Not that there’s any need to apologize, but college golfers from Colorado have received an uncharacteristic share of national media attention so far this season.
One need look no further than Golf World magazine’s college players of the week feature as evidence. Through the April 6 issue, Golf World had named eight national men’s players of the week this season, and three of the eight awards on the men’s side have gone to players from Colorado or in-state schools.
University of Colorado senior Pat Grady earned the honor in late September, and Colorado State junior Dustin Morris and Stanford sophomore Steve Ziegler were named in separate issues of the magazine last month. Ziegler, like Grady, is a resident of Broomfield, and he won two Colorado Class 5A high school titles for Legacy.
All three were honored by Golf World after winning college tournaments, but they certainly weren’t alone in that regard. In all, the four most prominent men’s college golf programs in Colorado have accounted for nine individual victories and seven team tournament wins this season. On the women’s side, there have been three team wins and two individual.
Champions locally include the Colorado State men (a school-record-tying five titles), the University of Denver women (two), and the CU men and women and DU men (one each). Individually, CU senior Derek Tolan and Air Force junior Tom Whitney have captured two victories each, while there’s been one win each by CSU’s Morris, Zahkai Brown and Bryce Hanstad, DU’s Stephanie Sherlock, Dawn Shockley and Daniel Wax, and CU’s Grady.
In recognition of winning twice in three March tournaments, Whitney was recently named the Mountain West Conference Men’s Golfer of the Month.
And when Golf World published its Mid-Season All-American teams, two Coloradans were included: Tolan and Brown, the freshman who won the 2007 Colorado high school title in Class 5A.
With less than two months remaining in the college golf season, a couple of local teams and quite a few individuals from Colorado are ranked among the best in the nation.
The Colorado State men stand 17th in Golfweek’s national poll and 19th in Golf World’s. The DU women, who placed sixth in the NCAA Championships last year, are ranked 15th currently, according to both Golfweek and Golf World.
Individually, Sherlock sits ninth (Golfweek) and 13th (Golfstat) nationally a year after she finished fifth at the NCAA tournament. CU freshman Emily Childs also cracks the top 50 (No. 49, Golfstat), but she plans to transfer and isn’t expected to compete again for the Buffs.
In the men’s top 50 rankings, Ziegler stands 15th (Golfweek), while DU’s Wax is 30th (Golfstat), Southern Cal senior and Colorado Springs resident Tom Glissmeyer is 36th (Golfweek), Air Force’s Whitney is 40th (Golfstat) and CU’s Tolan is 48th (Golfstat).
All in all, it’s shaping up to be one of the more interesting stretch runs in the history of Colorado college golf.
