(CU Independent Illustration/Josh Shettler)
The men’s and women’s golf teams at the University of Colorado have one more event prior to their respective Pac-12 tournament in late April. The women’s team will co-host the Silverado Showdown at Silverado Country Club in Napa, California from April 5 to 7. Meanwhile, about 800 miles away, the men’s team will be competing in the Wyoming Cowboy Classic at Whirlwind Golf Club in Chandler, Arizona. For the men’s and women’s teams, these tournaments could provide valuable momentum heading into their conference tournaments.
Both squads placed outside the top-10 in their previous events.
On the women’s side, their last tournament ended in an 11th place finish at The Bruzzy Challenge in Lantana, Texas on March 28 and 29. The Buffs scored a three-round tournament of 885, 21-over par. The 885 was Colorado’s best score of the season with junior Malak Bouraeda and senior Kirsty Hodgkins both earning top-25 individual finishes at 15th and 22nd, respectively.
“We will continue to work hard and push through and the results will come,” said head coach Anne Kelly. “I’m proud of Kirsty who played well today in tougher conditions.”
The Oklahoma State Cowboys took home first place in both the individual and team competitions, scoring a tournament total of 15-under par at 849. Junior Lianna Bailey won the individual competition for the Cowboys, shooting an 11-under 205 with an impressive 6-under 66 during her second round.
The CU men’s team also finished in 11th place when the final putt sank at Stanford’s “The Goodwin” from March 25 to 27. Colorado finished with a 22-over 862 overall three-day score. Senior Daniel O’Loughlin finished his final round with a 2-over 72, bringing him to a total of 4-over 214. This placed him best on the team with senior Victor Bjorlow close behind at 6-over 216. These scores were good enough for 29th and 46th place individually.
“The guys did a nice job today after hitting a rough patch in the middle of the round,” said head coach Roy Edwards. “As has been the norm, the team competed well. We are starting to see more consistency which will be very important for us in our last few events as we are right in the mix for an NCAA berth.”
On the individual side, Nevada senior Sam Harned and St. Mary’s Blake Hathcoat tied for first place at 200, including an outstanding 7-under 63 on the first day of competition. On the team side, Arizona State took home first place with a tournament total of 15-under 825.
Following the women’s Silverado Showdown and the men’s Wyoming Cowboy Classic, the Pac-12 tournament will begin April 23 for the women and April 26 for the men.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Matthew Gillen at matthew.gillen@colorado.edu.