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Golfers Improve Into 13th At The Prestige At PGA West

Feb 16, 2021
Adam Matteson help bolster CU's rally Tuesday.

PALM DESERT, Calif. — The University of Colorado men's golf team recorded the 10th-best team score of the day and improved nine spots into a tie for 13th place after the second round here Tuesday in the 21st annual version of The Prestige at PGA West, the Buffaloes' first major tournament of the delayed 2020-21 season.
 
Pepperdine took over the lead after posting the best team score in the second round (5-under 279), as the Waves are in 8-under 560 through 36 holes.  Arizona and Arizona State are tied for second with 5-under 563 totals, the only other teams under par; North Carolina holds fourth with an even-par 568 total, with SMU rounding out the top five (569).  No rankings for the year have been issued yet, but the expectation is that this will likely prove to be one of the stronger fields of the year. 
 
The Buffaloes turned in a 5-over 289 team tally for the second round, five better than their day one total, to jump from 22nd place into a tie for 13th with a 15-over 583 score.   Just 12 strokes separate sixth through 17th place, and of the nine Pac-12 schools in the field, CU is smack in the middle in fifth among its league rivals.
 
Junior John Paterson carded a second consecutive 1-under par 70 on the 7,100-yard, par-71 Greg Norman Course at PGA West, with his 2-under 140 total tying him for fifth, as only 18 players in the 120-man field are under par.  He's four strokes out the lead after recording four birdies and 11 pars against three bogeys on Tuesday.  He continues to lead the entire tourney in birdies with 12, and is playing the par-3 holes the second-best in the field (collectively at 1-under), while also playing the par-4 holes at 2-under, tied for fifth-best.
 
Senior Daniel O'Loughlin rallied after an opening 75 to fashion a 1-under 70, with his 3-over 145 score tying him for 41st.   He had a team-high 15 pars with an eagle, birdie and a double bogey; the eagle came early on, as he scored it on the 566-yard, par-5 12th hole.  It was the eighth eagle of his career, as he hit a milestone Tuesday, the round being his 100th as a Buffalo.  He's tied for eighth playing the par-4 holes, as he is 1-under for the 22 combined through two rounds.
 
Sophomore Adam Matteson turned in a 2-over 73 for a 5-over 147 total, which has him tied for 61st.   He opened strong with two birdies in the first four holes, but back-to-back bogeys brought him back to even.  He went on to finish his round with another birdie and three bogeys, with another two in a row of the latter late costing him a shot at an even-par score.
 
Senior Victor Bjorlow had a second day of some struggles, firing a 5-over 76 for an 11-over 153 score through two rounds, tying him for 99th.  He has just three birdies over two days, but closed his round Tuesday with the ultimate confidence builder, scoring an eagle on the 359-yard, par-4 9th hole. After driving the ball a little more than 250 yards on the severe dogleg right with a band of desert before the green, he then holed out with his second shot. It was his 12th career eagle, the most by any current Buff on the roster.  After turning at 4-over, he played the front nine at 1-over, his best of the four nines here this week.
 
Junior Kristoffer Max had a rough day, finishing with a 12-over 83 for a 158 score, which is 16-over for the meet.  He actually got off to a good start and stood at 1-under through four holes, but had a five-hole stretch where he was 8-over, including double- and triple bogeys.  He is tied for 118th entering the final round.
 
Texas Tech's Ludvig Aberg is the leader through 36 holes with a 6-under 136 score; first-round leader, Arizona State's David Puig, shot a 74 after an opening 64 and is second.
 
"Generally, a better day today, even with the conditions more difficult especially in the morning with some wind," said CU head coach Roy Edwards.  "John and Daniel has nice rounds as did Adam.  Victor fought hard and his closing with an eagle was a good way to finish."
 
The Prestige at PGA West Invitational.  In conjunction with the 24-team event, there is also a special competition for individuals that are not on the school's top five.   Playing in his first collegiate event, CU redshirt freshman Canon Olkowski is tied for 19th after turning in a 1-under par 71 for a 1-under 143 total on the 7,145-yard, par-72 Coral Mountain Golf Club course also in Palm Desert.  Olkowski had four birdies and 11 pars for the second straight round.  Oklahoma State's Hazen Newman carded a 63 to take over the lead with a 12-under 132 through 36 holes. There are 17 teams in the main tournament and three others who entered a total of 44 players in the individual event.  "Canon had another solid day and has played well in his first two collegiate rounds," Edwards noted.
 
The third and final round of both events will be Wednesday.  The Buffaloes will be paired with Marquette and San Diego State and will tee off beginning at 8:40 a.m. on the number 11 tee.
 
NOTES: All participants (coaches and players) had to have a negative PCR test for COVID-19 within 72 hours of competition … Colorado is tied for first in eagles with two (just 11 overall thus far) and is tied for fifth in birdies (29); the Buffs are still down the way in pars (23rd, 96) … CU is playing the par-4 holes at 14-over (tied for eighth-best), the par-3's at 16-over (tied for 20th) and the par-5's at 3-over (21st) … The average score through 36 holes (240 rounds) was 73.54, spiking up from Monday after a 73.92 norm on Tuesday … This is the 11th time CU is competing in this event, the first time since the 2012-13 season; it started in the fall of 2000 for the top academic schools in Division.  CU's best finish here was second in 2001.
 

BUFFALO INDIVIDUALS
   T5.  John Paterson  70-70—140
 T41.  Daniel O'Loughlin  75-70—145
 T61.  Adam Matteson  74-73—147
 T99.  Victor Bjorlow  77-76—153
T118.  Kristoffer Max  75-83—158
THE PRESTIGE AT PGA WEST / INDIVIDUAL
 T19.  Canon Olkowski  72-71—143

 

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
  1. Ludvig Aberg, Iowa State  69-67—136
  2. David Puig, Arizona State  64-74—138
T3. Jacob Skov Olesen, TCU  71-68—139
T3. Aaron Du, California  69-70—139
T5. John Paterson, Colorado  70-70—140
T5. Trevor Werbylo, Arizona  73-67—140
T5. Jacob Westberg, UC Davis  67-73—140
T5. Joey Vrzich, Pepperdine  67-73—140
T5. Chase Sienkiewicz, Arizona  68-72—140

 
TEAM STANDINGS

1. Pepperdine  281-279—560
2. Arizona State  276-287—563
2. Arizona  283-280—563
4. North Carolina  282-286—568
5. SMU  285-285—569
6. Texas Tech  293-281—574
7. Oregon State  291-286—577
7. TCU  289-288—577
9. California  288-290—578
9. Northwestern  291-287—578
11. Long Beach State  289-290—579
12. Nevada  287-294—581
13. COLORADO  294-289—583
13. San Diego State  290-293—583
15. Iowa State  289-296—585
15. Marquette  286-299—585
17. Southern California  287-299—586
18. Stanford  292-296—588
19. Oregon  289-301—590
20. Wyoming  291-300—591
20. UC Davis  287-304—591
22. Cal Poly  291-301—592
23. Denver  297-296—593
24. UCLA  299-302—601