Golfers Ready For Final Pac-12 Championship

               CAREFREE, Ariz. — The 64th and final Pac-12 Conference men's golf championships, the 12th version with 12 schools, begins here Friday, with the Colorado Buffaloes needing at least a third place finish to qualify for next month's NCAA regionals.
 
               The Buffaloes have traveled six players here to compete, one of the more experienced teams in a few years, with three juniors, one sophomore and two freshmen representing the school which is in the back end of the 100th season in the program's history.
 
               CU is 79-86-4 against Division I competition; with the first criteria for selection into the NCAA Regionals for a team to own at least a .500 record against Division I opponents, for CU to meet that criteria it must finish third or higher in the Pac-12 tourney, needing to go 9-2 to get back to .500.  The Buffaloes tied for third a year ago and also have finished second in the meet, which annually features five or six – if not more – schools ranked in the top 30; seven are this year including three in the top 10.
 
               "I'm not looking at it as really pressure, we just know what we have to do," said head coach Roy Edwards, who is in his 18th season at the reins of the program.  "It was a goal after the fall because we knew we were going to probably be in this position.  The guys know we are a team that is capable of playing really, really well, and I'm confident we can do that.  Four of them experienced being in the hunt for all four rounds last year, so they are fully aware of what this team can accomplish."
 
               "I do like how we set up our schedule," he added.  "We played two really hard golf courses at the end of March.  We didn't play that well (last time out) at Arizona State but still beat some good teams.  So, I am encouraged that we're ready for a really good run here."
 
               Colorado is rarely in this position, but it's mainly due to a poor start in the fall and plying one of the tougher schedules in recent memory.  CU has faced 41 of the top 60 teams (as of the Wednesday's Scoreboard rankings) in the nation at some point this season, with a 21-63-3 record (thus are 58-23-1 against others).  A year ago at this time, CU was 17-34-2 against the top 60, thus CU has competed against 34 more top 60 teams than at the same juncture in '23.  But there have been several good wins in the 21: two against No. 10 Washington, one over last year's NCAA runner-up, No. 16 Georgia Tech, and wins over No. 19 New Mexico, No. 21 California, No. 27 Wake Forest, No. 32 San Diego State, No. 35 LSU and No. 40 BYU.
 
               "This has been a little different season than in the past in that we got off to a poor start and just struggled," Edwards said.  "But the off-season and the spring have been really good.  The guys have played pretty well for the most part.  We've had several quality moments and have defeated many highly ranked teams.  If we play well, we'll be in the hunt to win the golf tournament.  While we know we have to finish third or better to make the NCAA regionals, but we'll just be focused on playing our best and not worrying about qualifying.  And the way we can play well is simply by focusing on our own games." 
 
               Edwards and associate head coach Derek Tolan are going with juniors Justin Biwer (71.07 stroke average), Dylan McDermott (71.60), and Tucker Clark (72.48); sophomore Hunter Swanson (72.30), and true freshmen Ty Holbrook (73.35) and Brandon Knight (73.63).  It's the first time all six players have sub-74.0 averages going into the Pac-12 tourney.
 
               "It's good mix of guys who have played in the conference championships – and the NCAA's – before and they know things are ratcheted up a notch," Edwards said.  "They'll do a good job with the two younger guys for the first time competing in this environment."
 
               Knight and Holbrook are two of just 15 freshmen competing here this weekend, the lowest number in recent memory as the extra year for COVID comes to an end, and of course, implications from the transfer portal.  Arizona State, Cal, UCLA and Utah also have two frosh in the field, with five other schools with one rookie.  Knight is playing in CU's No. 5 position while Holbrook filled the sixth and last spot on the roster. 
 
               Edwards is pleased with the progress of his young players and the seasons they have enjoyed to date.
 
               "Brandon and Ty have really had solid freshman years," he noted.  "Ty got off to a slow start, but he's been as good as anybody on the whole team the last couple of months.  Both have a lot of talent and incredibly high ceilings of what they're capable of.  The future is bright for both."

               The Pac-12 has long utilized a 6-for 5 scoring format for its title meet, obviously a reward for those schools with greater depth and a challenge for those without it.  It's almost always the only time any of the schools see such a format annually.  But Edwards has always prepared his team for such a setup, and in the last three seasons, the added experience and pressure that comes from playing in a match play event where you do have to take a "one hole-at-a-time' attitude.
 
               "It's a little unique, but we spend all year playing guys as individuals, so everybody one through six in the lineup has had a lot of tournament experience," Edwards said.  "I feel we have good depth and we're comfortable with the 6-for-5 format – but we' expect to play really well whatever the format is."
 
               The teams will begin play Friday with 36 holes, followed by 18 each on Saturday and Sunday at Desert Forest Golf Club.  The course dates back to 1962 and was designed by Robert "Red" Lawrence in what was described as "evocation of classic strategic playing principles in the Sonoran foothills."  It will play to 7,203-yards and par-71 for the championship (11 par-4s, four par-3s, three par-5s).
 
               "Desert Forest is one of the original premier desert courses in the Phoenix area – 62 years old – and it's very walkable in a beautiful desert location north of Scottsdale," Edwards said.  "It's going to be the last Pac-12 Championship, so I know that Arizona State is going to put their best foot forward and put on an amazing event for the players and coaches.  It's a really cool course, but the kind of golf course that is very challenging and you have to play 72 holes one at a time.  The course tests all parts of the game, you have to hit it off the tee well, your approaches well and also your chipping and putting.  Just nothing you should expect to come easy.  You're going to see it all."
 
               Edwards noted they've have received some good pointers on the course from former Buffs, the twins Jeremy and Yannik Paul who are both members there; both are enjoying success professionally on the Korn Ferry and DP World tours, respectively.
 
               To open play Friday, Colorado is paired with defending champion Stanford and Arizona State (purely by chance in a random draw of the actual top three a year ago) and will tee off on No. 1 from 7:30-8:25 a.m. MDT (Round 1) and from 1:00-1:55 p.m. (Round 2).   At present, the weather forecast calls for three days of sunny skies, temperatures ranging from the mid-70s into the low-80s, with no precipitation expected.
 
NOTES: The field also includes 27 international players, although all the Buffs competing this year are from the United States ... Colorado is currently ranked No. 66 by Scoreboard, the only service ranking teams in 2023-24 ... The Buffaloes have moved up 38 spots from their opening spring ranking of 104th; GolfStat and Golfweek ceased ranking teams and individuals after the NCAA awarded a contract to a company that proved to be inept ... Colorado is 10-16-1 versus Pac-12 schools this year, and 29-47-5 in individual rounds; the Buffs have lined up against all league opponents at least once this year ... Eight different schools having won the title over the last 19 events; Oregon State, Washington State and the two 2012 newcomers, CU and Utah, are the only ones without a Pac-12 crown ... The Pac-12 Network is covering the event and will broadcast highlights after competition all three days, with a review at 11 a.m. MDT on April 27-28-29 ... Colorado returns to the Big 12 Conference this coming August 1, and next year's Big 12 Championship will be at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla. (April 21-23); CU actually hosted the event in 2006 the last time it was held there when the Buffs were in the conference ... Live scoring will be available at www.golfstat.com.