CU men post one of their best showings at Pac-12 tournament; CSU’s Christoph Bleier finishes 2nd in playoff at Mountain West meet
By Gary Baines – 4/30/2023
The University of Colorado, seeking its first men’s golf conference title since 1968, led outright early in the final round, but had to settle for a tie for third place on Sunday at the Pac-12 meet in Stanford, Calif. It marked CU’s second-best conference showing from 2010 to the present, with only a runner-up in 2018 being better. The Buffs’ first Pac-12 tournament was in 2012.
CU is expected to earn an NCAA regional berth as a team for the first time since 2018.
Meanwhile, Colorado State very nearly landed the individual title at the Mountain West Conference Championship for the second straight year. A year after Coloradan Connor Jones took first place, Christoph Bleier, a sophomore from Austria, went to a playoff on Sunday in Tucson. But San Diego State’s Dylan Oyama prevailed on the first extra hole with a par.
CSU, ranked No. 23 in the nation by Golfstat, finished fourth as a team on Sunday, but likewise should be in line for a spot in regionals, set for May 15-17. Assignments and seedings for Division I men’s regionals will be announced on Wednesday at 11 a.m. (MT) on Golf Channel.
— Men’s Pac-12 Meet at Stanford: In a tournament featuring six teams ranked in the top 50 nationally in men’s DI golf, host Stanford rallied to claim the title and Arizona State also overtook CU, which shared the lead going into Sunday.
The Buffs finished at 5 under par for four rounds, 14 strokes behind ninth-ranked Stanford and one behind No. 4 Arizona State. CU finished 10th in last year’s Pac-12 meet.
Dylan McDermott, a CU sophomore from Granite Bay, Calif., continued his stellar play this season, finishing second, two strokes behind champion Michael Thorbjornsen of Stanford. McDermott recorded four straight rounds in the 60s — 66-66-67-68 — for a 13-under-par total. McDermott has recorded a remarkable eight top-10 finishes in 11 tournaments this season.
For all the scores from the Pac-12 meet, CLICK HERE.
— Men’s MWC Tournament in Tucson, Ariz.: In an event in which scoring was outstanding, San Diego State claimed the team title with a 60-under-par total for three rounds. CSU ended up at 29 under, also behind New Mexico (-35) and UNLV (-34).
Bleier closed with a 9-under-par 63 after previous rounds of 67-67. He made an eagle, eight birdies and a bogey in regulation on Sunday. Joining him in the top 20 for the Rams were Coloradans Connor Jones (16th place, 211) and Davis Bryant (18th place, 213).
CSU was seeking its fourth individual conference championship in the 21st century as winners have included Jones (2022), Ryan Peterson (2010) and Martin Laird (2002).
Air Force placed 11th in the team standings, led individually by Isaac Layne, who finished 34th.
For all the results from the Mountain West tournament, CLICK HERE.
About the Author: Gary Baines owns and operates ColoradoGolfJournal.com