Four of the top 11 players in the world amateur golf rankings are competing in the NCAA Colorado Regional this week, but that didn’t seem to faze longtime Coloradan Zahkai Brown in the least on Thursday.
On a day that started with a wind-chill factor of 31 degrees, the Colorado State University junior racked up eight birdies in 16 holes on Thursday before wet conditions at Colorado National Golf Club stopped play for the day. The result is that Brown will sleep on a one-stroke lead over Oklahoma State sophomore Sean Einhaus, who posted a 6-under-par 66.
Brown, the 2009 CGA Public Links champion, hasn’t won a college tournament since early in his freshman season, but he’s got a leg up on the competition so far at Colorado National, where he qualified for the 2008 U.S. Amateur.
“Playing well against the great players, it’s really good motivation,” he said. “It makes me feel good about my game that I’m able to contend with great players.”
Something similar can be said for CSU as a team. The Rams came into the regional seeded 11th, but as of sundown Thursday, they stood in fourth place in the 13-team field. The top five schools after Saturday’s final round will advance to the NCAA Championships, set for May 31-June 5 in Stillwater, Okla.
“Obviously it’s a good start,” said CSU coach Jamie Bermel, whose team missed qualifying for nationals by four strokes last year. “You can’t qualify on the first day but you can certainly shoot yourself in the foot. That part of it is good. Now we need to keep doing what we’re doing.”
Top-ranked Oklahoma State, owners of 10 national titles in men’s golf over the years, looked sharp as usual on Thursday, posting a 12-under-par 276 total, good for a four-stroke advantage over Auburn. Arizona State stands in third at 282, while CSU is 5 under par with four of its five players in their final holes of round 1.
The only other Colorado school competing, the University of Denver, holds down a share of ninth place but none of its players has completed the first round.
“They’re doing well,” coach Eric Hoos said of his DU lineup, which includes three freshmen. “They’re hanging in there. The attitude is good, which is a real positive in this (weather).”
The day was very cold and breezy, with rain starting in the afternoon. There was even a little fog. But none of that seemed to affect Brown.
“Except for the rain, we get this weather all the time in the spring when we’re up in Fort Collins,” he said. “Mostly the wind and the cold. We play in it all the time. It was not too bad at all. We’re used to it.”
In addition to Brown leading, Mountain West Conference runner-up Ryan Peterson (pictured above with assistant coach Brian Guetz) stands in 15th place at 1 under par through 15 holes. CSU teammate Kory Harrell is in 20th position after an even-par 72. Bermel attributed much of the Rams’ success to their familiarity with the mile-high altitude.
But it was Brown who was particularly impressive on Thursday.
“He drives the ball so far,” Bermel said. “This course fits him. He qualified for the U.S. Amateur here a couple of years ago as an 18-year-old. I think he has some pretty good vibes about it.” Still, Bermel admits, to go as low as he did “is somewhat of a surprise in these conditions, for sure.”
As for Oklahoma State, with three players ranked among the top seven amateurs in the world, no one is surprised the Cowboys are at the top of the leaderboard. After Thursday, OSU has four players in the top seven individually, with Einhaus being joined by U.S. Amateur champion Peter Uihlein, Big 12 Conference tournament winner Morgan Hoffmann and Talor Gooch, all of whom shot 70, good for seventh place. Kevin Tway, the No. 4 amateur in the world, settled for a 72 on Thursday.
“It’s great for us to see players like Peter, Morgan and Kevin,” Einhaus said. “We practice with them every day and we see what they do. They teach us things and we teach them things. It’s a great competition. We all try to beat each other in a good way. It’s a great way to get better.”
With about 2 inches of rain falling on Colorado National in the day leading up to the tournament, it was no easy task getting the course ready for play by 9:30 a.m. on Thursday. The grounds crew at the club received some help in that regard from their counterparts at the Fox Hill Club in Longmont and from the University of Colorado. Colorado National and Fox Hill are both co-owned by former CU golfer Steve Kerr.
