The CU men’s golf team started this fall with high hopes, earning a win and two second place rankings early on in the season.
The Buffs, however, were not ready for the competition they faced Monday and Tuesday at the 10th annual Alister Mackenzie Invitational in Fairfax, Calif.
Colorado placed 12th in the tournament, with host No. 1 University of California winning the overall.
CU head coach Roy Edwards said to the CU Sports Information Department that he thought his team would end its season on a better note.
“Today was quite disappointing,” Edwards said to the SID. “We were in position for a good end to the fall season but failed to capitalize. The course played more difficult but to not have one score under par today is a bad way to cap off what had been a good start.”
The Buffaloes were tied for fifth after a solid first round (5-under 279) but struggled in the second round with a score of 1-over 285. In Tuesday’s final round, the Buffs faltered even more to end with an 11-over 295 score. CU’s overall score of 7-over 859 dropped them into a 12th place finish out of 16 teams competing.
The California Golden Bears finished the tournament with a score of 46-under par (806 team score), their five golfers recording nine rounds in the 60s and three others under par.
The Buffs tied California for the second-most eagles with five (the University of Southern Florida recorded the most with 9 total).
Sophomore David Oraee had the best overall finish for the Buffs, tying for 26th place with a 1-over 214 overall score. Oraee was tied for seventh heading into the final round, but his score of 7-over-78 on Monday dropped him down the rankings.
Senior Derek Fribbs pulled out the best final-round score for CU on Monday, recording an even-par 71. Fribbs finished with an overall score of 2-over 215, tying for 34th.
The Buffs are finished with fall season play but will be back in January for the inaugural Dale Douglas Alumni Match. The Buffs’ first spring-season tournament, the Hawaii-Hilo Intercollegiate, is set for February 6-8.
Statistics courtesy of the CU Sports Information Department.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Jillian Arja at Jillian.Arja@colorado.edu.
