CSU Heads To Washington For Mountain West Championship

Tournament: Mountain West Championship
Dates: April 29-May 1
Host: Mountain West Conference
Location: Bremerton, Wash.
Course: Gold Mountain Golf Club-Olympic Course
Course Par/Yardage: Par 72 / 7,115 yds
Host Web Site: http://www.themw.com
Live Scoring: https://csura.ms/3kgihc3
Tournament Field (11): Colorado State, Air Force, Boise State, Fresno State, Nevada, New Mexico, San Diego State, San Jose State, UNLV, Utah State, Wyoming

Next on the Tee: Colorado State will take to the course to compete for the 2022 Mountain West Men's Golf Championship, April 29-May 1. The three-day, 54-hole event, hosted by the Mountain West Conference, is being played at Gold Mountain Golf Club's Olympic Course (Par 72 - 7,115 yards) in Bremerton, Wash. The Rams will play with San Jose State in the opening round, with the first pairing teeing off at 9:20 a.m. PT on Friday.

Lineup for the Mountain West Championship: The Rams are in the traditional play-six, count-five event this week at Gold Mountain Golf Club's Olympic Course. For CSU, the lineup will be:
1.      Davis Bryant
2.     Rasmus Hjelm
3.     Connor Jones
4.     Christoph Bleier
5.     Gavin Hagstrom

CSU History In Mountain West Championship
(Complete history on Page 10)

Par Five (+1) On The Mountain West Championship

In the 21 years of the event, CSU has won the team title twice in 2008 and 2010 and three runner-up finishes, all under head coach Christian Newton in 2017, 2018 (the only time it has been held at Gold Mountain) and 2019.
The Rams also have had two individual medalists in the event: Martin Laird (2002) and Ryan Peterson (2010).
Of the 11 programs in the Mountain West, seven had representatives in the 2021 NCAA Regionals (four teams, three schools with individuals), with San Diego State and AJ Ott from CSU advancing to the NCAA Championships.
Eight of the 11 Mountain West teams are ranked in the top 90 nationally, according to Golfstat, with four in the top 51.
The only other time the MW Championship was in Bremerton, Wash., was in 2018, with Colorado State finishing as runner-up in the event.
The Olympic Course at Gold Mountain has had several notable events, including the 2008 and 2015 NCAA Men's Golf Regional, the 2011 U.S. Junior Championship and the 2006 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship.

Improving Throughout the Spring: Colorado State has made great strides in the Golfstat rankings since November. On the Nov. 15 rankings, the Rams were No. 115 in the country and were No. 101 as of Feb. 28. Since then, CSU has put together a solid spring and moved up to No. 70 heading into the MW Championship, on the bubble for selection to the NCAA Regionals as they head into the final regular event of the year.

Last Time Out: In less-than-ideal conditions over the past two days, Colorado State earned some quality, late-season wins in its third-place finish at the PING BYU Cougar Classic, Friday and Saturday, The two-day, 54-hole event, hosted by Brigham Young University, is being played at Riverside Country Club (Par 72 - 7,142 yards) in Provo, Utah.
       The opening day was marred by two lightning delays, occasional hail, chilly weather and a steady light rain throughout the day. CSU managed a 7-under 281 in the opening round to sit in fourth and then finished the second round this morning at 6-over 294 to remain in fourth at 1-under 575. However, the squad put together and fifth lowest round in its 18th appearance in the event with a 12-under 276 under tough weather to move up to finish third at 13-under 851. No. 50 BYU won its home event at 32-under 832, seven shots ahead of San Diego. The Rams were third, followed by Washington State at even-par 864 in fourth and Mountain West rivals No. 35 Nevada and No. 48 Boise State along with Utah Valley tied for fifth at 1-over 865. Those could be key wins as the Rams are in contention for a possible NCAA Regional at-large berth, as both rivals came into the tournament ahead of CSU.
       Senior Davis Bryant was the top Ram in fifth at 8-under 208, as he had all three rounds under par at 2-under 70, 1-under 71 and a 5-under 67 in the final round. The 208 tied a season low and it was the second time this year that he has shot all three rounds in an event under par, while his 67 tied for the third lowest round of the year. Sophomore Rasmus Hjelm tied for 20th at 1-under 215, but what was impressive was after he finished an 8-over 80 in the second round to be at 5-over, the Swede tied a team season-low with a 6-under 66 in the last round. Junior Connor Jones was one shot back at even-par 216 in a tie for 25th. Redshirt-freshman Gavin Hagstrom continued to show his improved comfort in his first collegiate season, as he tied for 36th at 3-over 219, but shot a pair of even-par 72s in the last two rounds, his first two rounds of par or better this year. Freshman Jay Pabin completed the team scoring at 9-over 225, including his first-ever CSU under-par round with a final round 1-under 71, tying for 54th. BYU's Carson Lundell and San Diego's Andi Xu tied for medalist honors at 11-under 205.
       "The boys did some good things this week," head coach Christian Newton said. "It's great to see them starting to play so well heading into conference next week. We are excited for the next challenge."

