{"id":903866,"date":"2026-09-21T08:16:22","date_gmt":"2026-09-21T08:16:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/903866\/"},"modified":"2026-09-21T08:16:22","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T08:16:22","slug":"buff-golfers-take-12-stroke-lead-into-afa-final-round","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/903866\/","title":{"rendered":"Buff Golfers Take 12-Stroke Lead Into AFA Final Round"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0USAFA, Colo. \u00a0\u2013 The Colorado men’s golf team, tied for first after 18 holes, scored the low team round of the day here Sunday to move into sole possession of the lead by 12 strokes through two rounds in the 57th Annual Air Force Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational.
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\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The Buffaloes, currently ranked 11th in The Differential computer rankings, posted a 10-under 278 score Sunday, pushing the team score to 18-under 558.\u00a0 CU has a comfortable lead over Denver, UC Davis and Wyoming, all 12 strokes back with 6-under 570 totals, while host Air Force is now fifth at 5-under 571 after recording the second-best second round score (279).
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\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Colorado is trying to win this tournament for the 10th time overall and the first time since back-to-back in 2018 and 2019.\u00a0 The only single event the Buffs have played in more than the 41 times they have traveled to the Springs is New Mexico’s signature William H. Tucker Intercollegiate (70 times).\u00a0 Unlike Saturday when the Buffs got off to a bit of a slow start, they had no problem getting out of the gate Sunday, the four players who scored for the team making 12 birdies on the first 10 holes with just two bogeys and a double.
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\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Credit the play on the par-5 holes by the Buffaloes on Sunday that separated them from the pack, as the CU quintet was 12-under on holes (Nos. 5, 9, 11 and 16), scoring two eagles, eight birdies and 10 pars on holes that added to 1,737 yards combined (between 570 and 640 yards).
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\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Senior Brandon Knight<\/a> recorded his collegiate best 8-under 64, zooming from 39th into a tie for first with a 7-under 137 total; the 8-under effort tied the all-time school best for a single round in relation to par previously done on eight occasions (see notes).\u00a0\u00a0 He opened with a par on 10 and then birdied 11, 12 and 13 before his only bogey of the day on 14; he then closed with birdies on 16, 1, 4 and 9, sandwiching in an eagle on the 640-yard, par 5 5th hole, where he was within 10 feet of the hole on his approach shot and made the putt.\u00a0
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\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0He mastered all the par-5’s on the 7,541-yard, par-72 Eisenhower Blue Course, scoring the eagle and three birdies for 5-under on holes that combined to measure 1,737 yards.\u00a0 He was 2-under on the par-4’s and 1-under on the par 3’s, closing his round with 13 holes of par or better.\u00a0\u00a0 His 7-under effort on the par-5’s are tied for the best in the 90-man field, while his nine birdies are tied for ninth overall.
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\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0“I played solid all day, made a couple nice putts early and just took care of all the easy holes on the front nine (his back nine since starting in 10),” Knight said.
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\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Senior Ty Holbrook<\/a> moved up a spot into a tie for sixth after a 2-under 70 bumped him to 3-under 139 for 36 holes. \u00a0He has seven birdies, 27 pars and only two bogeys \u2013 the second-fewest in the field, while the 27 total pars are tied for second.\u00a0 Standing at 2-under overall on the 20 combined par-4 holes, he’s tied for seventh in the meet with that effort.\u00a0 He had one of just five birdies on the 505-yard, par-4 15th hole in the second round (and one of just 15 of the 180 times the hole has been played over two days).
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\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Junior Asher Whitaker<\/a> is tied for 16th, after a second straight 1-under 71 for a 2-under 142.\u00a0 He has a team-high 10 birdies after four more Sunday, tying him for third-most in the tournament.\u00a0 Through two rounds, he also has 21 pars, two bogeys \u2013 tied with Holbrook for the second-fewest, but three double bogeys.
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\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Junior Parker Paxton<\/a> slipped from a tie for first into one for 23rd after he carded a 4-over 75; he’s still in at 1-under 143 through two rounds.\u00a0 He couldn’t get much going but avoided big numbers, with a birdie and four bogeys to go with 13 pars.
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\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Sophomore Tyler Long<\/a> fashioned a 1-over\u00a0 73 that has him at 1-over overall with a 143 total, tying him for 34th.\u00a0 He birdied his second hole Sunday (11), but endured a couple of double bogeys among all pars until his final hole of the day, the 577-yard, par-5 9th, where he made eagle.\u00a0 He hit a hybrid from about 250 yards to 14 feet and sank the putt for the sixth eagle of his brief Buff career.\u00a0 His 26 pars over two days are tied for ninth among all competitors.
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\nAFA GENE MIRANDA FALCON INDIVIDUAL: The companion tournament for individuals from competing teams is being held on Eisenhower’s other layout, the 6,510-yard, par-72 Siver Course.\u00a0 Four Buffaloes are entered in that event.
