Consider it a variation of the “drive for show, putt for dough” theme. Both portions of the college golf season are important, but it’s what a team does in the spring — more so than the fall — that really gets remembered.
And though “spring” may seem a long way off for Colorado golfers, the spring season will begin for at least one Colorado-based college team this weekend.
The University of Denver men will tee off their second-half schedule Friday and Saturday at the 54-hole, 17-team Arizona Intercollegiate in Tucson. The Pioneer men are one of nine NCAA Division I teams based in Colorado, and all nine will begin their spring seasons before February ends.
And the rubber really meets the road in April, May and early June, when conference championships and NCAA regionals and finals are contested.
Most notable from a Colorado perspective this year are the men’s and women’s NCAA Division II Championship finals, set for May 17-21 at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club and May 18-21 at CommonGround Golf Course, respectively. It will be the first NCAA golf nationals held in Colorado since The Broadmoor last hosted the NCAA Division I men’s championship, in 1969.
As for the local Division I schedule, the Arizona Intercollegiate in which the DU men are competing this weekend marks the first major tournament of the spring season nationwide. College teams will be resuming competition after a three-to-four-month intermission following the fall season.
Among in-state DI schools, the University of Colorado is the top-ranked women’s squad (24th nationally according to Golfweek), while CU is also tops among the men (Golfweek has the Buffs 68th).
The individuals from Colorado and Colorado schools who are top ranked nationally are, for men:
82. Jeremy Paul (pictured above), Colorado (Golfstat)
91. Wyndham Clark of Lone Tree, Oklahoma State (Golfweek)
100. Philip Juel-Berg, Colorado (Golfstat)
And for women:
16. Esther Lee (left), Colorado (Golfweek)
37. Hannah Wood of Highlands Ranch, Oklahoma (Golfstat)
86. Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster, Wake Forest (Golfweek)
138. Kathi Baratta, Denver (Golfweek)
143. Alexis Keating, Colorado (Golfweek)
Here’s a team-by-team rundown on the Colorado-based Division I teams going into the spring portion of the season:
Air Force Men
National Ranking — 184th (Golfweek).
Best Fall Team Finish — Second at Bill Ross Intercollegiate.
Best Fall Individual Finishes — Brenden Bone (second), Sunwoo Choi (eighth).
Best Individual Stroke Average in Fall — Brenden Bone 72.6.
Next tournament — Feb. 28-March 1, Snowman Getaway, Goodyear, Ariz.
Conference Championships — Mountain West, April 22-24 in Tucson, Ariz.
Colorado Men
National Ranking — 68th (Golfweek).
Best Fall Team Finishes — Won Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational, second at Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational.
Best Fall Individual Finishes — Philip Juel-Berg (first, second and eighth), Jeremy Paul (first, third and seventh), Ethan Freeman (fifth three times), Ross Macdonald (fifth).
Best Individual Stroke Average in Fall — Jeremy Paul 70.6.
Next Tournament — Feb. 4-6, Amer Ali Intercollegiate, Big Island, Hawaii.
Conference Championships — Pac-12, April 29-May 1 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Colorado Women
National Ranking — 24th (Golfweek).
Best Fall Team Finishes — Second at East & West Match Play Challenge, fourth at Pac-12 Preview.
Best Fall Individual Finishes — Esther Lee (first, fourth and ninth), Alexis Keating (third), Brittany Fan (ninth).
Best Individual Stroke Average in Fall — Esther Lee 72.6.
Next Tournament — Feb. 13-14, Peg Barnard Stanford Invitational, Stanford, Calif.
Conference Championships — Pac-12, April 18-20 in Pleasanton, Calif.
Colorado State Men
National Ranking — 74th (Golfstat).
Best Fall Team Finishes — Won Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational and Ram Masters Invitational, third at Tucker Intercollegiate, fourth at Herb Wimberly Intercollegiate.
Best Fall Individual Finishes — Dominic Kieffer (second, third, sixth), Max Oelfke (second, sixth, seventh), Kyler Dunkle (fourth, fifth, seventh), Jimmy Makloski (eighth), Jake Staiano (eighth).
Best Individual Stroke Average in Fall — Max Oelfke 71.9.
Next Major Tournament — Feb. 28-March 1, National Invitational, Tucson, Ariz.
Conference Championships — Mountain West, April 22-24 in Tucson, Ariz.
Colorado State Women
National Ranking — 68th (Golfstat).
Best Fall Team Finishes — Fourth at Ron Moore Women’s Intercollegiate.
Best Fall Individual Finishes — Allie Andersen (fifth), Sarah Archuleta (eighth).
Best Individual Stroke Average in Fall — Elizabeth Rau 74.1.
Next Tournament — Feb. 22-23, Gold Rush, Long Beach, Calif.
Conference Championships — Mountain West, April 18-20 in Rancho Mirage, Calif.
Denver Men
National Ranking — 207th (Golfstat).
Best Fall Team Finish — Fifth at Pacific Invitational.
Best Fall Individual Finish — Chris Korte (fifth).
Best Individual Stroke Average in Fall — Chris Korte 73.4.
Next Tournament — Jan. 29-30, Arizona Medalist, Tucson, Ariz.
Conference Championships — Summit League, May 1-3 in Newton, Kan.
Denver Women
National Ranking — 57th (Golfweek).
Best Fall Team Finishes — Won Ron Moore Women’s Intercollegiate, fourth at Golfweek Conference Challenge.
Best Fall Individual Finishes — Kathi Baratta (fifth, eighth).
Best Individual Stroke Average in Fall — Kathi Baratta 72.5.
Next Tournament — Feb. 13-14, Peg Barnard Stanford Invitational, Stanford, Calif.
Conference Championships — Summit League, April 18-20 in Nebraska City
Also Notable — The DU women, who have won 12 consecutive conference championships, are favored to make it a baker’s dozen. The Pioneers were recently picked No. 1 in the nine-team Summit League in a midseason poll of the conference’s head coaches. DU is in its third season in the Summit League.
Northern Colorado Men
National Ranking — 202nd (Golfstat).
Best Fall Team Finish — Seventh at Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational.
Best Fall Individual Finishes — Joshua Matz (fourth).
Next Tournament — Feb. 8-9, Thunderbird Invitational, St. George, Utah.
Conference Championships — Big Sky, April 29-May 1 in Boulder City, Nev.
Current Ranking Among Big Sky Conference Teams — Fourth out of eight.
Northern Colorado Women
National Ranking — 116th (Golfweek).
Best Fall Team Finish — Eighth at Hawaii Rainbow Wahine Invitational.
Best Fall Individual Finishes — Amanda Myers (third, eighth), Kala Keltz (eighth).
Next Tournament — Feb. 22-24, Grand Canyon Invitational, Goodyear, Ariz.
Conference Championships — Big Sky, April 18-20 in Boulder City, Nev.
Current Ranking Among Big Sky Conference Teams — Second out of 12.
