Buffs 13th In Puerto Rico Classic
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - Thirteen was good and bad for the University of Colorado men's golf team Monday, as the Buffs improved their team score by some 13 strokes, but had four golfers lose 13 strokes down the stretch as CU slipped from 12th to 13th place after two rounds of the fifth annual Puerto Rico Classic.
The top five remained unchanged, as North Carolina State (No. 45 in the latest Golfweek rankings) held on to the lead with a 574 score, with defending national champ and No. 10 Minnesota still three back at 577. Oklahoma State (580), No. 1 Clemson (586) and No. 11 Texas (587) round out the top five.
The Buffaloes hold 13th place with a 607 total, despite recording the 10th best round of the day (297). CU was on track to shoot in the high 280s, but things fell apart over its last four holes, losing nine strokes to par. The Buffs are hanging tough though, as the field is one of the toughest this year, including eight of the nation's top 15 teams.
Sophomore Mike Brenneman put up a second straight 75 on the 6,954-yard, par-72 Westin Rio Mar Country Club layout, giving him a 150 total after 36 holes to tie for 35th, leading the way for CU. Freshman Edward McGlasson is tied for 39th with a 151 score also after recording a 75 Monday, while senior captain Stephen Carroll bounced back from an 81 to shoot a par 72 for a 153 score. Freshmen Derek O'Neill (75-154) and Shaun Justice (79-159) round out the CU scoring.
North Carolina State's Fernando Mechereffe carded a second straight 69 for a six-under 138 total to own a two-shot lead over teammate Justin Walters (70-70-140) heading into the final 18 holes. Only seven golfers are under par for the tournament with another three at even par out of the 90 players in the field.
"There are some tough golf holes out here, and you can make a big number if you're not careful; our last four holes just killed us because we were playing really well up until then and had things on course to shoot one of the low rounds of the day," CU head coach Mark Simpson said. "But that happens with a lot of young guys. Three of them were three-over those last four and another was four-over, so that's nine strokes that counted (against the team score) right there. Those holes are hard for everyone, but more experienced teams have a way of hanging in there and not letting things get too out of hand. It was also around 85 or 86 degrees and humid today, something we're accustomed to at this time of year, and that drained us hard. But these are things that will serve us well in the long run, so I chalk it up to a learning experience."
"But Steve played solid, he had it three-under at one point, and more importantly showed the younger guys how to come back from a bad day like he had Sunday," he added.
"For a young team like this, the conditions, this time of year and the field we're competing against, our focus more than a goal would be to attain a top 10 finish," Simpson said of Tuesday's mission. "That would be good for these guys. They're all on the verge of putting up a good round, they just need to bring it home."
The final round of the tournament will be played Tuesday morning, with the shotgun start commencing at 4:45 a.m. mountain time. CU will tee it up with Kent State and tourney host Purdue.
Buffalo Individuals
T35. Mike Brenneman......... 75-75--150
T39. Edward McGlasson....... 76-75--151
T51. Stephen Carroll........ 81-72--153
T58. Derek O'Neill.......... 79-75--154
T75. Shaun Justice.......... 80-79--159
Team Scores
1. North Carolina State.. 288-286--574
2. Minnesota............. 291-286--577
3. Oklahoma State........ 291-289--580
4. Clemson............... 293-293--586
5. Texas................. 296-291--587
6. Georgia Tech.......... 301-289--590
7. Florida............... 300-291--591
8. Northwestern.......... 300-297--597
9. Georgia............... 305-293--598
10. East Tennessee State.. 300-301--601
11. Oklahoma.............. 316-288--604
12. Duke.................. 304-301--605
13. COLORADO.............. 310-297--607
14. Kent State............ 311-303--614
15. Purdue................ 316-299--615
16. Illinois.............. 316-306--622
17. Virginia.............. 325-313--638
18. Michigan.............. 328-319--647