Buffs Finish Eighth At Matlock Collegiate
LAKELAND, Fla. - The University of Colorado men's golf team completed its first tournament of the spring season here Tuesday, as the Buffaloes slipped just a bit in finishing eighth in the Matlock Collegiate Classic.
Tulsa shot the best team score in the final round (a 4-under par 284) to jump from fourth to first in the standings, winning with an 866 total. UNC-Wilmington was a shot back, with second round co-leader Miami, Ohio in third, just two back. Colorado was just 12 strokes out of the lead with an 878 score, but were just six out of fourth and two out of fifth in the tourney, which saw just 14 shots separate the top 10 teams.
Senior captain Stephen Carroll paced the Buffalo attack, as he carded a 1-under 71 Tuesday for a 215 total that tied him for 10th place on the 7,065-yard, par-72 Grasslands Golf and Country Club layout. That tied for CU's best individual round of the meet, and it came despite Carroll's mild suffering from a slight fever and effects of a cold. His first round included a hole-in-one.
"That was a decent start for the spring for us," CU head coach Mark Simpson said. "One of the good signs was that the high score was just a 77, but want we'll want to do it take those scores down a couple of notches, both the lows and the highs." Why was Simpson pleased with the high score being a 77? It marked the first time ever in school history that all Buff players shot 77 or better in each round of the first tournament in the spring (with only one 77 logged in at that).
Three freshmen are on this road trip for the Buffs, and all held their own. Derek O'Neill tied for 22nd (71-220), Edward McGlasson tied for 33rd (75-223) and recent addition Shaun Justice tied for 46th (76-225). Sophomore Mike Brenneman was CU's other performer here, as he carded a 76 in the final round for a 224 total to tie for 36th.
Old Dominion's Geoffrey Harris claimed medalist honors, as he scored a 71 Tuesday for a 209 total, good for a one-shot win over Virginia Tech's Brendon De Jonge. Carroll was just six off the lead in posting his third top 10 finish on the season.
"One of the things (coming into the spring) I was concerned with was consistency, and from what I saw here, it was a good sign," Simpson said. "We need to get to the point where we have three at par or better each round, but we're not that far off. But it's early in the year, and we have the talent to get that done. We have a bunch of freshmen learning, and they're continuing to get better; they're better than they were last fall. And Shaun's first tournament out of the chute was certainly respectable, so there's a lot to build on. These guys are getting valuable experience, and we're building a great foundation for some future success for sure, hopefully starting as the spring season progresses."
The Buffs will remain on the road and head "southeast" to the Caribbean for the Puerto Rico Classic, which runs Sunday through Tuesday.
Buffalo Individuals
T10. Stephen Carroll........... 72-72-71--215
T22. Derek O'Neill............. 76-73-71--220
T33. Edward McGlasson.......... 72-76-75--223
T36. Mike Brenneman............ 74-74-76--224
T46. Shaun Justice............. 72-77-76--225
Team Scores
1. Tulsa................... 288-294-284--866
2. UNC-Wilmington.......... 290-290-287--867
3. Miami, Ohio............. 290-288-290--868
4. Rollins College......... 286-292-295--873
5. Ohio State.............. 293-289-294--876
6. Florida Southern........ 294-291-292--877
6. Virginia Tech........... 291-296-290--877
8. COLORADO................ 290-295-293--878
9. Old Dominion............ 295-296-288--879
10. Missouri................ 295-295-290--880
11. Mississippi State....... 297-298-292--887
12. West Florida............ 292-302-294--888
13. Georgia College......... 295-297-301--893
13. Campbell................ 305-289-299--893
15. Virginia Commonwealth... 297-301-300--898
16. Valdosta State.......... 300-298-301--899
17. Richmond................ 305-308-304--917
18. St. Leo................. 321-324-325--970