University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Monday, September 26
Erie, Colo.
All Day
University of Northern Colorado
at
CU/Mark Simpson Invite
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
Welch Captures First Career Win at CU Invite
9/27/2016 5:16:00 PM | Men's Golf
FINAL RESULTS
ERIE, Colo. – After starting the day tied for eighth place and three strokes out of the lead, true freshman, Coby Welch carded a career-low 66 (-6) to win the Mark Simpson Colorado Invite individual title on Tuesday.
After rounds of 70 (-2) and 69 (-3) on Monday, Welch one-upped his performance in the final round. He ended his day with 11 pars, five birdies, one eagle and just one bogey to boot. For the tournament, Welch finished with a 205 (-11), which is a new program record for the lowest individual total of a 54-hole tournament. He earned the win by one stroke over Wyoming's Ryan Wallen, who finished 10-under par for the invite.
How It Happened:
The men's golf team as a whole also had an impressive final round. Heading into the last 18 holes in 12th place, the Bears sky rocketed to a Top 5 finish, coming in fifth after marking a new season-low round of 280 (-8). Overall, Northern Colorado finished with an 860 (295, 285, 280) at the par-72 Colorado National Golf Club.
The team score tied the lowest round total of the tournament and sits as the fourth-lowest round in Division I program history. In the process, UNC bested three Mountain West teams, a Pac 12 team and beat the two other Big Sky schools in attendance (Weber State, Southern Utah).
Welch wasn't the only player to finish in the negatives on Tuesday. Both sophomores Eric Chen and Josh Matz came into the clubhouse with a 70 (-2) and a 71 (-1).
Chen, who had a tough time in the first two rounds, rebounded nicely in the final day. He placed tied for 82nd overall with a total of 225 (78, 77, 70 = +9).
Matz completed his invite with a 220 (77, 72, 71 = +4) and placed tied for 50th in the 108-member field.
Junior, Sam Marley had the second best finish of any UNC golfer at the Invite. Marley notched a 73 (+1) in the third round to score a 217 (74, 70, 73 = +1) and tied for 36th on the leaderboard.
Fellow classmate, junior, Andrew Romano rounded out the team. Romano tallied a 75 (+3) in his final 18 holes to sign off on a 223 (74, 74, 75 = +7). He came in tied for 71st.
Game Changer:
True freshman, Coby Welch became the first UNC golfer since the 2014 season to win an individual title. The last to do it was Ben Krueger who captured the America Sky individual championship, nearly three seasons ago.
Key Stat:
Northern Colorado moved a total of 12 places on the team leaderboard from round one to round three. UNC started in 17th place after round one and ended up finishing in fifth overall.
In Their Words:
Coby Welch on the win:
"I just hit the fairway and then hit the green. I two putted or one putted – playing golf the way it is really supposed to be played. I kept things simple. It's amazing being able to win at such a high level. I am truly blessed. I wasn't nervous at all, I honestly had no idea where I was sitting on the leaderboard. I just played my game and played the best I could and let the rest take care of itself."
Head Coach Roger Prenzlow:
"Of course it was fun to watch Coby win as a freshman, but the entire team is to be commended for competing well today! If we keep doing things correctly in competition and practice, this is just a glimpse of things to come with this great young team. Coby had a great week with the putter which allowed him to win, the rest of the guys putted well today and made a ton of birdies. Beating Big Sky, Pac 12, Mountain West and WAC schools is always a boost to the program. We now need ten days of good practice to go see if we can get things going at the Paint Brush Invite."
Up Next:
Northern Colorado returns to competition October 10-11 at the Paint Brush Invite, hosted by the University of Denver.
ERIE, Colo. – After starting the day tied for eighth place and three strokes out of the lead, true freshman, Coby Welch carded a career-low 66 (-6) to win the Mark Simpson Colorado Invite individual title on Tuesday.
After rounds of 70 (-2) and 69 (-3) on Monday, Welch one-upped his performance in the final round. He ended his day with 11 pars, five birdies, one eagle and just one bogey to boot. For the tournament, Welch finished with a 205 (-11), which is a new program record for the lowest individual total of a 54-hole tournament. He earned the win by one stroke over Wyoming's Ryan Wallen, who finished 10-under par for the invite.
How It Happened:
The men's golf team as a whole also had an impressive final round. Heading into the last 18 holes in 12th place, the Bears sky rocketed to a Top 5 finish, coming in fifth after marking a new season-low round of 280 (-8). Overall, Northern Colorado finished with an 860 (295, 285, 280) at the par-72 Colorado National Golf Club.
The team score tied the lowest round total of the tournament and sits as the fourth-lowest round in Division I program history. In the process, UNC bested three Mountain West teams, a Pac 12 team and beat the two other Big Sky schools in attendance (Weber State, Southern Utah).
Welch wasn't the only player to finish in the negatives on Tuesday. Both sophomores Eric Chen and Josh Matz came into the clubhouse with a 70 (-2) and a 71 (-1).
Chen, who had a tough time in the first two rounds, rebounded nicely in the final day. He placed tied for 82nd overall with a total of 225 (78, 77, 70 = +9).
Matz completed his invite with a 220 (77, 72, 71 = +4) and placed tied for 50th in the 108-member field.
Junior, Sam Marley had the second best finish of any UNC golfer at the Invite. Marley notched a 73 (+1) in the third round to score a 217 (74, 70, 73 = +1) and tied for 36th on the leaderboard.
Fellow classmate, junior, Andrew Romano rounded out the team. Romano tallied a 75 (+3) in his final 18 holes to sign off on a 223 (74, 74, 75 = +7). He came in tied for 71st.
Game Changer:
True freshman, Coby Welch became the first UNC golfer since the 2014 season to win an individual title. The last to do it was Ben Krueger who captured the America Sky individual championship, nearly three seasons ago.
Key Stat:
Northern Colorado moved a total of 12 places on the team leaderboard from round one to round three. UNC started in 17th place after round one and ended up finishing in fifth overall.
In Their Words:
Coby Welch on the win:
"I just hit the fairway and then hit the green. I two putted or one putted – playing golf the way it is really supposed to be played. I kept things simple. It's amazing being able to win at such a high level. I am truly blessed. I wasn't nervous at all, I honestly had no idea where I was sitting on the leaderboard. I just played my game and played the best I could and let the rest take care of itself."
Head Coach Roger Prenzlow:
"Of course it was fun to watch Coby win as a freshman, but the entire team is to be commended for competing well today! If we keep doing things correctly in competition and practice, this is just a glimpse of things to come with this great young team. Coby had a great week with the putter which allowed him to win, the rest of the guys putted well today and made a ton of birdies. Beating Big Sky, Pac 12, Mountain West and WAC schools is always a boost to the program. We now need ten days of good practice to go see if we can get things going at the Paint Brush Invite."
Up Next:
Northern Colorado returns to competition October 10-11 at the Paint Brush Invite, hosted by the University of Denver.
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