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Men’s NCAA Colorado Regional: All the Essentials
What: The men’s NCAA Colorado Regional golf tournament, hosted by the University of Colorado. The regional tournament is one of six being held nationwide.
When: Thursday through Saturday (May 19-21).
Where: Colorado National Golf Club in Erie.
What’s at Stake: After 54 holes, the top five teams and the top individual not on those teams will advance to the NCAA Championship Finals, set for May 31-June 5 in Stillwater, Okla.
Teams in the Field (with seedings): 1. Oklahoma State; 2. Georgia; 3. Auburn; 4. Arizona State; 5. Clemson; 6. Chattanooga; 7. Texas Christian; 8. North Florida; 9. New Mexico State; 10. Northwestern; 11. Colorado State; 12. San Jose State; and 13. Denver.
Format: 54 holes of stroke play. The top four scores from each school each day count toward the team total.
Participating Teams Ranked in the Top 20 Nationally, according to Golfweek: 1. Oklahoma State; 9. Auburn; 12. Georgia.
Participating Individuals Ranking in the Top 20 Nationally, according to Golfweek: 1. Peter Uihlein, OSU; 3. Kevin Tway, OSU; 11. Morgan Hoffmann, OSU; 16. Blayne Barber, Auburn.
Winners of Conference Championships in Field: Oklahoma State (Big 12), Denver (Sun Belt) and New Mexico State (WAC).
Players with Local Ties Competing: Denver resident Mark Hubbard, senior, San Jose State; Ryan Peterson, senior, CSU; Zahkai Brown, junior, CSU; Kirby Pettitt, sophomore, CSU; Kory Harrell, junior, CSU; Mike Sorenson, freshman, CSU; Troy Anderson, junior, DU; Oskar Arvidsson, freshman, DU; Klinton Krieger, senior, DU; Ole Ramsnes, freshman, DU; Chun-Ji Kim, freshman, DU.
OSU’s Long and Storied History: Oklahoma State, the No. 1-ranked team in the nation, has won 10 men’s national golf championships and has been runner-up 16 times. This season, the Cowboys have won seven tournaments.
U.S. Amateur Champion in the Field: Oklahoma State junior Peter Uihlein is the reigning U.S. Amateur champion and just this week he received the Ben Hogan Award, given to college golf’s top player. He competed in the Masters earlier this spring and currently is No. 1 in the world amateur golf rankings. (Teammates Kevin Tway–fourth–and Morgan Hoffmann–seventh–also are in the top 10 worldwide.) Uihlein has won two college tournaments this season. He is the won of Wally Uihlein, the CEO of the Acushnet Company, which produces golf equipment marketed under the brands Titleist and FootJoy, among others.
Nationwide Tour Winner Also Competing: Georgia senior Russell Henley, who earlier this month became just the second amateur to win an event on the Nationwide Tour, also will play at Colorado National. Henley captured the Nationwide Stadion Classic by two strokes on Georgia’s home course in Athens.
Colorado Tidbits: Brian Guetz, a two-time winner of the Colorado Open (1994 as an amateur and 2008 as a pro), has been named an assistant coach for Jamie Bermel at CSU… Bermel recently celebrated 20 years as a college golf coach, with stints at Drake, Iowa State and CSU, where he’s spent the last 12 seasons… CSU has qualified for 11 NCAA regionals in the last 12 years, while DU has made regionals eight of the last nine years… Last year at the regionals, CSU finished four strokes behind the final team that advanced to the NCAA Finals. The Rams have never competed in the NCAA Finals as a team. … Denver resident Mark Hubbard, the Western Athletic Conference individual champion, won the CU-Mark Simpson Invitational at Colorado National in September.
Colorado National Course Measurement: 7,753 yards, par-72.
Fan Information: The tournament is open to the public free of charge. Tee times begin at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, 8 a.m. on Friday, and 7:30 a.m. on Saturday.
