February is upon us, which means another seven weeks of winter left — at least for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. But for college golfers, it means the start of the second — and most important — part of the season.
After a break in tournament play since October or November, the spring portion of the schedule begins in February for most schools. In fact, the University of Colorado men return to action on Wednesday (Feb. 2) with the Amer Ari Invitational on the Big Island in Hawaii.
As Colorado-based teams start a schedule that will culminate in conference tournaments and perhaps NCAA regional and national meets, it’s time to take a mid-season look at all the state’s Division I programs, plus CU-Colorado Springs, a national power in the Division II men’s ranks.
Air Force Academy men
Open spring season: Feb. 14-15 at Oak Hills Invitational in San Antonio, Texas.
Top-five team finishes in fall: 1. Best showing was one victory.
Top-five individual finishes in fall: 3 (one each by Wes Denny, Kyle Westmoreland and Caleb Leestma).
Top individual in the fall, by stroke average: Freshman Philip Colwell, 73.3.
Fall highlight: The Falcons defeated their fellow academies to win the Service Academy Golf Classic for the 14th consecutive time.
CU men
Open spring season: Feb. 2-4 at Amer Ari Invitational on Big Island, Hawaii.
Top-five team finishes in fall: 0. Best showing was seventh.
Top-five individual finishes in fall: 0.
Top individual in the fall, by stroke average: Junior Kevin Kring, 73.0.
Fall highlights: Senior Luke Symons, who underwent two hip surgeries in the previous 14 months, recorded his first top-10 college finish in more than two years when he placed a team-best seventh in the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational. This spring, the Buffs will be trying to earn a spot in the NCAA regional that they will host May 19-21 at Colorado National Golf Club in Erie.
CU women
Open spring season: Feb. 19-20 at Peg Barnard Invitational in Stanford, Calif.
National ranking: 21st (Coaches poll), 24th (Golfweek and Golfstat).
Top-five team finishes in fall: 5 (out of 5 events). Best showing was two victories.
Top-five individual finishes in fall: 6 (four by junior Jessica Wallace (pictured) and two by junior Emily Talley).
Top individual in the fall, by stroke average: Wallace, 72.0.
Fall highlights: Before they even begin the spring schedule, the Buffs have set a program record with a two-victory season. One of the wins took place at CU’s Heather Farr Memorial Invitational a day after five Buffalo players were involved in a three-car accident. Wallace was among those in the wreck, but it didn’t keep her from claiming her first individual college title. Talley, who posted top-10 finishes in each of her five fall tournaments, and Wallace were named Big 12 Conference Female Golfers of the Month during the course of the fall. Talley also recently was named to the 2011 U.S. World University Games team. Wallace is ranked among the top 50 female college players in the nation by both Golfweek and Golfstat, while Talley is in the top 70.
CU-Colorado Springs men
Open spring season: March 21-22 at SoCal Invitational in Mission Viejo, Calif.
National ranking: ninth in Division II (Golfstat), 10th in Division II (Coaches poll).
Top-five team finishes in fall: 5 (out of 5 events). Best showing was three wins.
Top-five individual finishes in fall: 6 (two by senior Chris Shoop, two by senior Riley Andrews and one each by senior Brian Morfeld and sophomore Spencer Biersdorff).
Top individual in the fall, by stroke average: Morfeld and Andrews, 72.53.
Fall highlights: The Division II Mountain Lions beat all the Division I programs in the state and won the Division I Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational at the Air Force Academy. Overall, UCCS won three of its five fall tournaments and was second in the other two. Three players on the team — Morfeld, Andrews and Shoop — finished with sub-73 stroke averages in the fall, and Morfeld notched a victory.
Colorado State University men
First spring season invitational: Feb. 26-27 at Wyoming Desert Classic in Palm Desert, Calif.
Top-five team finishes in fall: 2. Best showing was second.
Top-five individual finishes in fall: 3 (two by senior Ryan Peterson and one by sophomore Kory Harrell).
Top individual in the fall, by stroke average: Peterson, 70.83.
Fall highlights: Peterson, the reigning Mountain West Conference champion, won the Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational and placed fifth at the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational. Peterson leads the MWC in stroke average at 70.83. He’s ranked 58th in the nation individually by Golfstat. As a team, the Rams recorded two top-three finishes in the fall.
CSU women
Open spring season: Feb. 14-15 at The Gold Rush Invitational in Yorba Linda, Calif.
Top-five team finishes in fall: 1. Best showing was second.
Top-five individual finishes in fall: 3 (two by junior Brianna Espinoza and one by sophomore Emily Roering).
Top individual in the fall, by stroke average: Espinoza, 73.53.
Fall highlights: Espinoza notched three top-eight finishes in the fall and ranks third in the Mountain West Conference in stroke average at 73.53. Golfstat places Espinoza 87th among the nation’s female college players.
University of Denver men
Open spring season: Feb. 16-18 at John A. Burns Intercollegiate in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Top-five team finishes in fall: 0. Best showing was eighth.
Top-five individual finishes in fall: 0.
Top individual in the fall, by stroke average: Senior Klinton Krieger, 74.0.
Fall highlight: Junior Troy Anderson recorded the lone top-10 individual finish for DU in the fall, placing seventh at the Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational.
DU women
Open spring season: Feb. 14-16 at Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge in Palos Verdes, Calif.
National ranking: 39th (Golfweek), 40th (Golfstat).
Top-five team finishes in fall: 1. Best showing was fourth.
Top-five individual finishes in fall: 2 (one each by freshman Tonje Daffinrud and sophomore Kelly Drack).
Top individual in the fall, by stroke average: Drack, 73.42.
Fall highlights: Daffinrud, a native of Norway, notched her first college victory in the fall. Drack, who posted two top-10 finishes, is ranked 77th in the nation individually by Golfweek and 88th by Golfstat. Senior Ellie Givens is 99th, according to Golfweek.
University of Northern Colorado men
Open spring season: Feb. 21-22 at Snowman Invitational in Chandler, Ariz.
Top-five team finishes in fall: 0. Best showing was sixth.
Top-five individual finishes in fall: 0.
Top individual in the fall, by stroke average: Senior Stephen Bidne, 75.07.
Fall highlight: UNC gradually improved as the fall season progressed, with Bidne posting a sixth-place finish in an October tournament in Utah.
UNC women
Open spring season: Feb. 25-27 at Red Rocks Invitational in Sedona, Ariz.
Top-five team finishes in fall: 1. Best showing was fourth.
Top-five individual finishes in fall: 1 (by sophomore Carleigh Silvers).
Top individual in the fall, by stroke average: Silvers, 76.73.
Fall highlight: Silvers placed fifth in the fall finale, leading the Bears to a fourth-place showing in the team standings.