Last Time at the Mountain West Championship in 2021: Colorado State shot its best round of the tournament in the final 18 and finished sixth at the 2021 Mountain West Championship Saturday. The two-day, 54-hole event is being played at Omni Tucson National Resort Catalina Course (Par 72 – 7,194 yards) in Tucson, Ariz.
       The Rams entered the final round in sixth and remained there after posting a 6-under 282 to finish at even-par 864 for the tournament. New Mexico and Nevada tied for the conference title at 19-under 845 and went to a team playoff, where UNM won with a 2-over team score as compared to Nevada's 3-over. San Diego State and UNLV tied for third at 14-under 850, with Boise State in fifth at 3-under 851.
       Davis Bryant was in the hunt for medalist honors throughout the final round, getting to 9-under overall at one point in the back nine. However, a late stumble had him shoot a 2-under 70 for the day and finish at 6-under 210, one shot out of a four-way playoff for the individual title. AJ Ott tied for 17th at 2-under 214, while Rasmus Hjelm also shot a 2-under 70 and tied for 29th at 3-over 219. Parathakorn Suyasri tied for 34th at 6-over 222, while Oscar Teiffel finished 48th at 12-over 228. San Diego State's Puwit Anupansuebsai won the medalist honor in a four-way playoff with a birdie on the second playoff hole.

Hjelm Earns MW Weekly Award: Sophomore Rasmus Hjelm was named Mountain West Men's Golfer of the Week, the league announced April 14. This is the first weekly honor for Hjelm.
       Hjelm earned his highest individual finish, tying for runner-up honors as Colorado State at the 75th annual Western Intercollegiate presented by Topgolf and Titleist. Hjelm picked up wins over 10 players ranked in the top 100 nationally according to Golfstat, as he finished at 2-over 212 for the tournament, three shots behind medalist Dylan Menante of Pepperdine. He was among the leaders the entire event, played in very windy conditions. It was his first career top-10 finish and second top-20, with the previous best a tie for 20th at the 2021 PING BYU Cougar Classic.

Jones Named MW Golfer of the Week: Junior Connor Jones was named Mountain West Co-Men's Golfer of the Week, the league announced April 7. This was the first weekly honor for Jones.
       Jones had his best collegiate 54-hole placing, tying for runner-up at 12-under 204, one shot back of medalist Isaac Rodea of Long Beach State at the Wyoming Cowboy Classic. His 12-under total is tied for ninth in CSU's record book for 54-hole, under-par score, as he earned his third top-10 and fourth top-20 finish of the season. His 67s in the first and third round tied his collegiate career best and his 12-under 204 was also a career low. He led the Rams to a tie for third, as Colorado State picked up a significant number of wins against teams above them in the current rankings, including then-No. 19 Kansas, No. 53 UC Davis, No. 68 TCU and No. 78 Iowa State.

