Two Colorado residents with no first-hand experience of those years when the Colorado State men’s golf team DIDN’T win the Ram Masters Invitational led the way as CSU claimed the title in the event for the fourth consecutive year on Tuesday.
Sophomore AJ Ott of Fort Collins and junior Jake Staiano of Cherry Hills Village have known nothing but team success in the Rams’ home tournament each September at Fort Collins Country Club.
And so it was again on Tuesday. Not only did CSU win the Ram Masters for a fourth straight time, but it was by a whopping 19 strokes — and with a team score that demolished the old tournament record — set by the Rams in 2015 — by 16 shots. Colorado State finished at 17-under-par 823 as a team.
“My mentality — and (that of) other guys on the team — is keep the pedal down and don’t let up,” Ott said. “It’s tough because it’s golf, but everyone on our team likes to win big. That’s always a goal — to never let up. If we had a 14-stroke lead going into the day, just take the same mentality. I know I was firing at flags and trying to make birdies (in the final round). Once you get defensive out here, it just doesn’t help you.”
With that being the approach, CSU put four individuals into the top 10 in the 104-man field. Ott, the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado’s male player of the year in 2016, posted his best individual college showing ever by placing fourth — and that was despite a double bogey on his final hole, where he hit his approach from a fairway bunker far over the green and out of bounds. The left-hander finished at 4-under-par 206 after a final-round 70.
Staiano, despite battling his putter, placed fifth at 207 after closing with a 69. Colton Yates was sixth at 208, also after a 69. And 17-year-old freshman Parathakorn Suyasri checked in at eighth at 209 after carding a final-round 67. Rounding out CSU’s team was German Amateur champion Max Oelfke (21st at 213 after a 76 on Tuesday).
“I think we know this course so well, we have such an advantage out here,” said Staiano, a two-time U.S. Amateur qualifier. “Yesterday, I saw three, four, five times where I outplayed my competitors just because I knew the course and knew where to hit it and how aggressive to be and where to be aggressive and where not to be aggressive. The advantage we have here is 20 shots better” than opponents such as made up the field this year.
Missouri-Kansas City, with individual champion Francois Lagraulet checking in at a tournament-record 9-under 201, took second place team-wise on Tuesday at 842. Wyoming was third at 847 after early this month winning the Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational at the Air Force Academy.
The University of Denver, in it season opener, placed sixth at 861 as two-time Colorado Open champion Brian Guetz has come on board as an assistant to head coach Erik Billinger. CGA Match Play champion Chris Korte led the way for the Pioneers with an 11th-place showing. (Billinger and Guetz are pictured at bottom, with Guetz at right.)
Northern Colorado, paced by Joshua Matz’s 12th-place finish, ended up ninth as a team at 870. The Air Force Academy was 15th at 884, with Tate Tatom the highest finisher at 12th.
As for CSU, Ott (left) has been emerging as a player early this season. After last season never placing better than 20th as a freshman, he finished 10th earlier this month at the Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational and fourth on Tuesday.
“Last year I put a lot of pressure on myself coming in and trying to play well,” he said. “I think I learned I have to be more relaxed. Last year, honestly, I played pretty defensive and this year I’m going out and free-wheeling it and swinging hard.
“I think it’s helped me a lot to tone it back and take some pressure off myself and just go out and play and have fun because last year I didn’t have fun at all on the golf course. It was just kind of a pain having to wake up and play 36 holes. This year I’m more looking forward to it.”
CSU head coach Christian Newton has certainly taken notice.
“His growth has been tremendous,” he said of Ott. “He was a freshman who was extremely hard on himself and has high standards. So we really worked to try to be a little easier on ourselves because this is a hard game and if you don’t treat yourself good, you’ll be a shell of yourself if you want to play this the rest of your life. He’s embraced that. He’s been much easier on himself. He’s an intense competitor in general, but he’s been easier on himself, and it’s spun off into his golf game. And if you look at him physically, he’s bigger and stronger and his ball-striking is better. He already had a good short game. That’s a pretty good recipe (for improvement).”
Newton, who began his head coaching career at CSU in 2012 — the same year the Ram Masters Invitational made its debut, saw his Rams notch their sixth team victory of his tenure on Tuesday.
“It’s awesome anytime you can host your home event and win,” he said. “We’ve continued to upgrade the tournament and the field, but anytime you can win something four times in a row, obviously it’s really special and really awesome. They smashed the tourament record. I’m really proud of their play this week.
“Our guys are pretty good. We didn’t quite have all of our guns blazing down at Air Force (earlier this month, finishing second to Wyoming). But I thought we would play pretty good here. We’re really going toward an aggressive style of play — to just go out and believe and challenge the golf course. We hit drivers on a lot of places that people don’t and I encourage my guys to do that. I’m a little surprised by how much we won by against some legitimate programs that are probably going to be top 40 at the end of the year. So to win by that much is huge.”
Ram Masters Invitational
Sept. 18-19, 2017 (final) at Par-70 Fort Collins CC
1. (out of 19 teams) Colorado State 268-280-275–823
4. AJ Ott 67-69-70–206
5. Jake Staiano 66-72-69–207
6. Colton Yates 70-69-69–208
8. Parathakorn Suyasri 68-74-67–209
21. Max Oelfke 67-70-76–213
21. Cullen Plousha (competing only as individual) 70-70-73–213
28. Jack Ainscough (competing only as individual) 74-69-73–216
96. Pierce Aichinger (competing only as individual) 75-78-79–232
6. Denver 289-285-287–861
11. Chris Korte 69-69-72–210
18. Jake Kelley 71-72-69–212
28. Isaac Petersilie 73-70-73–216
85. Eric Hagen 76-79-73–228
91. John Sand 82-74-74–230
77. Roy Kang (competing only as individual) 76-76-74–226
85. Michael Boyland (competing only as individual) 79-76-73–228
9. Northern Colorado 282-291-297–870
12. Joshua Matz 68-72-71–211
36. Andrew Romano 66-74-78–218
42. Sam Marley 74-69-76–219
66. Coby Welch 74-78-72–224
97. Marcus Tait 79-76-78–233
18. Air Force Academy 289-298-297–884
12. Tate Tatom 72-70-69–211
66. Bryant Falconello 71-78-75–224
77. Joseph Crisostomo 74-78-74–226
95. Todd Millard 79-73-79–231
101. Dane Hankamer 72-77-88–237
42. Andy Germann (competing only as individual) 72-71-76–219
Also
31. Coloradan Glenn Workman, Wyoming 73-74-70–217
73. Trevor Olowski, University of Colorado (competing only as individual) 76-70-79–225
