Men's Golf

Klingensmith Heats Up on Day Three

May 20, 2010 - CCU golfer Jon Klingensmith shaved 9 strokes off his Wednesday score, and moved up 20 spots into a tie for 66th at the 108-golfer NCAA Division II National Tournament Thursday. Despite shooting an 81 and 82 the first two days of play, the Cougar junior shot a 73, just one stroke over par on day 3 of the event in Noblesville, OH. Currently, Klingensmith holds a 236 stroke total, which is 20 strokes over the tournament leader.

For his accomplishments this year, the NCAA honored Klingensmith with his first All-Region award Thursday.

Though originally scheduled to play four rounds, bad weather has caused the NCAA to narrow the field of golfers for Friday's round. With a 236 stroke total, the CCU golfer failed to make the cut.

"Jon played like himself on Thursday - very solid all day. He struck the ball well and made some very difficult putts, posting one of the best rounds of the day," commented Coach Mark Hull. "It was refreshing for him to find his normal game on Thursday, as the first two rounds were not like him."

Golfers Battle Cold at Sagamore

May 19, 2010 - Day two of the NCAA Division II National Tournament brought temperatures in the 50s and soggy greens at The Sagamore Golf Club in Noblesville. And though CCU's Jon Klingensmith struggled under the conditions, the junior still has 36 holes to heat up.

Klingensmith followed up Tuesday's 81 with a Wednesday score of 82 - ten strokes over and 20 off the current tournament leader. He'll tee off Thursday at 8:10.

Follow all of the action from Indiana on NCAA.org.

Klingensmith Finishes First Round in Noblesville

May 18, 2010 - The Sagamore Golf Club in Noblesville, IN hasn't been around long, but it has already become a respected course. Today the 108 golfers competing in the 2010 NCAA Division II National Tournament found out why.

"Sagamore is an extremely difficult course that today humbled many of the best players in the nation," commented Coach Mark Hull, who is with CCU's only representative at the tournament, Jon Klingensmith. Klingensmith shot an 81 on the first day of play Tuesday, and though he sits at nine back (tied for 63), the junior from Denver still has 54 holes to make a strong move.

The course was so difficult Tuesday that the tournament leader was unable to finish 18 holes under par.

The golfers return to play Wednesday, and Klingensmith is set to tee-off at 8:50 am. "Jon is looking forward to gaining ground on the leaders tomorrow," remarked a confident Hull.

Live scoring from Sagamore is available on the NCAA website.

Cougar Athletes Just Heating Up

May 17, 2010 – The 2009-10 school year has come to an end, and with it the usual busyness that accompanies CCU’s 900+ students. The Lakewood campus is quiet, the apartments are empty, and the available parking spots abound. While most of CCU’s students have gone home to start jobs or reconnect with family and friends, there are a select few who are still very busy with the business of the 09-10 school year.

After qualifying as an individual for the NCAA Division II National Golf Tournament, CCU junior Jon Klingensmith joins seven other individuals and twenty teams participating for the 2010 National Title. Held at the Sagamore Golf Club in Noblesville, IN, this year’s 72-hole event begins with a practice round on Monday the 17th, and ends with the final 18 holes on Friday the 21st. Klingensmith tees off on Tuesday at 12:50 pm. Live scoring is available on NCAA.com, and updates will be provided daily on the CCU Athletics webpage.

Klingensmith Earns Trip to Nationals

May 6, 2010 — After having been chosen by the NCAA selection committee as one of the top 10 teams in the Central Region, the CCU Men's Golf team just concluded play at NCAA super-regionals, where the top 10 teams from both the Central Region and the West Region competed.  Of these 20 participating teams, the top five teams advanced to Nationals, as did the top two individual finishers not competing for one of the top five advancing teams.  The competition was hosted at the Classic Club near Palm Springs, CA, and after three days of intense competition, the Colorado Christian men’s golf team finished an impressive tenth place among a field of 20 of the nation's best. Making historic news for CCU, junior Jon Klingensmith placed seventh overall, earning him the University’s first-ever individual men’s spot at the upcoming D-II National Championship to take place May 18-21 in Noblesville, Ind.

The regional tournament capped a strong year of continued growth for the men’s golf program at CCU. Last fall, during the first half of the team’s 2009-10 season, Klingensmith captured the NCCAA (National Christian College Athletic Association) individual National Title. Then on April 23, the NCAA announced the team and individual selections for its postseason regional tournament. For the third straight year, CCU was named.

On May 4, at the end of day two at the Classic Club, Klingensmith led for CCU with a 145 stroke total, five short of the tournament-best score. The next day, strong play from each of his teammates during the final round helped shave an additional nine strokes off their team total. But against stellar play by the competition, it wasn’t CCU’s day to land one of the top-five team scores required to send them to play in the national championships. CCU finished with a 901 total, with Klingensmith’s individual total at 219.

