a Colorado bag. All three are great young men who have fit in really well with the team. I know their heads are spinning a little right now as they get used to our expectations and the way we handle our business – on top of moving to a new place – but once they settle in, I think they're going to have tremendous success."
The Buffaloes lost senior Hunter Swanson to graduation but Edwards retained him by naming him an assistant coach.
"Hunter will provide some on-course coaching and mentorship with the team as he kicks off his professional career," Edwards said. "We are going to have him for this season and no one embodies Coach Tolan and my expectations of what it means to be a Colorado Buffalo more than Hunter. Hopefully, the guys take advantage of this season and learn from all that Hunter has to offer."
Edwards held five qualifying rounds over the past week at various challenging courses around the metro area, and as always it was extremely competitive. Earning the top spot for the second straight year was Paxton, who finished with a 9-under 70-66-70-67-73—346 total to best Holbrook and Kosney (-8), Long (-6), Whitaker (-2) and Knight (even). Boulder Country Club (first and third rounds), Colorado National, Broadmoor East and Eisenhower Blue were the courses utilized for qualifying, with Kosney's 7-under 65 at CNGC the low round in qualifying, with two 6-under 66's by Holbrook and Paxton. Knight had a 5-under 65 at BCC.
Those six will make the trip to San Diego; Edwards will select who will participate as an individual. The three others – Amella, Farrow and Rivera -- will compete as individuals in the CSU event with those from six other schools in the 16-team event.
NOTES: This is the ninth time in 10 years CU will play in a regular season tournament in San Diego … Swanson is the fifth former Buffalo that Edwards has hired on his staff, joining Ben Portie, Jim Grady, Patrick Grady and Derek Tolan … Among the 312 Division I programs, Edwards is tied for 47th in coaching longevity at the same school (16th among 138 FBS schools), he is second in tenure in the Big 12 Conference behind Texas Tech's Greg Sands (in his 26th season) … Edwards is the 12th coach to serve as a head coach of a CU athletic program for at least 20 seasons, the third in men's golf, behind Les Fowler and Mark Simpson, both of whom coached for 29 seasons, Fowler from 1948 through 1976, Simpson from January 1977 to December 2005. The others: Frank Potts, Men's Cross Country & Track (41 seasons, 1927-68); Charles Vavra, Men's Gymnastics (32, 1930-61); Richard Rokos, Men's & Women's Skiing (31, 1991-2021); Mark Wetmore, Men's & Women's Cross Country/Track & Field (29, 1995/96-2023/24); Anne Kelly, Women's Golf (27, 1997-2024); Frank Prentup, Baseball (24, 1946-69); Sox Walseth, Men's (20) & Women's (3) Basketball (23, 1956-76; 1980-83); Ceal Barry, Women's Basketball (22; 1983/84-2004/05); and Dick Gray, Men's Tennis (22, 1946-67) … The 1,085 miles from Boulder to San Diego marks the longest road trip to open a season in CU history; it tops the 999 miles to South Bend, Ind., on two occasions (2004, 2022) to play in Notre Dame's meet, followed by 949 miles for San Francisco's Olympic Club tourney in 2008 and 933 miles to Pebble Beach for St. Mary's home meet in 2007, the only other time CU opened in California. This remains one of the rare times Colorado's first tournament of the season isn't in the state, or nearby in New Mexico or Wyoming.
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