Freshman Holbrook Leads Southern Colorado Masters

            PUEBLO — University of Colorado freshman Ty Holbrook emerged as the leader here Monday after two rounds of the Southern Colorado Masters.
 
            Four Buffaloes are competing here as individuals ahead of next week's Pac-12 Championships, as the coaches decide which six players will participate in the final league event in Carefree, Ariz.
 
               Holbrook started with an even-par 71 in the morning and came back with a 3-under 68 in the afternoon for a 3-under 139 total, good for a one stroke lead over CSU Pueblo's Archie Wyatt.  His 68, his collegiate career best for 16 rounds, was one of just five in the 60s on the day and the second round-best on the 6,522-yard, par-71 Pueblo Country Club course layout.  But was really made the round is that he did it after the predicted winds for the eastern part of the state picked up about seven holes into the rounds, gusting from 20 to 30 miles per hour.
 
               He scored his second eagle of the season in dramatic fashion, as he drove the green on the 374-yard, par-4 4th hole and sank the 12-foot putt he was left with for a 2.  Holbrook led the 57-man field Monday in both par-3 (plus-1) and par-4 (3-under) scoring, as well as tying for the most pars.  In addition to the eagle, he had five birdies and 26 pars with just four bogeys; he had a stretch of 25 of 26 holes of par or better, which included 16 in a row to start the second round.
 
            Junior Freddy Eisenbeis is tied for seventh after fashioning a 71-72—143 scorecard.  He was fairly consistent all day, finishing with six birdies, 23 pars and seven bogeys, and never more then 2-over par, despite battling the wind over his last 11 holes.  He tied for second in playing the par-3s at 2-over and tied for fifth on the par-5 holes, playing them at 5-under.
 
            Junior Jack Holland opened with a 1-under 70 but had a rollercoaster time of it the second time around the PCC track with a 4-over 75 to stand tied for 11th with a 3-over 145.  A steady morning (four birdies, 12 pars, two bogeys), he had an eagle, three birdies and six pars on the positive side against seven bogeys and a double in the afternoon.  He recorded team-high seven birdies.
 
            Sophomore Robby Keilch is tied for 14th with a 4-over 146; he started solid with a 1-under 70 as well but came back with a 5-over 76 to finish the day.  He was just 1-over in the afternoon when the wind became a factor, but did birdie his final hole of the day, the 555-yard, par-5 11th.  He played the par-4s the second-best in the field at 2-under.
 
            "They played hard today in some adverse conditions, said associate head coach Derek Tolan.  "When the winds really picked up, their competitiveness stayed consistent throughout the day.  Ty was really impressive this afternoon and his great touch around the greens really stood out."
 
            Host CSU Pueblo leads the team competition with a 3-over 571 score, good for a two-shot lead over Colorado Christian.
 
NOTES: Aside from the wind, it was sunny most of the day with comfortable temperatures in the 60s … The average score for all 114 rounds Monday was 75.46, but ballooned to 76.12 in the second round after the winds whipped up, compared to 74.79 in the morning round … In addition to the five rounds in the 60s, there were nine others subpar (70, but just two in the second round) … Only four players are under par, with two others equaling it through 36 holes … The Pac-12 Championships are set for April 26-28 at Desert Forest Country Club in Carefree, Ariz., about 10 miles north of Scottsdale.