Ever So Close

UNC men end up 1 stroke behind champs in Big Sky tourney; CU freshman Justin Biwer finishes strong to place fifth in Pac-12

By Gary Baines – 4/27/2022

The University of Northern Colorado men came ever so close to winning a conference title and extending their season.

Alas, after 54 holes, the Bears fell one stroke shy of first place in the Big Sky Conference tournament, where the champion earns an NCAA Division I Regional berth.

UNC shot a 4-over-par 284 as a team in Wednesday’s final round at Talking Stick in Scottsdale, Ariz., finishing at 25 over par for three days. That was a stroke back of champion Weber State, which closed with a 286.

Northern Colorado put two players in the top 10 individually as Blake Danni of Cheyenne was fourth (76-69-70) and Jack Castiglia of Lakewood eighth (76-70-71). Weber State’s Reese Fisher (206) claimed the individual title. SCORES

Also in conference championship action, the University of Colorado men moved up two spots and finished 10th in the 12-team Pac-12 tournament in Sammamish, Wash.

Freshman Justin Biwer from CU came on strong in the final two rounds (67-69) to place fifth individually at 1-under-par 283, seven strokes behind champion Noah Woolsley of Washington. SCORES

About the Writer: Gary Baines has covered golf in Colorado continuously since 1983. He was a sports writer at the Daily Camera newspaper in Boulder, then the sports editor there, and has written regularly for ColoradoGolf.org since 2009. He was voted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 2021. Email: ColoradoGolfJournal@mac.com)