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\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Sophomore Casey Kosney<\/a> short his collegiate-best round, a 7-under 65, which also gave him his best 36-hole score of 8-under 136 that has him in second place. In recording his first bogey-free round as a Buffalo, he had seven birdies and 11 pars, with nines of 32 and 33; starting on the 18th hole, he has a streak going of 19 consecutive holes of par or better, topping his previous mark of 14.\u00a0 His 13 birdies are the most in the 26-man field, and he is now playing all hole configurations under par: 4-under on the 5’s, 3-under on the 4’s and 1-under on the 3’s, tied for eighth, second and tied for first, respectively.
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\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0“The key for me today was outing myself in really good spots on the greens to make putts,” Kosney said of his round, noting he had two bogey-free rounds in team qualifying earlier this month.
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\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Freshman Gavin Amella<\/a> is in third, following his opening 65 with a 1-over 73 for a 6-under 138 total.\u00a0 He had four birdies and nine pars with five bogeys, with his 12 birdies over two rounds the second-most in the field.\u00a0 He hovered the entire round between being 1-under and 1-over par and has played all holes at or under par (5-under on the par-5’s, 1-under on the 4’s and even on the 3’s, all in the top five in the field).
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\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Freshman Colt Farrow<\/a> carded a second straight 1-under 71 for a 2-under 142 that has him tied for sixth.\u00a0 He had steadier round on Sunday with four birdies and 11 pars against three bogeys \u2013 now with seven and 19, respectively through two rounds.\u00a0 He opened with a birdie and closed with his other three over the last six holes.
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\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Second-year graduate Jackson Rivera<\/a> also carded a 1-over 73 that has him sitting at even par (144) tied for ninth. \u00a0He had four birdies and nine pars with five bogeys (opening and closing with two of the bogeys), playing the par-4’s and 5’s even on the day, and has played the par-4’s even, sixth-best in the field.
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\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0“A pretty solid team day overall, and nice to stretch out the lead a little bit,” CU head coach Roy Edwards<\/a> said. \u00a0“two spectacular rounds by Brandon on the Blue course and Casey over on the Silver in the individual tournament. \u00a0I thought our grit really showed through all day. \u00a0Parker, Asher, Ty, and Tyler didn’t have their best days but they fought to the end. \u00a0Our main focus tomorrow is having a great plan and focusing on each shot as it presents itself from the first tee all the way to 18 green.”
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\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The third and final rounds for both events are Monday.\u00a0 In the team event, the Buffaloes will be paired with Denver and Wyoming and will tee off on No. 1 between 9 and 9:36 a.m.\u00a0 The individuals will all begin at 8:30 in a shotgun start, Kosney and Amella on No. 1 and Farrow and Rivera on No. 18.
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\nALUMNI WATCH: Jeremy Paul (’17) finished in a tie for 33rd in the PGA Tour’s Biltmore Championship Asheville, closing with a 4-under 67 for a 14-under par effort.)
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\nNOTES: The weather had a mix of sunny and partly cloudy skies, with the temperature peaking at 79 degrees late in the round, again with negligible winds \u2026 The eight previous players to record 8-under single round scores were Edward McGlasson in 2006, Kevin Kring in 2009 (in this same tournament on the same course), David Oraee in 2014, Jeremy Paul in 2017 and Jack Holland all with 64’s on a par-72 course, and McGlasson in 2005, Tucker Clark and Dylan McDermott both in 2024 with 63’s on a par-71 layout \u2026 \u00a0Knight’s previous best score were 66’s on three occasions \u2026 The average score for all 180 completed rounds in the team event is 73.34 (72.96 Sunday; the five Buffaloes are averaging 70.6\u00a0 \u2026 The average score for the 26 players in the individual tourney for 52 rounds is 73.19 (73.96 in the second round; the four Buffs combined averaged 70.0) \u2026 The seven toughest holes Sunday, all playing at +0.22 over par, in order were 15, 2, 18, 13, 3, 8 and 17; Colorado played them combined at just 5-over, behind only UC Davis (+4) with runners-up Wyoming (+7) and Denver (+9) \u2026 The Buffs are playing the par-5’s the best at 22-under (three teams are 14-under); the par-4’s also the best at 3-under (Wyoming is next at 2-over) and the par-3’s at 11-over (13th; Utah Valley is first at even-par) \u2026 Colorado is tied for third in birdies (36; Air Force and Utah Valley have 39), the second-most pars (121; Gonzaga is first with 124), and has the fewest bogeys (16; UC Davis is next with 26) \u2026 Knight’s 64 was the 41st subpar round of his career, moving ahead of David Oraee into seventh place all-time at CU (Holbrook now has 133, tying him with associate head coach Derek Tolan<\/a> for 11th) \u2026 Colorado is now 62-4-1 in single rounds against Division I opponents this young season \u2026 CU has won this tournament nine times, the first time in 1970 and the last two back-to-back in 2018 and 2019; it’s the 41st time the Buffs are playing in the meet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0USAFA, Colo. \u00a0\u2013 The Colorado men’s golf team, tied for first after 18 holes, scored the low team…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":903867,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[443],"tags":[49,48,622,82],"class_list":["post-903866","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-golf","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/903866","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=903866"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/903866\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/903867"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=903866"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=903866"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=903866"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}