The University of Colorado men’s golf team turned in a strong performance during Friday’s opening two rounds of the Thunderbird Collegiate in Phoenix, finishing the day tied for third place in their final event before the Big 12 Championships.
Host and fifth-ranked Arizona State leads the 17-team field with a scorching 31-under-par 537, helped by a 22-under 262 morning round—the best team round of the day. Houston, ranked 41st, sits in second at 21-under 547, followed by Colorado and No. 54 Grand Canyon in a tie for third with matching 18-under 550 totals. Three teams—No. 10 UCLA, No. 14 Utah, and No. 49 New Mexico—are tied for fifth at 17-under 551, just a stroke behind the Buffs.
Colorado, ranked 33rd nationally, started in eighth place after an opening 7-under 277 but surged in the afternoon with an 11-under 273—Friday’s best second-round score. Their afternoon success was aided by a strong start, with the five team scorers combining for seven birdies and 27 pars before carding their first bogey. A major improvement on the six toughest holes helped CU climb the leaderboard; they played those holes at 1-over in round two compared to 10-over in the first.
Four Colorado players finished Friday inside the top 25 individually, a feat matched only by Arizona State. Senior Justin Biwer leads the Buffs in a tie for 14th with rounds of 70-67 for a 5-under 137. Biwer had nine birdies, 23 pars, and just four bogeys, and played his final 25 holes at 5-under. His two under-par rounds increased his career tally to 77 subpar rounds and 95 rounds of par or better, both school records.
Sophomore Ty Holbrook is tied for 17th with a 4-under 138 (67-71), highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 1st hole—his seventh eagle of the season. He added nine birdies and 19 pars across the two rounds. Junior Hunter Swanson matched Holbrook’s 138 with consistent 69s in both rounds, tallying a team-high 10 birdies and holing out for eagle on the par-4 11th. Senior Dylan McDermott bounced back from a 73 in the morning to shoot a bogey-free 66 in the afternoon, placing him tied for 22nd at 3-under 139.
Senior Tucker Clark, competing in only his second tournament since recovering from a back injury, delivered two even-par 71s and sits tied for 35th. He contributed five birdies and a team-high 26 pars.
Colorado also had four players competing as individuals as part of the selection process for the Big 12 Championship lineup. Senior Freddy Eisenbeis led this group with a 2-over 144 (74-70), highlighted by five birdies on the par-5s. Brandon Knight shot 70-78 to tie for 59th at 6-over, while freshmen Parker Paxton (76-73—149) and Michael Fang (81-75—156) rounded out the field, placing 61st and 63rd respectively.
Loyola Marymount’s Mason Snyder leads the individual standings at 10-under 132 after a near-flawless opening round of 62. He holds a one-stroke lead over Arizona State’s Preston Summerhays and Pongsapak Laopakdee, who are tied for second at 9-under.
Colorado head coach Roy Edwards praised his team’s focus and composure on a hot and demanding day, noting especially McDermott’s impressive rebound in round two. With the Buffs in a strong position going into Saturday’s final round, Edwards emphasized the importance of a fast start to put pressure on the leaders.
The final round is scheduled for Saturday morning at 9 a.m. MDT, with Colorado teeing off at 9:36 a.m. alongside Grand Canyon. Tucker Clark will be paired with the fifth-place individuals from Arizona State and Houston.
Tournament Notes:
Friday’s weather was sunny with temperatures rising from 74°F to 99°F.
Nine of the 10 teams in the field are ranked in the national top 65, and 18 of the top 150 individual golfers are present.
With 22 subpar rounds and four at even par this season, Colorado’s 26 rounds of par or better break the school’s previous record of 25 set in 2017-18.
The average score for Friday’s 128 rounds was 70.69, with 34 players under par and four at even.
The Buffs rank fourth-best on par-3s (+5), strong on par-4s (−9), and third-best on par-5s (−12).
Colorado played the course’s toughest hole—the 233-yard par-3 4th—the best at +1.
CU now has 96 individual subpar rounds this season, eclipsing their previous record of 92.
Only two rounds over 80 have been recorded by Buffs all season out of 207, the fewest in the Big 12.
Colorado holds a 12-2 record against the other seven teams in the field not from the Big 12.
The team will return to Boulder briefly before heading to Tulsa for the Big 12 Championship at Southern Hills Country Club, April 22–24.