Biwer, Paterson Set To Compete In British Amateur

               LANCASHIRE, England — Two University of Colorado golfers are among 288 players in the field for the 132nd Annual British Amateur, which starts here Monday.
 
               Sophomore-to-be Justin Biwer and recent graduate John Paterson tee off early Monday in the first of two rounds of stroke play competition.  Following Tuesday's 18 holes, the top 64 players advance to match play with the championship match a 36-hole affair on Saturday.  Biwer is seeded 155th and Paterson 160th after qualifying late last week.
 
               Biwer, currently ranked as the 741st player in the latest World Amateur Golf Rankings of June 8, will tee off at 12:44 a.m. (MDT) on the St. Annes Old Links course (par-70), while Paterson, ranked 753rd, starts at Midnight on the Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club course (par-72).
 
               Biwer recently completed the most successful freshman season in CU history, finishing with a stroke average of 70.91, one of 19 records he established.  He is one of 15 Americans competing in the field, one of four from the Pac-12 along with Arizona's Christian Banke, Arizona State's Ryggs Johnston and Stanford's Henry Shimp.  Also competing is Joe Neuheisel, the youngest son for former CU head football coach Rick Neuheisel who graduated from Boise State.
 
               Paterson is looking to advance to match play in the event for the third time.  Last year, he won three matches to advance to the quarterfinals (where he fell, 3 and 2); he was seeded No. 8 after tying for sixth in the stroke play portion in Nairn, Scotland. In 2018, he tied for 40th in the stroke play qualifying (75-71), and won his first round match before falling in the second (2 and 1) at Royal Aberdeen.  He finished eighth in the Scottish Men's Open Championship the last week of May (72-71-72-72, +7).
 
               Both Biwer and Paterson were with several Buffaloes who played several courses in Northern Ireland last week with head coach Roy Edwards.
 
               The British Amateur Championship is one of the biggest and most prestigious amateur events in the world. The winner secures exemptions into The British Open Championship, The U.S. Open, and by tradition, an invitation to play in the Masters Tournament.  Coverage of the event will be available on both Sky Sports and YouTube Live with live scoring available at https://www.randa.org.