Colorado State University Athletics
Preview: Rams Look To Continue Solid Fall at Tucker Intercollegiate
9/22/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Complete Notes (Adobe PDF Format)
Tournament: William H. Tucker Intercollegiate
Date: September 23-24, 2016
Host: University of New Mexico
Location: Albuquerque, N.M.
Course: UNM Championship Course
Course Par/Yardage: Par 72 / 7,555 yards
Host Web Site: http://www.golobos.com
Live Scoring: http://www.golfstatresults.com
Tournament Field (16): Colorado State, New Mexico, Arizona, BYU, Colorado, Denver, Louisiana Tech, New Mexico State, Pepperdine, San Diego, San Diego State, UNLV, UTEP, Washington, Washington State, Wyoming
Next on the Tee: The Colorado State men’s golf team will be right back in action, traveling to Albuquerque, N.M. for the William H. Tucker Intercollegiate, Fri.-Sat., Sept. 23-24, where the Rams tied for third last year. The two-day tournament, hosted by the University of New Mexico, is played at the UNM Championship Course. Groups will go off on a shotgun start on Friday at 7:30 a.m. for 36 holes followed by an 18-hole tee time round on Saturday, also starting at 7:30 a.m. Live scoring will be available at GolfStatResults.com.
In 2015 at the Tucker Intercollegiate: CSU battled through the final round of play at the William H. Tucker Intercollegiate, tying for third place against a very strong field despite finishing with their worst team round of the tournament. Senior Dominic Kieffer and freshman Jake Staiano each posted top-20 individual finishes for the Rams at the UNM Championship Course.
Handicapping the Field: There are 16 teams in the field for the 63rd William H. Tucker Intercollegiate. Joining the Rams will be host New Mexico, Arizona, BYU, Colorado, Denver, Louisiana Tech, New Mexico State, Pepperdine, San Diego, San Diego State, UNLV, UTEP, Washington, Washington State and Wyoming.
Lineup for the Tucker Intercollegiate: The Rams are in a standard play five, count four event this week. For CSU, the lineup for the team will be:
1. Blake Cannon
2. Colton Yates
3. Jake Staiano
4. AJ Ott
5. Max Oelfke
Last Time on the Tee: Colorado State rallied from a four-stroke deficit entering the final round for a seven-shot victory and its third straight Ram Masters Invitational Presented by Pedersen Toyota title, Sept. 19-20.
The final round was stellar for the Rams, as the team jumped out to a very quick start, making six birdies in the first four holes among the eventual counting scores to take the overall lead five holes into the day. CSU then kept it together and finished with five solid scores to post a four-man score of 3-under 277 and a three-round total of 4-over 844.
Senior Blake Cannon had the round of the tournament on the final day, shooting a 6-under 64 to take home medalist honors with 54-hole record total of 7-under 203. In winning his first collegiate tournament, Cannon had six birdies and no bogeys and posted three rounds of par or better, improving his score each round.
Setting New Ram Masters Records: CSU’s 277 in the final round tied for the third lowest single-round score in tournament history and only the seventh under-par round in the five years of the event. CSU’s 844 is the second lowest tournament score in the five-year history, surpassed only by last year’s 839 in the event. Senior Blake Cannon posted personal college-best 18- and 54-hole scores. His final round 64 tied for the second-lowest single round in the tournament.
Showing the Growth: Under head coach Christian Newton, CSU continues to show growth on the national stage, as the Rams play a high-level schedule each year. With the performance at the Ram Masters Invitational, Newton’s teams moved to a 57.5 percent winning record in his four-plus years according to Golfstat. This moved him close to Mark Crabtree (1994-99) on the list at 57.0 percent and both coaches now have five career CSU team tournament titles.
Top 10 Finishes Common Last Year: Individually, the Rams combined for 13 top-10 and 21 total top-20 finishes in 11 tournaments in 2015-16. This year started off strong for CSU as the team recorded three top-10 andfive top-20 placings in the opener at Air Force and followed it up with two top-five and three top-20 finishes at the Ram Masters Invitational.
A Pair of Rams Compete On the Biggest Amateur Stage: Current junior Colton Yates and senior Blake Cannon played in the world’s most prestigious amateur tournament, the 2016 U.S. Amateur played at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. Yates advanced on to match play from the 36-hole stroke play portion with an even-par 140, losing 2-and-1 to eventual semifinalist Jonah Texeira. Cannon shot a 5-over 145 but had a solid 2-under 68 on the North Course.
Rams on Tour: Former Colorado State standout Martin Laird, a PGA tour veteran, had a good 2015 on the tour, finishing with just over $1.1 million in earnings to retain his tour card. He had three top 10s and six top 25s in 24 events played, with the best a tie for fifth at the Waste Management Phoenix Open (Feb. 1). His efforts during the regular season earned him a spot in the FedExCup Playoffs for the sixth time. For his career, he has now surpassed the $13.87 million in winnings.
This season, he made the cut in 17 of 24 events, including a tie for second at the RBC Canadian Open and a tie for eighth at the Farmers Insurance Open, and has earned more than $1.22 million in those tournaments. He is in solid position to retain his tour card for the 2017 season.
Academic Success: The Colorado State men’s golf program was recognized by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) as a 2016 All-Academic Team. Honored for teh second consecutive year, the Rams were one of 114 DI programs honored for having a team GPA of 3.0 or better last season. In addition, recent graduate Dominic Kieffer and current senior Jimmy Makloski were selected in July by the GCAA as a Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholar, becoming the 19th and 20th CSU golfers all-time to earn the accolade.
