Colorado-based fans of college golf should get their fill this season.
To give you some indication of how many NCAA Division I tournaments will be held in the Centennial State, the University of Northern Colorado men’s entire fall schedule will be conducted without having to cross a state border.
The Colorado-based fall college slate was already pretty packed, but an additional tournament will make its debut this year. The men’s Paintbrush Invitational, hosted by the University of Denver, is set for Oct. 10-11 at Colorado Golf Club in Parker, site of a Solheim Cup and a Senior PGA Championship.
And not only will all five D-I men’s programs in Colorado — DU, the University of Colorado, Colorado State, UNC and Air Force — compete in the event, but so will 2016 national champion Oregon and perennial national power Oklahoma State. Coincidentally, Coloradan Wyndham Clark, who recently advanced to the round of 32 at the U.S. Amateur, will play his final college season at Oregon after spending his previous college years at Oklahoma State.
The other out-of-the-ordinary tournament coming to Colorado this season will be the men’s Pac-12 Conference Championship, which will be hosted by CU and Boulder Country Club April 28-30. The Pac-12 is one of the top conferences in men’s golf, having accounted for four national team champions since 2004.
It will be the first time CU has hosted a men’s golf conference championship since 1972, when the Big Eight came to Boulder CC.
“The opportunity to host the Pac-12 Championship at home is unique and exciting,” CU head coach Roy Edwards said earlier this year. “It will be fun, not only for our team, but to showcase the entire Pac-12 in our own backyard.”
Locally speaking, the college season will begin Tuesday (Sept. 6) with the Ballyneal Challenge, a three-team event which CU will host at Ballyneal in Holyoke. UNC and Wyoming will fill out the field.
The Ballyneal Challenge starts a five-week stretch in which an amazing eight D-I tournaments will be played in Colorado. That includes five men’s events and three women’s.
Here’s the rundown of all the D-I events scheduled for the state this season, with the Colorado teams that are competing in each:
— Men’s Ballyneal Challenge Sept. 6 at Ballyneal in Holyoke (Colorado teams competing: CU, UNC)
— Men’s Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational Sept. 10-11 at Eisenhower GC at the Air Force Academy (Colorado teams competing: AFA, CU, CSU, UNC)
— Women’s Ptarmigan Ram Classic Sept. 12-13 at Ptarmigan CC in Fort Collins (Colorado teams competing: CSU, UNC)
— Men’s Ram Masters Invitational Sept. 19-20 at Fort Collins CC (Colorado teams coming: CSU, DU, UNC, AFA)
— Men’s Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational Sept. 26-27 at Colorado National GC in Erie (Colorado teams competing: CU, UNC, AFA)
— Women’s Golfweek Conference Challenge Sept. 26-28 at Red Sky GC in Wolcott (Colorado team competing: DU)
— Ron Moore Women’s Intercollegiate Oct. 7-9 at Highlands Ranch GC (Colorado teams competing: DU, CSU, UNC)
— Men’s Paintbrush Invitational Oct. 10-11 at Colorado GC in Parker (Colorado teams competing: DU, CU, CSU, UNC, AFA)
— Men’s Pac 12 Conference Championship April 28-30 at Boulder CC (Colorado team competing: CU).
Here are a few tidbits for all nine Colorado-based NCAA Division I teams:
CU Men
Season Opener: Ballyneal Challenge at Ballyneal Golf Club in Holyoke Sept. 6.
Team Tournaments in Colorado: Ballyneal Challenge Sept. 6 at Ballyneal in Holyoke; Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational Sept. 10-11 at Eisenhower GC at Air Force Academy; Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational Sept. 26-27 at Colorado National GC in Erie; Paintbrush Invitational Oct. 10-11 at Colorado GC in Parker; Pac-12 Conference Championship April 28-30 at Boulder CC.
Top Returning Player from 2015-16: Jeremy Paul (70.66 stroke average).
Players from Colorado on 2016-17 Roster: Wilson Belk from Colorado Springs; Ethan Freeman from Denver; Ross Macdonald from Castle Rock; Spencer Painton from Aurora; Ryan Schmitz from Greenwood Village.
CU Women
Season Opener: New Mexico Invitational in Albuquerque Sept. 12-13.
Team Tournaments in Colorado: None.
Top Returning Player from 2015-16: Esther Lee (72.53 stroke average).
