Colorado State University Athletics
Tuesday, September 18
Fort Collins, Colo.
All Day
Colorado State
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Ram Masters Invitational Presented by Pedersen Toyota Day 2
CSU Wins Fifth Straight Ram Masters Invitational Presented By Pedersen Toyota
9/18/2018 9:04:00 PM | Men's Golf
Rams capture event title by 14 shots, four players finish in top nine individually
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Colorado State men's golf extended its lead late in the final round to capture the 2018 Ram Masters Invitational presented by Pedersen Toyota, Sept. 17-18. The two-day, 54-hole event, hosted by the Rams, was played at Fort Collins Country Club (Par 70 – 7,218 yards) in Fort Collins, Colo.
Starting the final round with an 11-shot advantage, the No. 28 Rams maintained at least an eight-shot lead throughout the last 18 holes and eventually finished with a 4-under 836, 14 shots clear of runner-up Illinois State, who opened its season with a victory at Wisconsin's tournament. The Redbirds finished at 10-over 850, four shots better than South Dakota in third at 14-over 854. In-state rivals rounded out the top five teams, as Denver moved up to fourth at 15-over 855 and Northern Colorado placed fifth at 19-over 859.
CSU had four players finish in the top 10. Sophomore Parathakorn Suyasri recorded his top collegiate finish as the tournament's runner-up, shooting a 4-under 206. Senior Jake Staiano was three shots back at 1-over 209, one shot ahead of freshman Davis Bryant in a tie for sixth at even-par 210 as only eight players finished at par or better. Junior AJ Ott was next for CSU at 1-over 211, tied for ninth, while sophomore Cullen Plousha completed the team scoring at 6-over 16, tied for 31st. Wyoming's Dan Starzinski took home medalist honors with a tournament-record 11-under 199 after a final round 4-under 66.
Three other Rams posted 54-hole totals as individuals in the tournament. Sophomore Jack Ainscough tied for 22nd at 4-over 214, with redshirt freshman Andrew Lafferty next in a tie for 47th at 10-over 220. Freshman North Ponghathaikul rounded out the finishers at 13-over 223, tied for 62nd.
In Their Words
Head Coach Christian Newton on hosting the Ram Masters event
"I love to showcase Fort Collins and bring a lot of good teams here with a chance to take home a lot of wins. Obviously, winning is a really big deal. The golf course is set up really difficult and it's things you may see down the road, especially in a regional championship. So it's good to face some pressure and those types of things in these conditions.
Stat of the Tournament:
The Rams shot a 14-under 266 in Monday's second round, the lowest single-round total in tournament history by two shots. It is just two shots off of the top 11 single rounds in school history.
Tournament Notes:
• CSU's finish of 4-under 836 is the second-lowest 54-hole total in the tournament's seven-year history. It is also the third time in four years that the margin of victory has been 10 shots or more.
• This is the second consecutive year that the Rams have had four of the team's five counting players finish in the top nine individually.
• For senior Jake Staiano, this was his third victory as a member of the team and his third top-10 and fourth top-20 individual placing in four years of competing in the event. He now has eight top-10 and 16 top-20 finishes in his 30 career tournaments at CSU
• Junior AJ Ott picked up his fourth top-10 finish over the last 13 tournaments he has played in dating back to the start of the 2017-18 season.
• Freshman Davis Bryant now has two top-16 finishes in his first two collegiate events.
Next Up:
• Colorado State heads to Albuquerque, New Mexico for the William H. Tucker Intercollegiate, Fri.-Sat., Sept. 28-29 at the UNM Championship Course
• Last year, the Rams finished fifth out of 17 teams in the event, shooting a 17-over 881
Starting the final round with an 11-shot advantage, the No. 28 Rams maintained at least an eight-shot lead throughout the last 18 holes and eventually finished with a 4-under 836, 14 shots clear of runner-up Illinois State, who opened its season with a victory at Wisconsin's tournament. The Redbirds finished at 10-over 850, four shots better than South Dakota in third at 14-over 854. In-state rivals rounded out the top five teams, as Denver moved up to fourth at 15-over 855 and Northern Colorado placed fifth at 19-over 859.
CSU had four players finish in the top 10. Sophomore Parathakorn Suyasri recorded his top collegiate finish as the tournament's runner-up, shooting a 4-under 206. Senior Jake Staiano was three shots back at 1-over 209, one shot ahead of freshman Davis Bryant in a tie for sixth at even-par 210 as only eight players finished at par or better. Junior AJ Ott was next for CSU at 1-over 211, tied for ninth, while sophomore Cullen Plousha completed the team scoring at 6-over 16, tied for 31st. Wyoming's Dan Starzinski took home medalist honors with a tournament-record 11-under 199 after a final round 4-under 66.
Three other Rams posted 54-hole totals as individuals in the tournament. Sophomore Jack Ainscough tied for 22nd at 4-over 214, with redshirt freshman Andrew Lafferty next in a tie for 47th at 10-over 220. Freshman North Ponghathaikul rounded out the finishers at 13-over 223, tied for 62nd.
In Their Words
Head Coach Christian Newton on hosting the Ram Masters event
"I love to showcase Fort Collins and bring a lot of good teams here with a chance to take home a lot of wins. Obviously, winning is a really big deal. The golf course is set up really difficult and it's things you may see down the road, especially in a regional championship. So it's good to face some pressure and those types of things in these conditions.
Stat of the Tournament:
The Rams shot a 14-under 266 in Monday's second round, the lowest single-round total in tournament history by two shots. It is just two shots off of the top 11 single rounds in school history.
Tournament Notes:
• CSU's finish of 4-under 836 is the second-lowest 54-hole total in the tournament's seven-year history. It is also the third time in four years that the margin of victory has been 10 shots or more.
• This is the second consecutive year that the Rams have had four of the team's five counting players finish in the top nine individually.
• For senior Jake Staiano, this was his third victory as a member of the team and his third top-10 and fourth top-20 individual placing in four years of competing in the event. He now has eight top-10 and 16 top-20 finishes in his 30 career tournaments at CSU
• Junior AJ Ott picked up his fourth top-10 finish over the last 13 tournaments he has played in dating back to the start of the 2017-18 season.
• Freshman Davis Bryant now has two top-16 finishes in his first two collegiate events.
Next Up:
• Colorado State heads to Albuquerque, New Mexico for the William H. Tucker Intercollegiate, Fri.-Sat., Sept. 28-29 at the UNM Championship Course
• Last year, the Rams finished fifth out of 17 teams in the event, shooting a 17-over 881
Players Mentioned
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