Edwards Adds Four To Men's Golf Program

               BOULDER —University of Colorado men’s golf coach Roy Edwards has added four new golfers to the program, as three signed letters-of-intent and the fourth a financial aid agreement to join the Buffaloes program, which ended the fall season ranked No. 39 in the nation.

               The group includes three of the state’s top prep players, Pierce Aichinger and Ross MacDonald, both from two-time 4A state champion Valor Christian in Highlands Ranch, and Wilson Belk from Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado Springs.  A fourth addition, Ben Bradley, signed a financial aid agreement to attend CU, as he has been competing on the German National Team and will enroll in January; he will be eligible to compete in the spring semester.

               All three Colorado prep products finished in the top eight of this year’s state championship and were first-team All-State performers.

               “We are very excited about this class,” Edwards said.  “Ben, Ross, Wilson, and Pierce all bring a lot of talent and energy to our golf program and we are very excited to have them join us.  It is one of our primary goals in recruiting to attract the best players from Colorado and we were fortunate to get a great group once again in this recruiting cycle.  We continue our strong relationship in Germany with the addition of Ben Bradley.  All four are high-quality people as well as players. 

                “With a lot of hard work, determination, and belief in themselves, we feel all of them have a chance to be very good players individually and help our team be successful.   We can’t wait to get started with them.”

               Aichinger, who resides in Cherry Hills Village, is an All-State and All-Colorado team member, tying for sixth in the state meet as a senior (72-75—147) at Walking Stick Golf Club in Pueblo.  He was the Colorado Junior PGA champion with a 64-65—129 effort (11-under par at Indian Tree Golf Club in Arvada), and claimed the titles at the CJGA Estes Park (68-70—138) and the RMJGT at Walking Stick (70-73—143).  He was also second in the Bass Pro Shop/Payne Stewart AJGA Championship (71-69-72—212).

               Edwards on Aichinger: “Pierce has shot some very low scores.  He is someone who is really developing into a strong player.  When he plays well he gets on a roll and is very hard for anyone to beat.  He comes from a very structured and successful program at Valor.”

               MacDonald, a Castle Rock resident, was the Colorado Junior Stroke Play champion in both 2013 and 2014, represented Colorado in the Junior Americas Cups in 2012 and 2013 and was the recipient of the Hale Irwin Elite Player Program Award this past summer.  He finished third in last month’s 4A state championships with a 70-72—142 scorecard, and was seventh in the event as a junior and 10th as a sophomore.  He was All-State as a junior and senior.

                Edwards on MacDonald: “Ross has had one of the more decorated careers in Colorado junior golf history.  Along with Pierce, he comes from Valor, who has had one of the best high school golf teams in the country the last few seasons.”

               Belk was a four-year letterman at Cheyenne Mountain, with every one of his scores counting toward his team’s score.  An All-State performer his sophomore through senior years, he tied for eighth as a senior in the 4A state meet (72-76—148) after finishing as the runner-up his junior year (71-74—145), one shot out of the lead (he was 12th as a sophomore).  He was the 4A Southern Regional champion (shot even-par at Walking Stick in Pueblo), and was the 2013 and 2014 Pikes Peak Athletic Conference champion.  He also had an impressive list of accomplishments nationally, which included a third place finish at the AJGA Junior at Cattail Creek last May and qualifying and playing in the Western Junior.

               Edwards on Belk: “Wilson is fundamentally very sound with a great short game.  He is extremely well-liked by his peers.  He is a talented player who we feel strongly will work hard to develop at the collegiate level.”

               Bradley, from Frankfurt, Germany, reached the match play of this year’s British Boys Amateur; he advanced with an 83-73—156 scorecard, tying for 53rd with his second round score tied for the 13th best in the field (he lost 2 and 1 in the first round of match play).  Competing on the German National Team for the past two years, he finished 22nd in the German Championships in September among an impressive list of amateur accomplishments around Europe.  He will be a freshman in eligibility.

               Edwards on Bradley: “We are very fortunate to add Ben to our roster for the spring, and he will add immediate depth to the team.  He has been competing on the German National Team and his dad is PGA professional, so he has the lineage.  Ben is also very well-liked by his teammates and is a nice addition for us.”

OTHER PROGRAM NEWS: Colorado’s final fall ranking of No. 39 is the highest at the semester break since 2008-09, when the Buffs checked in at No. 34 (the team led by seniors Derek Tolan and Patrick Grady) … Sophomore Jeremy Paul finished as the 11th ranked player on the European list for the fall for next June’s Palmer Cup.  The top six collegiate golfers from the final rankings from both the United States and Europe automatically make each team’s 10-member squad to compete in the event, a college version of the Ryder Cup.  Paul is from Viernheim, Germany, and led CU in stroke average in the fall with six top 20 finishes.