For updated scores from the NCAA Colorado Regional, CLICK HERE.
Martin Laird is the most famous person to play for the Colorado State men’s golf program, but even when the Rams had the future PGA Tour standout on their roster, they didn’t accomplish what they did on Saturday.
For the first time in a dozen years — and just the second time ever — the CSU men qualified for the NCAA Finals, and they did it with room to spare.
The Rams vaulted from sixth to second place in the final round of the NCAA Colorado Regional at Colorado National Golf Club, easily claiming one of the five available spots in nationals, which will be held May 31-June 5 in Stillwater, Okla.
“This feels great, but it’s bittersweet in some sense,” said coach Jamie Bermel, who will go to the NCAA Finals for the second time in his 20-year career, and for the first time with the Rams. “This probably isn’t the best team we’ve ever had. I thought that 2004 team with Martin Laird and Nolan Martin had a real chance (to go to nationals), and in 2008, 2009 and 2010 we were right there as well, but we just couldn’t get over the hump. But credit to the guys on this team. They played well today.”
The current Rams have a ways to go to achieve what Laird has — with two PGA Tour wins to his credit and a top-25 spot in the World Golf Rankings — but they will play for a national college title, something the Scotsman never managed.
The Rams locked up a national berth with an impressive 9-under-par 279 in the final round, which gave them the runner-up spot in a tournament in which they were seeded 11th. The only team above them in the final standings was Oklahoma State, the No. 1-ranked program in the nation.
“This is the reason why I transferred to Colorado State — to be able to win and have a chance to get to regionals and nationals,” said junior Kory Harrell, who started his college career at Northern Colorado. “It’s nice to show what we can actually do. To be able to peak at the right time and make nationals is huge.”
OSU, winner of 10 national titles, ran away with the regional championship, posting a 31-under-par 833 total and putting all five of its players in the top 13 individually. Joining the Cowboys and the Rams (851) in earning national berths were Northwestern (855), Georgia (857) and Arizona State (857). The University of Denver — the only other local team in the field — finished 10th at 873.
CSU didn’t put any individual in the top 15, but received help from all its players. Harrell, Ryan Peterson and Mike Sorenson tied for 16th place, while Zahkai Brown was 24th and Kirby Pettitt 56th. In the final round, the Rams scored a 69 and three 70s, but didn’t need the 74 of their No. 1 player, Peterson. (Pictured above are Harrell and Peterson celebrating CSU qualifying for nationals.)
“If somebody said, “˜You’re going to qualify tomorrow and Ryan Peterson is not going to count,’ I would have said you’re crazy,” Bermel said. “He’s been our horse all year.”
In addition to winning its eighth team title of the season, Oklahoma State earned the individual championship, with senior Kevin Tway (pictured at left) prevailing by one over Arizona State’s Scott Pinckney. Ironically, Pinckney defeated Tway in a playoff to win last year’s Trans-Mississippi Championship at Denver Country Club.
“It’s funny how it works out that way,” said Tway, son of 1986 PGA Champion Bob Tway.
Tway, the No. 4-ranked amateur in the world, finished at 10-under-par 206. He’ll play the final college tournament of his career at OSU’s home course as the Cowboys are hosting the NCAA Finals.
“It’s always good to win and gain confidence,” he said. “Gaining confidence going into the NCAA (Finals) is big for me. It’s my last one, and I haven’t gotten an NCAA team title yet, so I’m really looking forward to this year. Hopefully we can get it done.”
While Tway isn’t finished with his college career, Denver resident Mark Hubbard wrapped his up Saturday. The San Jose State senior — who won two college tournaments this season, including one at Colorado National — was 5 under par for the regional through five holes Saturday, but carded a final-round 77. That left him in 31st place overall.
Hubbard said he will remain an amateur this summer, but eventually plans to turn professional.
Like Hubbard, CSU’s Brown had an eventful NCAA regional. The Arvada resident matched the course record and led after the first round, but ended up shooting scores of 65-82-69.
“It was a great 45-hole tournament, I would say,” said Brown, who shot a 9-over-par 45 on the front nine of his second round.
But, like all of his team, Brown was left wearing a big smile as the regional wrapped up Saturday. Making a little CSU history works wonders.
“The field is just packed with good players (including four of the top 11 amateurs in the world rankings), so it was nice to see that we were in second place,” Brown said. “I feel like our team can really trust one another. We’ve played well when we needed to do it.”
Bermel believes the Rams’ cause was helped considerably by playing in a regional in Colorado, where the Rams are right at home at a mile-high elevation. The comfort zone was especially apparent in Saturday’s final round.
“We went out and played really well,” Harrell said. “And once we started going deep we kept the foot on the accelerator and just kept it going.”
CSU became the first Colorado-based school since 2002 to qualify for the men’s NCAA Division I Finals. And given that nationals are at Oklahoma State’s course this year, the Rams feel like they have a card up their sleeve. New assistant coach Brian Guetz, a two-time winner of the Colorado Open, played his college golf at OSU.
“I’m sure Brian will have a good game plan when we get there,” Bermel said. “That will be a huge help for us.”
In addition to the five teams that qualified for nationals on Saturday, the top individual not on those teams earned an NCAA Finals berth. That spot went to Cal-Poly’s Geoff Gonzalez, who birdied his last four holes to advance with a fourth-place showing.
Meanwhile, at other NCAA regionals around the country, three other Coloradans earned berths in the NCAA finals: Gunner Wiebe of the University of San Diego, Michael Schoolcraft of Oklahoma and Jamie Marshall of Arkansas.