“I am very proud of our team,” said men’s head coach Mark Hull. “We have made tremendous strides in each of our three appearances at the NCAA super-regional postseason tournament.  It was very encouraging to be within striking distance of the leaders this year, finishing just 14 strokes shy of having our team advance to the National Championships.  We will enter next season with very lofty team goals, as we feel that next year will be our chance to do some special things as a team!  I want to make special mention of Patrick Kent, graduating senior, who has meant so much to the development of the team these past four years, having served as team captain each of the past two years.  Patrick's work ethic and leadership ability have helped catapult our team onto the national scene and I will be forever grateful for his efforts. 
 
Although the men’s team will not head to Indiana this year as they had hoped, their consistently strong results these last three seasons—accented with Klingensmith’s historic accomplishment—offer a promising outlook for CCU golf.

After Two Days, CCU Tied for Twelfth

May 4, 2010 - After finishing Tuesday's rounds one stroke under par, Jon Klingensmith leads CCU with a 145 stroke total, just 5 off the tournament-best score. As a team, Colorado Christian bettered their position in the Regional Tournament, moving up one spot into a tie for twelfth by shaving one stroke off of Monday's team total.

With an 8:20 am scheduled tee time, Landon Willett will get things going for CCU Wednesday, followed by Brandon Hystad at 8:30, Phillip Nelson at 8:40, Pat Kent at 8:50, and Klingensmith at 9:00. Playing in their third Super Regional tournament, the Cougars must finish in the top five in order to advance to the NCAA National Championship for the first time in program history.

Golfers Headed to Super Regionals for the Third Straight Year

April 23, 2010 – The NCAA announced their Men’s Golf Regional Tournament team and individual selections Friday, and for the third year in a row, Colorado Christian University was named among the 80 Division II teams that will be participating.

Representing the Central Region, CCU will compete against six RMAC schools and four teams from the Northern Sun Conference in their attempt to advance to the DII National Championships. Teams from the Central Region along with West Region teams will play at the Classic Club in Palm Desert, CA.

“I am very proud of our team,” remarked Coach Mark Hull after receiving the news Friday afternoon. “They have been diligently working on their games all year in order to get themselves in a position to make it to the NCAA post-season for a third consecutive year. We enter this post-season with our eyes on a higher goal.  We have now experienced the NCAA post-season two times, and it is no longer a new experience for us.  We feel we have the talent this year, and if we were to string together three of our best rounds, we could make a serious run at a top five finish at Super-Regionals.” 

The top five teams from the regional tournament advance to the national championship tournament, a 20-team event held at the end of April.

RMAC Picks All-Conference Golfers

April 23, 2010 – The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference announced its 2010 All-Conference awards for men’s and women’s golf this week, and four Cougar golfers made the list.

After leading their team to another strong season that landed them fifth at the RMAC Championships, juniors Jon Klingensmith and Philip Nelson and senior Pat Kent qualified for the post-season award, which is selected by combining players’ scores from the fall and spring conference championships. With a 298 combined stroke total, Klingensmith – a second team selection – finished just two strokes away from the All-RMAC First Team group. Nelson and Kent landed on the Third Team list, after golfing their way to 307 and 303 combined scores, respectively.

The RMAC women’s golf all-conference teams are comprised of the top fifteen individuals whose stroke averages from the four mandatory RMAC events lead the conference. After averaging a 488, junior Sturgis, SD native Jess Lauer received Second Team honors. She was the only Cougar from the women’s team to receive the award.

Men’s Golf Finishes Strong at RMAC Tourney

April 21, 2010 – After a 311-stroke team-debut on Sunday in Florence, Arizona, Colorado Christian University Men’s Golf shaved 15 off their team total, shooting a strong 296 on both Monday and Tuesday en route to a fifth place finish (out of 10) at the RMAC Championships. Led by the play of Jon Klingensmith, the Cougars put in their strongest RMAC Tournament performance in recent CCU history, finishing 30 strokes behind eventual RMAC Champion Western New Mexico.

Klingensmith, a junior from Denver who on day 2 shot a tournament-best 69, paced the CCU men with a 221 overall stroke total that landed him in eighth place out of 50 golfers. Junior Philip Nelson and senior Pat Kent also finished in the top 20 – Nelson tied for 18th after shooting 227 in the 3-day event, and Kent with a 228 stroke total that placed him 20th.

Landon Willett (232, tied for 27th) and Brandon Hystad (235, tied for 32nd) rounded out the scoring for the Cougars.