Players from Colorado on 2016-17 Roster: Tori Glenn from Castle Pines; Gillian Vance from Lakewood.
Notable: The CU women are No. 25 in Golfweek’s preseason national rankings, while Lee is No. 26 in Golfweek’s list of the top players nationally.
CSU Men
Season Opener: Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational at Eisenhower GC at Air Force Academy Sept. 10-11.
Team Tournaments in Colorado: Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational Sept. 10-11 at Eisenhower GC at Air Force Academy; Ram Masters Invitational Sept. 19-20 at Fort Collins CC; Paintbrush Invitational Oct. 10-11 at Colorado GC in Parker.
Top Returning Player from 2015-16: Max Oelfke (72.32 stroke average).
Players from Colorado on 2016-17 Roster: Pierce Aichinger from Cherry Hills Village (transfer from CU); Jimmy Makloski from Pueblo; AJ Ott of Fort Collins; Jake Staiano from Cherry Hills Village.
CSU Women
Season Opener: Ptarmigan Ram Classic Sept. 12-13 at Ptarmigan CC in Fort Collins.
Team Tournaments in Colorado: Ptarmigan Ram Classic Sept. 12-13 at Ptarmigan CC in Fort Collins; Ron Moore Women’s Intercollegiate Oct. 7-9 at Highlands Ranch GC.
Top Returning Player from 2015-16: Katrina Prendergast (73.69 scoring average).
Players from Colorado on 2016-17 Roster: none.
UNC Men
Season Opener: Ballyneal Challenge Sept. 6 at Ballyneal in Holyoke.
Team Tournaments in Colorado: Ballyneal Challenge Sept. 6 at Ballyneal in Holyoke; Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational Sept. 10-11 at Eisenhower GC at Air Force Academy; Ram Masters Invitational Sept. 19-20 at Fort Collins CC; Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational Sept. 26-27 at Colorado National GC in Erie; Paintbrush Invitational Oct. 10-11 at Colorado GC in Parker.
Players from Colorado on 2016-17 Roster: Eric Chen of Westminster; Phillip Lee of Denver; Austin Lienemann of Highlands Ranch; Sam Marley of Littleton; Andrew Romano of Lone Tree; Coby Welch of Highlands Ranch.
UNC Women
Season Opener: Ptarmigan Ram Classic Sept. 12-13 at Ptarmigan CC in Fort Collins.
Team Tournaments in Colorado: Ptarmigan Ram Classic Sept. 12-13 at Ptarmigan CC in Fort Collins; Ron Moore Women’s Intercollegiate Oct. 7-9 at Highlands Ranch GC.
Players from Colorado on 2016-17 Roster: Kala Keltz of Montrose; Morgan Sahm from Centennial; Jordan Sunset from Boulder.
DU Men
Season Opener: Ram Masters Invitational Sept. 19-20 at Fort Collins CC.
Team Tournaments in Colorado: Ram Masters Invitational Sept. 19-20 at Fort Collins CC; Paintbrush Invitational Oct. 10-11 at Colorado GC in Parker.
Top Returning Player from 2015-16: Chris Korte (74.7 stroke average).
Players from Colorado on 2016-17 Roster: Troy Dangler from Grand Junction; Jake Kelley from Littleton; Chris Korte from Littleton; Isaac Petersilie from Colorado Springs.
DU Women
Season Opener: New Mexico Invitational Sept. 12-13 in Albuquerque.
Team Tournaments in Colorado: Golfweek Conference Challenge Sept. 26-28 at Red Sky GC in Wolcott; Ron Moore Women’s Intercollegiate Oct. 7-9 at Highlands Ranch GC.
Top Returning Player from 2015-16: Jessica Carty (76.1 stroke average).
Players from Colorado on 2016-17 Roster: none.
Air Force Academy Men
Season Opener: Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational Sept. 10-11 at Eisenhower GC at the Air Force Academy.
Team Tournaments in Colorado: Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational Sept. 10-11 at Eisenhower GC at the Air Force Academy; Ram Masters Invitational Sept. 19-20 at Fort Collins CC; Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational Sept. 26-27 at Colorado National Golf Club in Erie; Paintbrush Invitational Oct. 10-11 at Colorado GC in Parker.
Top Returning Player from 2015-16: Sunwoo Choi (73.76 stroke average).
Player from Colorado on 2016-17 Roster: Todd Millard from Longmont.
