Maybe golf greatness can rub off on some of the local college teams.
After a three-month hiatus, the college season is set to resume in February for all the Colorado-based NCAA Division I programs, with the University of Colorado men teeing it up first, next week in Hawaii.
And leading up to the beginning of the spring season, a couple of the local teams have had the good fortune of picking the brains of some of the game’s major champions.
The CU men recently spent several hours with two of the most famous players in program history, three-time U.S. Open champion Hale Irwin and 1986 U.S. Senior Open winner Dale Douglass. Between them, they’ve won 23 PGA Tour events and 56 Champions Tour tournaments.
And David Duval of Cherry Hills Village, winner of 13 PGA Tour events including the 2001 British Open, noted recently on Twitter that he spent a day with the University of Denver team.
All in all, it’s not a bad way to gear up for the spring season.
With the spring schedule culminating in conference championships and potential NCAA regional and national tourneys, the coming months build toward the most crucial point of the season.
With that in mind, here are some notable tidbits about the local Division I college teams — and a few other selected individuals — heading into the spring.
Men’s National Division I Team Rankings:
Colorado State: 59th (Golfstat) and 60th (Golfweek).
Colorado: 66th (Golfstat and Golfweek).
Denver: 98th (Golfweek) and 101st (Golfstat).
Northern Colorado: 131st (Golfstat) and 139th (Golfweek).
Air Force Academy: 152nd (Golfweek) and 159th (Golfstat).
Women’s National Division I Team Rankings:
Denver: 27th (Golfstat), 32nd (Golfweek) and 36th (Coaches).
Colorado: 84th (Golfweek) and 85th (Golfstat).
Colorado State: 120th (Golfstat) and 122nd (Golfweek).
Northern Colorado: 178th (Golfstat) and 188th (Golfweek).
Top National Men’s Individual Rankings:
Michael Lee, Colorado School of Mines: 38th (Golfstat).
Brandon Bingaman, Colorado Mesa: 62nd (Golfstat).
Jason Burstyn, Colorado: 84th (Golfstat) and 145th (Golfweek).
Parker Edens, Colorado State: 162nd (Golfstat) and 258th (Golfweek).
ChunJi Kim, Denver: 178th (Golfstat).
Charlie Laudermilk, Fort Lewis: 185th (Golfstat).
Top National Women’s Individual Rankings:
Tonje Daffinrud, Denver (pictured): 23rd (Golfweek) and 29th (Golfstat).
Jennifer Coleman, Colorado: 82nd (Golfweek) and 86th (Golfstat).
Lindsay McGetrick, North Carolina State and Valor Christian HS: 121st (Golfstat) and 163rd (Golfweek).
Rachael Watton, Denver: 161st (Golfweek) and 216th (Golfstat).
Men’s Spring Season Openers:
Colorado: Feb. 6-8, Hawaii-Hilo Amer Ari Invitational, Hilo, Hawaii.
Denver: Feb. 11-12, Pat Hicks Thunderbird Invitational, St. George, Utah.
Northern Colorado: Feb. 11-12, Pat Hicks Thunderbird Invitational, St. George, Utah.
Colorado State: Feb. 20-22, John Burns Intercollegiate, Oahu, Hawaii.
Air Force Academy: Feb. 25-26, Snowman Getaway, Goodyear, Ariz.
Women’s Spring Season Openers:
Colorado: Feb. 11-13, Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge, Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.
Northern Colorado: Feb. 11-13, The Lumberjack, Chandler, Ariz.
Denver: Feb. 18-19, Central District Invitational, Parish, Fla.
Colorado State: Feb. 24-25, Westbrook Spring Invitational, Peoria, Ariz.
Chip Shots: Two of the Colorado-based NCAA Division I programs won multi-team tournaments during the fall: Colorado men (Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational) and the Air Force Academy men (Service Academy Championship). … Individual tournament victories were posted by CU’s Jason Burstyn and Jennifer Coleman, and Colorado State’s Jordan Wetsch and Kirby Pettitt. … The University of Denver men and women will play in their one and only Western Athletic Conference Championship in the spring. The Pioneers moved last year from the Sun Belt Conference. The DU women won a record nine straight SBC titles before leaving. The Pioneers will join the Summit League in the 2013-14 school year. … In her last three tournaments of the fall schedule, DU junior Tonje Daffinrud posted three top-10 finishes and was named the WAC’s women’s player of the month for October. … Both the Colorado State men’s and women’s teams are competing this season with new head coaches. Christian Newton took over the men’s squad five months ago, while Susan Jennings is leading the CSU women on an interim basis.