On the women’s side, junior Jess Lauer shot a 2-day total of 171, finishing in a tie for 19th and leading CCU at the Golf Club of Estrella in Goodyear, AZ. The Cougars finished 10th at the year-ending tournament, despite knocking 18 strokes off their Monday total. Erin Hays (191), Marissa Newton (202), and Andrea Niemer (202) completed the scoring for Colorado Christian.

Golfers Gear Up for RMAC Championships

April 15, 2010 - It’s been a busy spring for Colorado Christian University men’s and women’s golf teams, and this week both teams are hoping that the hard work pays off.

Coming off of successful back-to-back tournaments, the men have momentum and established success on their side. This past weekend, they finished second at the Bob Writz Invitational Tournament and fourth out of nine teams at the Air Force JV Invitational Tournament. Jon Klingensmith led the way for the Cougars, tying for fifth with CCU’s Patrick Kent on Saturday, and following that up with a third place finish in Colorado Springs. The junior from Wheat Ridge, CO managed a stroke average of 74 on the weekend and is leading the team with a 76.88 stroke average on the year.

On the women’s side, Jess Lauer continues to pace her team. After finishing in the top five in the three tournaments leading up to last weekend’s event at Fox Hollow Golf Course, Lauer finished the three-team tournament tied for third and just three strokes off the lead. She is averaging an 83.73 stroke average on the year.

Both teams will participate in the RMAC Championships April 18-20 in Arizona. The men’s tournament will be played at Poston Butte CC in Florence, AZ, while the women will tee off at the Golf Club of Estrella in Goodyear.

Cougars Open Spring in New Mexico

March 23, 2010 - Patrick Kent finished in a tie for 9th (10 strokes off the leader), and Jon Klingensmith and Philip Nelson tied for 16th at the Mustang Intercollegiate Golf Tournament in Albuquerque Monday and Tuesday. The Cougar golfers led a CCU team that placed 4th in the field of 9 teams, putting up 4 round scores of 186 and 190, respectively.

Landon Willett and Matt Motz rounded out the group, finishing 12 and 15 behind Kent. The team completed the tournament with a 761 stroke total, 31 behind first place Western New Mexico.

Klingensmith Earns NCCAA Player of the Week Honors

October 21, 2009—CCU junior, Jon Klingensmith, has been named NCCAA Player of the Week for men’s golf, after capturing first place at the NCCAA National Tournament last week in Panama City Beach, Florida.

Klingensmith carded scores of 71, 69 and 72 (212) over the three round event, finishing four under par and leading the Cougars to a third place team finish among a field of 18 schools.

With the fall season behind them, the Cougars will once again take to the links this March. Stay tuned to the CCU website, as a complete spring schedule will be released when available.

Klingensmith Captures First, Cougars Place Third at NCCAA

October 13, 2009—Cougar junior, Jon Klingensmith, turned in one of the best performances of his collegiate career, capturing an impressive first place finish at the NCCAA National Tournament, and leading the CCU men’s golf team to third overall among a field of 18 elite teams this past week in Panama City Beach, Florida.

Klingensmith carded scores of 71, 69 and 72 (212) over the three round event, finishing four under par and two strokes in front of second place Will Dusenbury (67, 71, 76) of Dallas Baptist.

Following round one of competition, the Cougars found themselves tied for first overall with Dallas Baptist, boasting a combined total of 287. The men recovered from a disappointing second round of action (319), to post the lowest third round score of any team with a 295.

By the time the smoke had finally cleared, the Cougars had solidified the remarkable third place finish with a total score of 901. Dallas Baptist captured the team title with an 880 (287, 293, 300), while Malone University nabbed second place with an 892 (293, 297, 302).

With the fall season officially in the books, the Cougars now look to carry the momentum over to the spring, where some strong RMAC performances will have the men once again on track to make their third-straight NCAA Super Regional appearance.

Cougars Finish Seventh at Regional Head to Head

September 30, 2009—The CCU Men’s Golf team traveled to Gothenburg, Nebraska over the weekend to play in the Regional Head-Head at the Wild horse Golf Club. The CCU men finished seventh overall (313, 324, 312 = 949) in the weekend’s competition and RMAC second place team Colorado School of Mines took first.

Leading the pack for the Cougars, junior Phillip Nelson tied for 49th after the first round carded an impressive 72 in the second round as he moved to 16th place. Nelson led the Cougars with the low score for the weekend 82-75-78= 235.

The Cougars pulled out to an impressive start, sitting in fifth place after the first round as sophomore Brandon Hystad (76, 80, 80 = 236), led the Cougars shooting a +4.

The Cougars began to struggle in the second round with four players shooting over 80. Senior Jon Klingensmith (77, 87, 75 = 239) shot an impressive +3 in the third round contributing to the overall team average per round of 79 for the weekend.

