2018 CGA Amateur champ Kyler Dunkle becomes third Colorado-bred golfer since 2017 to post top-2 finish at Pac-12 tournament; CU places 10th in team race
By Gary Baines – 04/24/2019
It’s been a stellar run in recent years at the formidable men’s Pac-12 Conference Championship for golfers who grew up in Colorado.
It started two years ago when Wyndham Clark, then a senior at Oregon, returned to his home state to win the individual title against a very strong field at the Pac-12 meet at Boulder Country Club.
Then last year, Colorado-bred Ross Macdonald joined University of Colorado teammate Yannik Paul in sharing second place at the Pac-12 tournament in Rolling Hills Estates, Calif.
And on Wednesday, 2018 CGA Amateur champion Kyler Dunkle, a senior at the University of Utah, made a run at the title before finishing runner-up in Eugene, Ore.
Dunkle (pictured), a two-time individual champion this season, notched his fifth top-seven showing of his senior year. And for quite a while on Wednesday, it looked like another victory was in the works.
Dunkle, a former CGA Player of the Year and 5A Colorado state high school champion, led by three in the middle of the final round. But a 3-over-par 37 final nine (the front at Eugene Country Club) combined with a great finish by Cal’s Collin Morikawa turned the tide. Morikawa, the No. 4-ranked men’s amateur in the world, prevailed by four after a day in which he bogeyed his first three holes but birdied his last three and played the final eight in 4 under.
Dunkle, who went 70-64-69 the first three rounds, posted a 2-over-par 73 on Wednesday for an 8-under 276 total. Morikawa closed with a 70 to check in at 272.
The University of Colorado finished 10th in the 12-team field, 67 strokes behind champion Stanford. Junior Daniel O’Loughlin led the Buffs individually, placing 33rd at 293 after struggling with 78s each of his final two rounds.
MEN’S PAC-12
April 22-24, 2019 (final) in Eugene, Ore.
10. (out of 12 teams) Colorado 358-359-377-386–1480
33. Daniel O’Loughlin 67-70-78-78–293
46. Cole Krantz 75-71-74-77–297
51. Ross Macdonald 72-71-75-82–300
51. John Paterson 72-77-75-76–300
54. Trevor Olkowski 74-73-75-79–301
59. Kristoffer Max 73-74-81-76–304
Also
2. Former Coloradan Kyler Dunkle, Utah 70-64-69-73–276