By: Tim Flynn
Otter Invitational [Live Leaderboard]
Monday-Tuesday, Seaside, Calif. - Bayonet Golf Course
Hosted by Cal State Monterey Bay
MINES FINISHES FALL IN CALIFORNIA
The fall season has gone by in a blink of the eye as Colorado School of Mines wraps up the first half of its schedule with the Otter Invitational in California this week. The Orediggers are coming off their best performance of the season at last week's Ryan Palmer Foundation Invite in Texas as they look to finish the fall on a strong note. Mines will not return to competition until early March when they take part in the Las Vegas Desert Classic.
THE TOURNAMENT
After taking on many of the South Central region's top teams last week, Mines heads to the West region for the Otter Invitational, which is hosted by Cal State Monterey Bay. The field features a pair of ranked opponents from Mines' region in #20 West Texas A&M and #22 CSU Pueblo, along with RMAC rival Fort Lewis. A number of entrants, including Monterey Bay, Western new mexico, and Mines, were sitting just outside the most recent Bushnell/Golfweek Top 25 poll.
THE FORECAST
Cool and cloudy with afternoon winds off the ocean is the forecast for Seaside this week, with morning fog always a possibility. Highs will be in the lower 60s for both days of play.
THE COURSE
Bayonet Golf Course (and its companion track Black Horse) sits just a few hundred yards from the Pacific Ocean a few miles up the coast from downtown Monterey. Built in 1954, Bayonet sits on a former military installation and is named in honor of the 7th Infantry Light Fighter Division, nicknamed the Bayonet Division.
LAST TIME OUT
Colt Tenpenny came in sixth place to lead Colorado School of Mines at the Ryan Palmer Foundation Classic at Amarillo Country Club last week. Mines settled at even par for the tournament and finished sixth in a crowded field, with only six strokes separating third through seventh places. Tenpenny shot 65-70-68 for the top-10 finish, while
Lukas Taggart also finished the tournament under par at -3, tying for 16th place.
Charlie Tran was T44,
Eric Casademont Vinyoles was 84th, and
Lucas Schulte was 69th.
AT THE OTTER INVITATIONAL
The Otter Invitational has become a staple on Mines' fall schedule as they've played there in every season since 2017, save for the pandemic year in 2020. Last year Mines finished sixth led by
Ethan Adam's seventh-place individual finish and 13th place from
Theodore Reitter. Among players in this year's lineup,
Max Lange was T23,
Lukas Taggart 28th, and
Carter Lolli was T54.
Colt Tenpenny, playing for CSU Pueblo last year, finished T11.
MINES PROJECTED LINEUP
1. Colt Tenpenny (Jr.)
Mines' top finisher last week in 6th place at the Ryan Palmer Foundation Invite … Finished T11 at the 2023 Otter Invitational.
2. Lukas Taggart (Jr.)
Shot under par to tie for 16th at the Ryan Palmer Foundation Invite … Has career finishes of T15 and 28th at the Otter Invitational.
3. Max Lange (Jr.)
Making second scoring lineup start of the season … Was T13 at the Writz at Mile High … Was T23 at the 2023 Otter Invitational
4. Lucas Schulte (Sr.)
Finished a career-best T23 at The Writz at Mile High … Was 69th at the Ryan Palmer Foundation Invite.
5. Carter Lolli (Jr.)
Making second start of the season after finishing T13 at The Writz at Mile High … Has finished T26 and T54 at the 2022 and 2023 Otter Invitationals.
Ind. Eric Casademont Vinyoles (Fr.)
Finished 8th at The Writz at Mile High in collegiate debut … Finished 84th at the Ryan Palmer Foundation Invite.