The CCU men’s golf team returns to action October 11-13 when they compete in the National Christian College tournament.

Cougars Log Eighth Place at RMAC #1

September 23, 2009—The CCU men’s golf team posted an eighth place finish this past week in the RMAC Fall Championships at the Cougar Canyon Golf Club in charming Trinidad, Colorado.

Patrick Kent was all business for the Cougars, notching a sixth place finish with a 75 (39-36) over the single round event.

Jon Klingensmith got in on the act, finishing 18th overall with a 77 (39-38), while Philip Nelson placed third for the Cougars and 32nd in the 50 player field with an even 80 (40-40).

As a team, the Cougars turned in a 314 for the tournament, with UC-Colorado Springs leading the 10 team field with a stellar 296 combined score.

The Cougars hit the links once again next week in the Regional Head-to-Head at the famous Wild Horse Golf Club in historic Gothenburg, Nebraska.

Cougars Begin 09 with Eighth Place Finish

September 16, 2009—The CCU men’s golf team battled their way to an eighth place finish among a top-flight group of teams this past week at the Peaks Classic in LaVeta, Colorado.

The Cougars notched scores of 303, 295 and 298 (896), to finish +32 overall and two strokes behind seventh place Regis University.

Patrick Kent paced CCU with a sixth place overall ranking, scoring a combined 216 (73, 73, 70) and finishing even on the par 72 course.

Jon Klingensmith finished the event +3 and 14th overall with rounds of 72, 69 and 78.

The Cougars are back at it next weekend in the first RMAC event of the year hosted at Cougar Canyon Golf Club in scenic Trinidad, Colorado.

Nelson, Secrest Named Honor Student Athletes for 2008-09

June 8, 2009—The Cougar Athletics Department is pleased to announce that Philip Nelson and Kim Secrest have been named CCU Honor Student Athletes for the 2008-09 academic year.

Nelson, a sophomore on the men’s golf team, helped lead the Cougars to their second-consecutive NCAA Super Regional appearance, while holding a team-fourth 77.1 stroke average and competing in seven of CCU’s eight regular season events. In the classroom, Philip holds a 3.72 in Business Administration.

Secrest recently capped a stellar senior season by helping the women’s soccer team to their first-ever berth in the NCCAA National Tournament. An NCCAA All-American, a four year starter and one of the top defenders in the history of the program, Secrest graduated this spring with a stellar 3.97 GPA in Psychology.

Administrators from each of the 14 RMAC institutions chose a male and female athlete as their honorees for RMAC Honor Student Athletes. To be eligible for the award, individuals must be an athlete in one of the conference sponsored championship sports; carry at least a 3.20 GPA; be a starter or key reserve; be of good character and must have participated at the member institution for two (2) or more seasons. True freshman and first year transfers are not eligible for this award.

Nelson, Lauer Named Second Team All-Academic

May 14, 2009—The CCU Athletics Department is pleased to announce that Philip Nelson and Jessica Lauer have each earned RMAC All-Academic Second Team recognition for their outstanding performance on the course and in the classroom.

Nelson, a sophomore from Xenia, Ohio, earned a 77.1 stroke averaging during the regular season and helped lead the Cougars to their second-consecutive NCAA Super Regional appearance. In the classroom, Philip has earned an impressive 3.82 GPA in Business.

On the women’s side of the action, Lauer, a sophomore from Sturgis, South Dakota, has been a consistent top-two finisher for the Cougars over the past two years, and has tallied a strong 3.75 GPA in Biology.

To qualify for Academic All-RMAC, student athletes must have a GPA of 3.20 or better, be a starter or key reserve and completed two consecutive semesters at their current institution. RMAC Sports Information Directors at schools that sponsor the sport of golf selected the teams. These SID’s took into account the student-athlete’s work in the classroom as well as on the golf course.

Cougars Finish 15th at NCAA Regionals

May 6, 2009—The CCU men’s golf team capped another strong season with a 15th place overall finish at the NCAA Super Regionals this past week in Lincoln, Nebraska. Final Results

The men logged a combined team score of 917 (300, 314, 303, +65) to finish just one stroke behind 14th place Hawaii-Hilo.

Jon Klingensmith racked up a team-best 227 (75, 76, 76, +14), while earning a 36th place overall finish.

Not far behind was Patrick Kent, who ranked 41st overall on the leader board by the end of the three round extravaganza, tallying a 228 (+15) which included a Cougar-best 72 in the final round.

The overall tournament championship went to RMAC rival UC-Colorado Springs, who put together an 863 (289, 290, 284, +11) to edge out second place CSU-Stanislaus by three strokes.