O'Loughlin Ends CU Career Tying For 51st In NCAA Southwest Regional

                ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — University of Colorado senior Daniel O'Loughlin in the end would have needed an Jim Furyk-type round here Wednesday to have qualified for the NCAA Finals, as he finished up his career with a 51st place finish in the NCAA Southwest Regional Monday.
 
                O'Loughlin carded a final round 76 on the 7,555-yard, par 72 University of New Mexico's Championship Golf Course layout, which gave him a 6-over 222 total for the event. 
 
                The top five teams and the top individual not from those schools advanced to the NCAA Finals.  South Carolina's Ryan Hall was that individual, as he was the regional medalist with an 11-under 205.  Entering the day, his team was in fourth but wound up falling out of the top five, thus he earned the individual nod to advance.  O'Loughlin would have needed to shoot a 58 to have earned that spot; Furyk is the only player in PGA Tour history to shoot a 58 in competition, doing so in the 2016 Traveler's Championship, thus the comparison.
 
                "Well, that would have been beyond crazy to post that kind of number, be it here on this course or anywhere," O'loughlin joked.  "I was thinking maybe 8- or 9-under today might have been able to get back in it."
 
                He had 14 pars and four bogeys to close out his Buff career, as he never could light a fire in his game Wednesday.
 
                "It was frustrating, I never got anything going today," he said.  "I had a couple of chances, but had some bad bogeys.  I had quite a few par saves which helped the score a little bit, and I felt I was good off the tee.  But my iron play wasn't as good as it has been and my short game could have been better. 
 
                He wound up playing the par-3s at 3-over, the par-4s at 5-over and the par-5's at 2-under, and finished the week with nine birdies, 30 pars and 15 bogeys. 
 
                "It really was something different all three days (that kept him for scoring better), and without a good short game on this course, it exposes everybody and fast."
 
                "This was a tough way to finish for Daniel," CU head coach Roy Edwards said.  "What a career he had here, and has an exciting future ahead of him.  We can't thank him enough for choosing to be a Buff and for representing the University of Colorado at such a high level for four years.  He is a wonderful young man."
 
                Despite shooting his highest score of the year for 25 rounds, O'Loughlin did manage to end his career with a 71.68 average for 123 rounds, which did edge Jeremy Paul's previous school record of 71.72.
 
                "I'm really happy I was able to hang on to that," he said.  "It does show how very consistent I have been through the years here.  I've played solid, never really had any crazy highs or crazy lows, just consistently good golf for four years, which I am happy and proud about.  That's my game, honestly.  
 
                No. 22 Texas Tech used the best score of the day, an 11-under par 277, to win the team title going away with a 26-under 838 score.  No. 12 Arizona State caught No. 41 Oregon State, which led after each of the first rounds, as the pair tied for second (848, of 16-under).  No. 1 Oklahoma rallied from ninth into fourth (851) and San Diego grabbed the fifth and final spot at 852, edging No. 14 Teas A&M by one stroke.
 
                O'Loughlin again finished as the team's leader in stroke average with a 71.56 mark, the fifth-lowest mark in school history.  It was the third time he led the team, and the fourth time he posted a sub-72.0 average, joining Paul as the only players to accomplish that more than once, and Paul did it just twice. 
 
NOTES: This was the 200th tournament/event that Roy Edwards has coached in his 15th year as Colorado's head coach … O'Loughlin ended high on the charts in several other categories including third in rounds in the 60s (35), subpar rounds (55) and in rounds of par or better (66); he was fourth in rounds counting toward CU's team score (109 of 115, or 94.8 percent) … In 43 career events, he has been under par 19 times and was even-par in two others and was collectively just 9-over par in 123 rounds … Amazingly, in playing 2,214 holes as Buff, and had just 43 worse than bogey (40 doubles, three triples), or 1.9 percent … O'Loughlin never shot an 80 while at CU, with just one 79 (which he recalled making a fantastic up and down from 95 yards out on No. 18 at the Classic Club the first-time around as a senior).  He is believed to be the only regular in school history to never shoot in the 80s … The average score for the overall meet was right at 73.0; but of the 225 rounds, just 33 were scored in the 60s.
 

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