By: Tim Flynn
Otter Invitational
Monday-Tuesday - hosted by Cal State Monterey Bay - Bayonet GC - Seaside, Calf.
[Live Leaderboard]
Battle at the Dance
Monday-Tuesday - hosted by Hastings - RainDance National GC - Windsor, Colo.
[Live Leaderboard]
MINES CLOSES FALL WITH TWO TOURNAMENTS
Colorado School of Mines closes out its fall golf schedule this week with a pair of tournaments, heading to California for the Otter Invitational and sending its developmental squad up I-25 to the Battle at the Dance in Windsor. The Orediggers' scoring lineup will compete at the Otter Invitational in Seaside, Calif., playing once again in what has become a fall staple on the schedule. The field includes numerous West region teams highlighted by nationally-ranked #17 Cal State East Bay and #20 Chico State, along with RMAC foes CSU Pueblo and Fort Lewis. The Battle at the Dance, hosted by Hastings College, will be an individual tournament featuring six Oredigger entrants. Both tournaments will be played Monday-Tuesday with tee times yet to be set; live results are available at the links above.Â
THE FORECAST
Cool and wet is the forecast in California with morning clouds and afternoon wind and rain on Monday and morning rain on Tuesday with highs in the low 60s; morning fog and mist is always a possibility at Bayonet with its position on the Pacific Ocean.
Conditions should be better in northern Colorado at RainDance National with sunshine and temperatures in the 60s both days, with a windy Monday afternoon forecast giving way to a calmer Tuesday.
THE COURSES
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.Â
RainDance National plays a massive 8,313 yards from the black tees, including three 600+ yard par-5s topped by the 703-yard second that makes it the longest course in North America. Designed by Fred Funk and Harrison Minchew, the course opened in 2022.
LAST TIME OUT
Mines claimed four of the top five spots in a strong finish to the Bob Writz Individual at Bear Creek on Monday. Battling cold and wet conditions, seven Orediggers finished in the top 10 led by
Lukas Taggart's runner-up performance, while
Max Lange was third,
Colt Tenpenny fourth, and
Liam Allan fifth. Oredigger freshmen impressed, as well, as Enzo Martínez shot a 73 to finish tied for sixth in his collegiate debut at +3.
Davis Kushner was the day's biggest leaderboard mover, posting Monday's only under-par round at 71 to rise to eighth at +5, and
Giacomo Gaggero tied for ninth (+7) with a 76.
TAGGART EARNS RMAC HONOR
On Thursday,
Lukas Taggart was named the RMAC Golfer of the Week for the second time in his career after the senior's runner-up finish at the Writz Individual. Taggart was the top D-II finisher in the tournament, and was three shots clear of any other D-II golfer (-3) with teammate
Max Lange in third at even par.
FRESHMEN MAKE DEBUT
The Bob Writz Individual saw the debut of Mines' developmental squad with five true freshmen -
Davis Kushner, Enzo Martínez,
Devin Nguyen,
Alexander Samuelsson, and
Mitch Stock - playing for the Orediggers, and they will head out again this week in the Battle at the Dance. A new NCAA rule in 2025-26 allows true freshmen to compete in a limited number of dates while still maintaining their redshirt status, and the Orediggers will take advantage of that rule this season.
ALLAN GOES LOW
Liam Allan's second round at the San Juan Invitational saw him card a 64 (-7) on the par-71 course, Mines' lowest score in nearly a decade. The freshman's round was the Orediggers' lowest since George Markham shot 63 (also -7 on a par 70 course) at the 2016 Maverick Invitational; Nick Berry also carded 64 at the 2015 RMAC Championships with a program-record -8 result.Â
IN THE POLLS
Mines was picked in a tie for second in the RMAC preseason coaches' poll, tied with CSU Pueblo just behind Colorado Mesa while receiving a pair of first-place votes. Mines is also receiving votes in the third in-season GCAA Bushnell/Golfweek Top 25 released on Friday.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Orediggers will break for the winter before returning to action March 1 in the Las Vegas Desert Classic.
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MINES LINEUP - OTTER INVITATIONAL
1. Colt Tenpenny (Sr.)
Team leader in average this season at 73.3 … Has two top-10s in four starts including fourth at the Bob Writz Individual and T9 at the San Juan Intercollegiate.
2. Liam Allan (Fr.)
Averaging 73.7 as a true freshman … Has two top-five finishes, coming in fifth at both the Bob Writz Individual and San Juan Intercollegiate … Shot 64 in the San Juan second round, Mines' low round of the year and best round since 2016.Â
3. Max Lange (Sr.)
Coming off best result of the fall with a third-place finish (E) at the Bob Writz Invitational … Playing in his third Otter Invitational with a best finish of T23 in 2023.
4. Lukas Taggart (Sr.)
Reigning RMAC Golfer of the Week … Finished as the runner-up at the Bob Writz Individual at -3 … Is playing in the Otter Invitational for the fourth time with T14 (2024), T15 (2022), and 28th-place (2023) finishes.
5. Lucas Schulte (R-Sr.)
Had a season-best T15 finish at the Bob Writz Individual … Was also T24 at the San Juan Intercollegiate and T28 at the Shootout at PGA Riviera Maya … Was T21 at the 2024 Otter Invitational.
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MINES LINEUP - BATTLE AT THE DANCE
Enzo Martinez (Fr.)
Made collegiate debut as developmental squad's top finisher at the Bob Writz Individual … Shot 74 and 73 to finish T6 (+3).
Davis Kushner (Fr.)
Ended in eighth place at the Bob Writz Individual … One of four Orediggers with an under-par round in the tournament, going 78-71 to finish +5.
Mitch Stock (Fr.)
Shot a first-round 71 on the way to a T15 finish at the Bob Writz Individual … One of four under-par Mines rounds in the tournament.
Devin Nguyen (Fr.)
Finished T24 in the Bob Writz Individual in his collegiate debut.
Alexander Samuelsson (Fr.)
Finished T21 in the Bob Writz Individual in his collegiate debut.
Charlie Tran (Jr.)
Was T28 last week at the Bob Writz Individual … Veteran making his ninth career Mines start.
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