Golfers Slip Into Eighth At UCLA's Gifford

               SAN MARTIN, Calif. — The University of Colorado men’s golf team had hoped to move up a few notches but instead slipped a spot into eighth place, as the UCLA Gifford Intercollegiate will head into its third and final round Wednesday.

               No. 18 Southern California and No. 8 UCLA remained in their 1-2 order through two rounds, both schools essentially running away from the rest of the 10-team field, which features four top 20 teams and eight in the top 38.  The Trojans have a 12-under team score of 698, upping their lead by one over the Bruins, who are in at 9-under 701.  Northwestern, ranked down the line at No. 66, is in a distant third at 3-over 713, as the Wildcats joined USC and UCLA as the only schools to shoot under par in the second round.

               The Buffaloes, ranked No. 35, were even as a team through the first five holes but then ran into some trouble, closing their first nine collectively at 10-over.  When all was said and done, CU turned in an 8-over 363 score, four shots better than its Monday score, and stand in eighth at 20-over 730, though just 11 shots out of fourth.

               Sophomore Jeremy Paul, the nation’s 45th ranked individual, continued to top the individual efforts for the Buffaloes, carding a 2-over 73 for a 1-under 141 score through two rounds; he’s tied for 13th overall.  Unlike his round on Monday, he had a roller coaster ride his second time around the 7,360-yard, par-71 CordeValle Country Club course layout: he had 13 pars in the first round but just four on Tuesday, when he scored seven birdies, five bogeys and two doubles.  His 11 birdies lead the entire field, and he’s 3-under on the par-5s, second-best.

               Junior Philip Juel-Berg carded an even-par 71, which kept him at 1-over for the tournament (143) which has him tied for 18th.  He had five birdies and nine pars against three bogeys and a double en route to his even effort Tuesday.  He’s played the challenging par-3s here at 1-under, tied for second-best in the 72-man field.

               Sophomore Yannik Paul, the younger of the two identical twins, shot a 3-over 74, with his 36-hole score of 7-over 149 has him tied for 49th individually.  He had two birdies and 12 pars against three bogeys and a double, essentially the same breakdown he had on Monday except he had one more par and one less birdie. 

               Senior David Oraee turned in CU’s best second round score, a 1-under 70, and in the process jumped 18 spots in the standings into a tie for 32nd with a 4-over 146 total through 36 holes.  He had two birdies and a team-best 15 pars with as single bogey in the second round, a dramatic turnaround from Monday when he had an uncharacteristic seven bogeys.

               Sophomore Ethan Freeman shot a second consecutive 5-over 76, which has him tied for 62nd overall at 10-over 152.  While he didn’t score any birdies Tuesday, he did log 14 pars along with three bogeys and a double; he has a team-best 25 pars here over the two rounds.

               Junior Drew Trujillo slashed five strokes off his first round effort, as he carded a 4-over 75 for a 36-hole score of 155, which is 13-over par and has him tied for 68th.  He had no double bogeys Tuesday after having four in the first round.    He had a birdie and 12 pars with five bogeys his second time around the track.

              "It wasn't our best day but the guys did a good job of competing overall,” CU head coach Roy Edwards said.  “We are still making too many unforced errors, but we are in a decent spot to move up tomorrow.  Each of the guys can pass a bunch of individuals with good rounds.  It is the kind of course you can get it going with a hot putter and I am confident everyone will go out tomorrow ready to close the fall on a high note."

               UCLA’s Jake Knapp, a co-leader after the first round, turned in a 4-over 70 Tuesday for a 6-under 136 score, which is good for a one-shot edge over Northwestern’s Dylan Wu and USC’s Sean Crocker.

               The third and final round is set for Wednesday and will feature at 10 a.m. MST shotgun start.  CU will be paired with No. 34 SMU and unranked Wisconsin in its final round of competition this fall season.

               This tournament features a six-for-five format, where each school has six players, with five counting toward the team score; it’s the first one this season for the Buffaloes, and is similar to the format utilized in the Pac-12 Championships.