Military Tribute Bag Continues: In 2021-22, CSU is continuing its tradition of honoring those who have served our country through the military. This year, the program is again recognizing U.S. Army veteran Charles W. Williamson III, due to the shortened seasons in 2019-20 and 2020-21.
       Williamson served almost 17 years on active duty before medically retiring as a Sergeant First Class in 2007. He was part of a tank effort in Operation Desert Storm and through his first nine years of service, he was an Armor Crewman and held every position on a tank, including tank commander. During his military career, he also served as a Platoon Sergeant and Head Cadre, the instructor for the Individual Readiness Training for Bosnia rotations. He also served as a recruiter for the Army, retiring as Commander of a six-man recruiting station. From his service, he received numerous awards, bages, ribbons and commendations, including for meritorius service, His daughter Katelyn was a Folds of Honor Scholarship recipient at CSU, earning her degree in bio-medical sciences.
       The bag was carried by the top CSU finisher from the previous tournament during the 2019-20 season. AJ Ott carried it the 2020-21 season due to COVID protocols, taking it all the way to the NCAA Championships as an individual. This year, senior Davis Bryant carried the bag during the fall and Connor Jones had it for The Prestige as CSU's top finisher in the team's last fall event. Bryant again used the bag for the last three events, before Jones reclaimed it with his runner up finish at the Wyoming Cowboy Classic.
       In 2019-20, the military tribute bag debuted, honoring former golfer and late U.S. Army veteran James "Jerry" Jackson. Jackson had served as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, eventually passing away from lasting effects from exposure to Agent Orange from his service.

Fast Four On The Rams:

The Rams have had representation in the last four NCAA Regionals competed -- twice by individuals (2017, 2021) and twice with a full team (2018, 2019). The 2020 regionals were not played due to COVID, but CSU was ranked in the top 30 nationally when the season ended early.
The Rams are playing in seven different states for their 11 scheduled tournaments this year, with 10 of them in the Mountain or Pacific time zones. The only trip out of those was the third tournament of the year, when CSU competed in the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate.
Davis Bryant is currently second in career scoring at CSU in scoring average and fifth versus par.
Head coach Christian Newton now has 13 tournament victories in his nine-plus years as leader of the Rams.

On the World Stage: Four Rams on the current roster are ranked among the top 1000 players in the current World Amateur Golf Rankings, as of April 27. The rankings are based on their average performance in selected counting events over the past two calendar years.
Player                                     WAGR
Davis Bryant                           327
Christoph Bleier                      369
Rasmus Hjelm                         766
Connor Jones                         988

Bryant, Bleier Earn MW Monthly Awards: Colorado State Davis Bryant and Christoph Bleier have been named Mountain West Golfer and Freshman of the Month, respectively, for September, the league announced today. This is the second conference monthly/weekly award in Bryant's career and the first for Bleier.
       Bryant and Bleier led the Rams to their seventh consecutive Ram Masters Invitational in come-from-behind fashion after weather conditions on the first day led to higher-than-average scores. Bryant tied for runner-up honors in the event for the second time in his career, including a final-round 3-under 67 to help the Rams post a 5-under 275, the only under-par round of the tournament. In his first collegiate event, Bleier also shot a 3-under 67 in the last round to tie Bryant for the low score of the tournament and finish in a tie for sixth in the tournament.

Newton Named to GCAA National Advisory Board

Head coach Christian Newton was named to the Golf Coaches Association of America National Advisory Board, effective July 1, 2020. This is the first time that a CSU coach has been named to this prestigious position.
Newton was elected by his fellow coaches at the GCAA National Convention in December of 2019 and became the Third Vice President on July 1, 2020.
It is a 10-year commitment, where every two years he will move up the ranks after each President's term is up. He will become the Second Vice President from 2022-24, First Vice President from 2024-26 before becoming President in 2026-28. Following that, he will serve a two-year stint as the Past President from 2028-30.

Rams on Tour: Former Colorado State standout Martin Laird, a PGA tour veteran, made a statement in the 2021 season with his fourth career victory on tour, a playoff win at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. This was his second in in the event as he also captured the title in 2009.
       He made the cut in 14 events, with the win and two other top-25 placings as his top finishes. He earned $1.81 million last season after the 2020 season was halted due to the pandemic. In 2021, his efforts during the regular season earned him a spot in the FedExCup Playoffs for the 11th time in 13 seasons.
       This year, he has made the cut in seven of 12 events and has three top-25 placings.
       For his career, he has surpassed $20.79 million in official PGA Tour winnings and made the cut in almost two-thirds of his 337 PGA Tour starts in his 14-plus years on the top golf tour. Laird was inducted into the CSU Athletic Hall of Fame in the fall of 2017.
                Recent standout Jake Staiano earned a spot on the Korn Ferry Tour this year and made the cut in his first event at the Astara Golf Championship presented by Mastercard in Columbia in mid-February.

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