It’s been exactly a half-century since the University of Colorado men’s golf team last won a team title at a conference championship. In 1968, ironically the season after Hale Irwin used up his eligibility, the Buffs claimed the Big Eight trophy.
That drought didn’t end on Wednesday, but the Buffs certainly made it interesting.
CU crept within three strokes of team leader Southern California in the final 30 minutes of the Pac-12 Championship in Rolling Hills Estates, Calif., but couldn’t quite get over the hump. The Buffs had to settle for a second-place team showing — the program’s best since joining the Pac-12 in 2011 and its top conference finish since a runner-up performance at the Big 12 tournament in 2009.
In an event unusual in a couple of respects — it lasts four rounds and teams are comprised of six players, with the best five scores counting each round — CU posted a final total of 27-under-par 1,393. That left the Buffs four strokes behind champion USC.
There were many contributors to CU’s showing, but unquestionably among the biggest was Colorado resident Ross Macdonald, a two-time Colorado Junior Amateur champion and the winner of the 2017 CGA Western Chapter title.
Macdonald, a sophomore contributing to a CU team score for the first time since September, was the No. 6 man in the Buffs’ lineup, but tied for the team’s top finisher, placing second. It was Macdonald’s best individual showing ever in a college tournament. Coming into this event, he’d gone an impressive sixth-fourth-fourth in his most recent starts, albeit against lesser fields.
Macdonald went 69-69-67-67 for a 12-under-par 272 total, which left him four shots behind winner Justin Suh of Southern California, who went eagle-birdie on Nos. 15 and 16 on Wednesday.
Among those sharing second place was CU senior Yannik Paul, who carded rounds of 68-69-68-67. Paul earned his first individual victory in a major college tournament 10 days ago, and on Wednesday notched his fifth top-six individual performance of the season. (Pictured above, from left, are Macdonald, CU coach Roy Edwards and Paul in a CU photo.)
Rounding out the scores for the Buffs were John Souza (16th, 281), Daniel O’Loughlin (27th, 284), Spencer Painton (55th, 291) and Trevor Olkowski (58th, 292).
Next up for CU will be next month’s NCAA Regionals.
Men’s Pac-12 Championship
April 23-25, 2018 (final) in Rolling Hills Estates, Calif.
2. (out of 12 teams) Colorado 348-351-347-347–1393
2. Yannik Paul 68-69-68-67–272
2. Ross Macdonald 69-69-67-67–272
16. John Souza 70-70-68-73–281
27. Daniel O’Loughlin 68-77-72-67–284
55. Spencer Painton 74-72-72-73–291
58. Trevor Olkowski 73-71-75-73–292
Also
52. Coloradan Kyler Dunkle, Utah 76-67-74-73–290
