Salazar wins tourney in Colorado

Monday, October 7

Erie, Colo.

Grand Canyon

Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational

10/7/2019 6:20:00 PM | Men's Golf

Lopes set program record to take 2nd

By: Mark Oshidari

Final results
Day 1 results

ERIE, Colo. — Grand Canyon senior Michael Salazar won the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational in a playoff Tuesday to lead the Lopes' record-setting tournament performance.

Salazar finished the three-round event at Colorado National Golf Club in a three-way tie for first place before carding a birdie on the first playoff hole to claim the individual title. His 12-under-par play for the tournament was part of GCU setting a team record for strokes below par at 25 under, trailing only host Colorado (35 under) in the 12-team field.

"It was a great week and a great week as a team," GCU head coach Mark Mueller said. "Everyone did a great job. We will use this as momentum into next week."

Salazar began Tuesday's final round by going 4 over on the first four holes before rallying from eighth place with six birdies and eight pars on the final 14 holes, tying him for first place with Colorado's Daniel O'Loughlin and Cal State Fullerton's Jack Dyer.

All five Lopes fired under-par rounds Tuesday. Seniors Jake Chanen, who led the team rally with three consecutive front-nine birdies Tuesday, and T.J. Nolan each shot rounds of 69 (3 under par), while senior Trevor Lampson and Salazar fired matching rounds of 70. Lampson tied for 11th place overall in the 72-player field. Sophomore Matthew Braley overcame a triple-bogey on the seventh hole by recording four consecutive back-nine birdies to shoot a 71.

GCU's team score of 25 under par (839) erased the program's former record in relation to par, which was 21 under par in Division II play. The previous GCU Division I record was 20 under par, set at the Herb Wimberley Intercollegiate in October of 2017.

Day 1 recap

GCU's Salazar was in contention for medalist honors after firing rounds of 66 and 68 on Monday, putting him at 10 under par. He trailed Omaha's Witchayapat Sinsrang by one shot.

As a team, GCU was in third place in the 12-team event. Colorado led with a total of 556 (20 under par). Utah State (560), GCU (561), Wyoming (562) and CSU Fullerton (563) rounded out the top five.

Lampson shot a pair of sub-par rounds and was in a tie for eigthh place (139) while Chanen was at even par (144) in 28th place.

Braley (147) and Nolan (147) were in a tie for 42nd place.