The No. 32-ranked Buffs finished third in the tough Northwest Regional to claim a spot in the NCAA Men’s Division I Championship. The field had seven nationally ranked teams, including Arizona State, Kansas State, Utah and Kansas from the Big 12.

The Buffs fired a final-round 5-under par to hold steady in the top 5 to advance to their second NCAA finals in the last three years. This will be the third time since 2002 that coach Roy Edwards’ squad will qualify as a team. They finished 21st in 2023.

“Everyone is obviously incredibly excited to punch our ticket to the NCAA finals,” Edwards said. “It can be hard to even make the NCAA regionals nowadays, and to make the finals is a special accomplishment. We go into the finals leading the nation in wins. There is no doubt we expect to go there and be highly competitive.”

Justin Biwer went low with a 67 and Hunter Swanson continued his strong play with a 70 at the Gold Mountain Golf Club. Swanson, who recently moved on the to the final stage of U.S. Open qualifying, won the CGA Four-Ball with former teammate Wes Erling last weekend at Legacy Ridge Golf Course.

“I was talking to some of the guys about it, and in my eyes, our season boils down to this moment,” Swanson said. “Everyone has to show up at a regional if you want to make nationals, so I’m wanting to do good, not only for myself, but for the team as well. All of us are carrying the weight of the team on our shoulders. I really want to be a big part of this team and contribute everything I can to its success because we definitely deserve it. We all feel we have been a little disrespected this year in the rankings, not only as individuals but as a team, too.”

The only teams ahead of the Buffs in the final standings were No. 8 Florida and No. 5 Arizona State. South Florida and South Carolina also qualified for the NCAA finals held May 23-28 at Omni La Costa Resort Champions Course in Carlsbad, Calif.

Swanson (sixth), Biwer (12th) and Dylan McDermott (tie for 30th) finished in the top 30 at the tournament.

“The guys came out and were very determined from the start to have a good day,” Edwards said. “We let a few strokes slip away at the end, but they erased all doubt with a few holes left by how they played to that point. Hunter had a great week. Justin was really struggling during the practice round and he found a way to compete despite not having his best.

“Brandon (Knight) battled the entire tournament and seemingly was in a hole to start each round, managing to post solid numbers the last two days. Dylan didn’t have his best the last two days, but he competed really well and was pivotal to us advancing. Ty Holbrook was the same. He had some huge moments.”

Colorado State finished ninth at the regional behind a strong performance by Christoph Bleier, who finished in sixth place.

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Colorado Christian one step closer to second straight title

Colorado Christian’s quest to win another NCAA Division II national title continues after the program’s first regional title last week.

The Cougars officially punched their ticket to the national championship with an impressive 46-under-par three-round score at Victoria Club in Riverside, Calif., and a 14-stroke win over the No. 6 ranked Oklahoma Christian.

Oklahoma Christian’s Oskari Nikku claimed the top individual spot, but Colorado Christian had three players finish in the top five. Sangha Park finished second while Adam Duncan, who was named RMAC Golfer of the Year on Wednesday, and Xavier Bighaus tied for third.

The national tournament will begin May 19 at PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

Cougars coach Mark Hull was named RMAC Coach of the Year for the third straight year. Six golfers from Colorado Christian (Duncan, Bighaus, Park, Sungyeop Cho, Bradley Mulder and Peyton Jones) were named to the first team.

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Clark looks to get back on track in majors

Since winning the U.S. Open in 2023, Denver’s Wyndham Clark hasn’t made much noise in majors. He looks to change that Thursday at the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C.

Clark tees off at 11:36 a.m. Thursday on the first hole with Tom Kim and Hideki Matsuyama. The group will be off Friday at 6 a.m., starting on the 10th hole.

The Valor Christian graduate’s best finish this season was a tie for fifth at the Houston Open. He made the cut at The Masters but was never in contention and finished in 46th.

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